Culinary Adventure in Central Wisconsin

By Jennifer Broome, Travel Journalist and TV Personality

Wisconsin is more than beer, cheese, and Packers football. Harley-Davidson was founded in Milwaukee in 1903. There’s a bevy of cultural history as well as restaurants and businesses that provide both fun and education. The state has ocean-like beaches along its shorelines on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. There are more than 15,000 freshwater lakes and over 12,600 rivers and streams meandering through the state. Wisconsin also is the number one producer of ginseng in country. American Ginseng has been cultivated there since the 1800s.

With a bounty of fall colors, this is a spectacular time of year to visit and eat your way through the state obsessed with cheese. Wisconsinites are affectionately called “cheeseheads,” and rightfully so since 48% of all specialty cheese made in America comes from dairy farms in Wisconsin, 95% of which are family-owned.

Devouring cheese curds and sipping craft beer are must-dos when visiting the Badger State, but there’s much more than dairy deliciousness and brews. From cranberries to cocktails, here’s what I found in Central Wisconsin on a surprising culinary adventure.

Cranberry Craziness

Wisconsin growers produce more cranberries than any other state. More than half of the world’s supply of the tart berry comes from the state. When cranberries were first harvested in the area around 1860, settlers thought the little red berry resembled the sandhill crane and called it “crane berry.”

To explore the cranberry growing region, drive the 50-mile Wisconsin Cranberry Highway from Warrens to Wisconsin Rapids. Even though there are a lot of waterways in Wisconsin, cranberries don’t grow in water.

As I visited Habelman Brothers Company, which is the world’s largest producer of fresh cranberries, I learned they grow on low running vines in sandy soil and the cranberry beds are flooded hours before harvest. This family run farm has been in business over 100 years and through five generations. They don’t offer public tours, but Rooted in Red does. You can pull on a pair of waders and wander out into the marsh during harvest in one of many events offered at that family-owned cranberry farm.

From fresh berries to dried ones, when you’re buying cranberries at your local grocery store, flip over the bag. They’re more than likely from Wisconsin. Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association has a wide variety of recipes for the state’s favorite fruit on their website. Fresh cranberries freeze well so you can add a little tangy zing to your dishes throughout the year.

Hit the Trails and Explore Fox Cities

Make Appleton your basecamp to explore the Fox Cities, aka the places by the Fox River. Nineteen communities, including Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah, make up the Fox Cities around the river in East Central Wisconsin.

Founded as a city in 1857, Appleton is famous for its Mile of Music festival and where magician Harry Houdini spent most of his childhood. The downtown is very walkable. Book a room at CopperLeaf Boutique Hotel & Spa, BW Premier Collection. Grab a casual dinner of gourmet tacos or enchiladas at Antojitos Mexicanos Kitchen and Cantina. End the night with a Dirty Snowball at Cleo’s Cocktail Lounge. The next morning, grab a latte and pastry at Copper Rock Coffee Company before heading out to explore more of the Fox Cities.

The historic paper mill towns are quaint, but if you’re wanting to enjoy fall’s crisp air, spend time on the more than 100 miles of walking, hiking and biking trails.

Connecting 20 parks on a 50-mile circle route is the Fox Cities Paper Trail. For a shorter but still very scenic stroll, start at Friste Park in the Village of Fox Crossing. It’s about a ten-minute drive from downtown Appleton. From Friste Park, walk along the old train trestle that’s now a pedestrian bridge and connects to the 3.2-mile Loop the Lake Trail to walk through Menasha and on to Neenah.

Menasha comes from an indigenous word meaning “the settlement on the island.” Neenah, founded in 1872, also derives from an indigenous word meaning “running water,” Wander through the exhibits in the Octagon House at Neenah Historical Society before strolling along East Wisconsin Avenue where historic buildings now house cute shops like Red Door Mercantile and eateries like Little Siam, one of many Southeast Asian-inspired restaurants in the Fox Cities.

Wisconsin has one of the largest Hmong populations in the country from refugees immigrating after the Vietnam War.

To learn about native plants or just to get a little quiet time, take a leisurely walk at Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve. Founded in 1971, the 724-acre preserve is in the Tension Zone, where Wisconsin’s Northern and Southern biological communities meet. It’s home to a variety of habitats from white cedar forest to wet meadow. There are 8.5 miles of trail for hiking and walking. You can also snowshoe or cross-country ski in winter. Walk out on the dock at Turtle Pond. It’s my pick for a serene stop.

Learn About Indigenous Foods

In the 1820s, Oneidas were relocated from Upstate New York to what would become the state of Wisconsin. To learn about indigenous foods and farming practices visit Ukwakhwa. Oneida Nation citizens Steve and Becky Webster purchased the 10-acre farm on the Oneida Reservation in 2017 to share indigenous foods including planting and growing to food preparation and storage. They host events and offer tours of the farm.

On my tour I learned about the companion planting technique of Three Sisters mounds. The Three Sisters are corn, beans, and squash. I even got to use a traditional corn pounder to grind kernels into flour for corn mash made over an open fire. While waiting for the mash to cook, Becky told me, “We believe in slow food.” The corn mash and cornbread I sampled were made with simple ingredients but packed with flavor.

Sip a Wisconsin Old Fashioned

Wisconsin has its own variation of the classic Old Fashioned cocktail. Instead of bourbon, it’s made with brandy. When ordering one, you’ll likely get asked, “sweet or sour?” Lemon-lime soda gets added to the sweet version, and grapefruit soda is added to a sour one.

Try a Wisconsin Old Fashioned at Rye Restaurant in CopperLeaf Boutique Hotel & Spa, BW Premier Collection, in downtown Appleton. Pair it with their cheese curds for a quintessential Wisconsin experience on your culinary adventure. 

AAA Travel provides peace of mind when you travel — before, during and after your vacation! Members enjoy the advantages of membership including exclusive benefits, map routing, savings with the AAA Discounts & Rewards® program as well as recommendations for AAA Diamond-designated hotels and restaurants across the U.S. and Canada. Let AAA provide the rest of your travel needs with AAA Travel Guides, TourBooks®, access to travel agents and counselors and travel insurance. Your next vacation starts with AAA — your complete travel solution. Visit AAA.com/Travel.