Usinger’s Famous Sausage (Milwaukee)

Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

As a result of it's vibrant German population one thing you'll find plenty of in Milwaukee is sausage, and by far one of the most well-known sausage purveyors in the city is Usinger’s. The store and factory are right down the street from the Wisconsin Cheese Mart so wander around and do a tasting tour.  We were dying to go on in and take a look at the variety and watch some getting made, but just our luck it was … [Read more...]

Wisconsin Cheese Mart (Milwaukee)

Wisconsin Cheese Mart (Milwaukee)

Wow, were we lucky that we happened to wander into The Wisconsin Cheese Mart, as this amazing cheese store claims to have the world’s largest selection of Wisconsin cheese.  By the looks of the cases I wouldn’t doubt it, this store was chock full of every type of cheese you could imagine. Our luck continued as the store was pretty empty, so they let us sample all kinds of cheese. We were thrilled when they … [Read more...]

Norske Nook (Osseo)

Norske Nook (Osseo)

Osseo is a tiny town with a mostly Norwegian population and their claim to fame is the bakery and family style restaurant known as the Norske Nook. After reading about this find in one of our guidebooks, and of course pie being one of our favorite desserts, we could not wait to dive in.  This is some of the finest pie you will find in the whole country, and they have the blue ribbons to prove it. (For any of you … [Read more...]

Jelly Belly Factory Tour (Pleasant Prairie)

Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

Could you think of a more aptly named place to be the home of the Jelly Belly Factory tour than Pleasant Prairie?  My kids were so excited for this stop it's all they could talk about since the moment they woke up.  I'll confess I have a pretty big sweet tooth and I think I was just as excited as they were.  As a mom, my mantra is moderation and I think it's an important lesson to teach your children especially as … [Read more...]

Noah’s Ark Water Park (Wisconsin Dells)

Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

As we drove in the Wisconsin Dells area we were completely thrown for a loop as we'd never seen anything like this. Hotels and indoor and outdoor water parks stacked all along the  main strip Vegas style and it was jam packed with people and cars.  I had no idea which one to choose but my kids kept yammering about the one they'd seen on TV  billed as “the largest water park in the US”—Noah’s Ark. As soon I … [Read more...]

Itinerary #8: Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

Minnesota

During the planning phase of this trip, the theme sort of came to me just by looking at the activities and historic sites. Many things had to do with waves of different groups who came to settle in these states to begin a new life far from the foreign lands they’d come from. It’s what makes cities across this area so interesting and unique—places like Chicago, a wonderfully diverse city where you can explore … [Read more...]