When in Wisconsin. . . Brats, brews, outdoor football, consume/wear cheese and MORE! We've been doing that for over 50 years!

Toasting at Milwaukee hotel, keeping Lions shirt under wraps.

Most of us have heard - and many of us try to embrace - the adage, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". It's a phrase so familiar, we typically cut it off after the first three words. It's an expression that, per The History of English website, "conveys the idea that when a person is visiting a new place, they should follow the traditions of the culture that exists there". If you're visiting Wisconsin, get ready for beer, brats, cheese, Midwest hospitality, and the opportunity to be snowed on while watching football

If you're a Michigander, it's not much of a stretch to adapt to the lifestyles of the Wisconsinites, but there are a few differences. And, other than a football stadium with outside seating only, we're okay with most everything else. 

Spanning over fifty years of travels to Wisconsin, we just wrapped up another trip to our neighbor across Lake Michigan and, every time we visit, we find more to love. 

Wisconsin family vacation, 1968:  Circus World and home of Green Bay Packers

Wisconsin 1968:  The Dells, Circus World, Lambeau Field and a flattened penny

My first trip to Wisconsin was back in the late 1960's. It was a family vacation that included stops at the Dells, Ringling Brothers Circus World, and Lambeau Field.  Of the former, I remember my parents, particularly my mother, really enjoyed the scenic boat excursion through the upper and lower dells, but my brothers and I were entranced with the intense amusement park overflowing with arcade games. In that magical place, there were machines that would allow one to flatten a penny or make a plastic dinosaur.  I did both - the beginning of my many great memories made in Wisconsin (though the brew and cheese would come later.)

At Fort Dells: (l) My parents and some old guy, (r) With 2 of my brothers, this was meant to be fun.

Wisconsin 2017:  The Badger, Lambeau Field, Cheeseheads

Almost a decade ago, my husband, Chris and I, along with my brother and sister-in-law, took the Badger across Lake Michigan to once again enter the land of Cheeseheads. In fact, after a stop at Lambeau Field, we even became (very!) temporary Packers fans, donning the requisite chapeau du fromage. 

Lambeau Field, 2017

When in Rome. . .