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Fall can be a great time to visit the State of Wisconsin. Whether you are searching for family history information or attending a baseball, football or basketball game, Wisconsin is a great destination for the heritage tourist. You may also want to include the Wisconsin Dells on the Wisconsin River in your plans. Wisconsin is a big state. Look it over well to decide which historical, cultural and natural elements of the state you want to visit.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin
Wisconsin is well known for numerous ethnic festivals throughout the state to celebrate the heritage of its citizens. These include Summerfest, Ocktoberfest, Polish Fest, Festa Italiana, Irish Fest, Bastille Days, Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), Brat(wurst) Days, Cheese Days, African World Festival, Indian Summer, and Arab Fest, among others.
The Frenchman Jacques Marquette was the first European to reach the Wisconsin River in 1673. Human activity in Wisconsin goes back much, much further, of course, as it was the heartland of the “Effigy mound culture” thousands of years earlier. You can visit some of these mounds, even today.
On our last visit, we enjoyed visiting the House on the Rock south of Spring Green, Wisconsin. Now a museum, it includes “the world’s largest indoor carousel” among many other distinctive attractions.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin
I recently created a webpage, “Wisconsin Heritage Tourism; Visited lately?” that I commend to your review in your planning process. Wisconsin is a land of many features and and many cultures forming an amazing history for those interested. It is the home of the founding of the Republican Party and the Green Bay Packers. It is noted for its dairy farmers giving rise to the CheeseHeads. What more variety could you wish? Have a great trip to Wisconsin.
© Dr. Bill Smith 2012
Dr. Bill Smith is the author of The Heritage Tourist, a monthly column in The In-Depth Genealogist which focuses on the social context of travel and history when applied to our genealogy. Dr. Bill can be found blogging at Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories.
Someone told me on my Facebook page they couldn’t leave a comment. I’m checking it, myself.
My comments was I couldn’t comment. Before that it was that I enjoyed reading about Wisconsin.