We drove down to southwestern Wisconsin, the Driftless Region, to canoe a couple of days on the Kickapoo River. This is a really beautiful part of the state, with hills and ravines and streams and rivers all over the place. To add to the picturesqueness, it also has an Amish community. It gets its name from the fact that when the glaciers moved over Wisconsin, bulldozing it and leaving deposits, or "drift", the glaciers moved around this area, surrounding it, but skipping over it, hence no "drift" or "Driftless". It is a geographic oddity, and a really beautiful place.
Unfortunately, for us, when we arrived, we learned the Kickapoo River had flooded, breaching its banks all over the place. So, while we had a really beautiful drive, we did have to make other arrangements.
We drove to Wisconsin Dells instead. We had no idea what was waiting for us there. Think Jersey Shore on steroids. Several people from Wisconsin told us no one from Wisconsin visits the Dells, it's all folks from Illinois; I don't think that's exactly true, but it gives you an idea of the image it has within the state.
The Dells has been a tourist destination for 100 years. The Dells themselves, a gorge or narrows of the Wisconsin river, is actually quite beautiful; we took a duck boat tour through the Dells. Most people who visit the town of Wisconsin Dells don't actually visit the Dells, however. The Dells has become the "Waterpark Capital of America" which is why tourists flock there. So, if you like waterparks, this is the place for you; if not, skip it! There are also tons of restaurants, attractions, a casino and bars in the Dells, adding to the fun (or the madness, depending on your perspective).
We spent two days in the Dells, taking the girls to a waterpark and a couple of other attractions like Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory, kind of a low-rent Franklin Institute. Snarkiness aside, the girls had an absolutely fabulous time in the Dells, they just loved it. Above is a picture of Grace playing on the gyrotron at Tommy Bartlett's.
Just a mile or two outside the Dells, it becomes gorgeous Wisconsin countryside again. We camped three nights in a state park, Mirror Lake State Park, just to chill out a little after our Dell days. A really nice town just ten miles south of the Dells is Baraboo, Wisconsin. Besides being a pretty town along a beautiful river, it has two really wonderful attractions.
The first is the International Crane Foundation, a preserve which house examples of all 15 species of crane. This preserve is just fabulous. Locals say it is a hidden gem that, despite all of the tons of tourists to the Dells, receives few visitors. Except for the people who visit the area only to see the Crane Foundation. It was set up by two young men in the 70s to save some of the world's endangered crane species, including our own Whooping Crane. It has a captive breeding program for whooping cranes and some other cranes, it also has an educational mission. The preserve has beautiful trails and walking paths where visitors can see the various crane species. A docent provide free two hour guided tours of the preserve, which are really enjoyable (and one can drop in and out of the tour if it gets too much). While not particularly crane enthusiasts, we spent a really enjoyable afternoon at the crane foundation. Above is a photo of one of the residents of the preserve.
The second great attraction in Baraboo is the Circus World Museum. Circus World was once the winter headquarters of the Ringling Brothers Circus. (The Ringling Brothers were from Baraboo.) We meant to just spend a couple of hours at Circus World, but ended up spending the entire day! It was just great. The campus is bisected by the Baraboo River; on one side of the river are the historic buildings from the Ringling Circus. These house amazing exhibits of old circus wagons, costumes and posters.
On the other side of the river are buildings and tents where the shows are: An hour long circus show with human and animal acts, a magic show, elephant and pony rides and a tiger act. The venues are small, so everyone is really up close to the acts, making it a different kind of experience. Above are some photos from circus world: the girls with an acrobat, the girls riding an elephant, and some of the antique circus wagons. This was just an all around great place to visit!
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