After visiting Iowa, we ventured up to the Great Lake states of Wisconsin and Michigan. We not only discovered many fun sights, but experienced lots of great food as well. Ice cream, cheese, and cherries are some of my favorites and this area did not disappoint.
Wisconsin:
We started off in Wisconsin, the land of the “cheeseheads” and a new state for us. We were hoping to find a cheese factory that we could tour, but since that didn’t pan out, we visited numerous cheese shops instead. Ehlenbach’s Cheese Chalet was amazing with over 50 cheeses that we could taste and numerous other food and gift items. Needless to say, we went home with several types including mango fire cheddar, jalapeno Havarti, hickory smoked blueberry cheddar, and even chocolate cheese fudge with toffee and sea salt.
Madison Campground was conveniently located just outside the capital city of Madison, so it was an easy trip into the city. Now that we have seen most of the states, we have transitioned to checking off state capitals when we can. Our tour of Wisconsin’s capitol building was very interesting and included seeing numerous fossils right in the walls and floors throughout the building. Its dome is the only granite dome in the world and is the largest dome by volume in the US.
Cave of the Mounds is a short drive from Madison. We enjoyed one of their daily tours into the limestone cave where we saw many colorful crystal formations and learned about Wisconsin geology.
The cave gets its name from the Blue Mounds, 2 large hills that have long been Wisconsin landmark features. They also have a beautiful flower garden and large gift shop on the premises.
We stumbled upon a unique opportunity to visit the Epic company complex in Verona, Wisconsin. This healthcare software company makes medical record programs like My Chart which you may have used to access your medical records, view lab results, or message your doctor.
You can take a self-guided tour to discover their many huge campuses with themes like Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, and Harry Potter. They say that creative spaces help their employees innovate to solve complex problems and it sure looked like a fun place to work. The incredible details stayed true to the theme from artwork, carpets, office décor, and even furniture. We highly recommend this fun experience and the friendly employees who will help you find your way through the many twists, turns, slides, stairs, and tunnels!
Also in Verona, we found Candinas Chocolatier, a cute boutique chocolate factory with delicious creations by its Swiss trained confectioner. He says their chocolates are created with equal parts artistry, science, and love. A winning combination in my book as evidenced by how quickly our purchases were enjoyed!
Michigan:
Instead of driving through Chicago, we decided to take the scenic route around the top of the state to come into Michigan via the north. Crossing over the large Mackinac Bridge was a little nerve-wracking in the motorhome! The bridge is the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. We survived and made our way to Petosky where the beautiful Hearthside Grove Motorcoach Resort became our base camp for the week.
The nearby town of Harbor Springs has tons of cute shops and eateries. After exploring the town and taking a relaxing stroll along the waterfront, we drove the Tunnel of Trees. This scenic 2-lane road winds its way through a picturesque canopy of trees as it takes you up the coast along Lake Michigan. We had an authentic Polish dinner at the historic Legs Inn in Cross Village before returning home.
Another charming town we discovered along the lake was Charlevoix. A highlight here is the Cherry Republic store where you can sample “everything cherry” including cherry candies, cookies, peanut butter, wines, sauces, and so much more. We left there with a big bag of goodies! It was interesting to learn that Michigan produces 70% of tart cherries in the US each year. The area’s success is due to prime soil as well as Lake Michigan which calms the cold winter winds and keeps the orchards cool in the summer.
We made a day trip to Mackinac Island, a charming vacation spot known for its Victorian-style homes, stunning views of Lake Huron, and historic Fort Mackinac. After a quick 18-minute ferry boat ride you feel like you are transported back in time as you arrive on the tiny 3.8 sq mile island where only horse-drawn carriages and bicycles are allowed.
We rented bicycles and pedaled the peaceful 8-mile road around the island—the only highway in America where no cars are allowed. We enjoyed the majestic views along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, stopping to explore the limestone Rock Arch.
Later we rode the trolley tour to learn about the island’s history and, of course, visited the famous fudge shops. Known as the fudge capital of the world, the island’s 13 fudge shops make over 10,000 pounds of the sweet treat each day. Maybe we should have ridden the bicycles AFTER sampling all that fudge!
After our week in upper Michigan, we drove south to Charlotte for our annual Spartan factory service on the motorhome. While there, we visited the MOO-ville Farm and Creamery, a working dairy farm that’s at the leading edge of technology with their robot milkers. Each cow has a smart collar that tells the farmer information like the cow’s temperature, how much they have walked that day, how much grain they need, and many more important pieces of data.
The cows line up to enter the milking area where they are rewarded with cow treats and back scratching brushes. The cleaning and milking process is all automated in an amazingly smooth and efficient process. Afterwards we enjoyed some of their delicious and creamy ice cream made on site.
Our drive to Lansing included a visit to the Michigan state capitol building. It is the only state capitol building designated as a National Historic Landmark and is recognized for its extraordinary architecture and art. Architect Elijah Myers was among the first to use the national capitol in Washington, D.C. as a model and set the standard for state capitols for decades to come. He was the only architect to design the capitol buildings for 3 states: Michigan, Texas, and Colorado.
We continued on to Grand Rapids for a visit to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. It’s very interesting to not only revisit the historic events of that time, but to experience highlights from President and Mrs. Ford’s lives. There are always many more events and accomplishments than we knew or remembered.
Another fun stop we have visited before was the Grand Rapids market where you can find food, produce, and also delicious chocolates from Love’s Ice Cream & Chocolates. After our fun-filled weeks of adventure, we headed south towards Texas with full bellies and great memories of these two beautiful Great Lakes states.
Lots of sweets. I’m currently giving up sweets for lent. This post really got me salivating. Two more weeks till Easter! I enjoyed your descriptions. Keep up the adventures!
Thanks, Pam. Hang in there on the no sweets– that would be my downfall! Hope you and Bruce are doing well.