My first month in Wisconsin!

As the new girl in town, I’ve been asking everyone I meet whether it be coworkers, listeners and people out and about what THEIR favorite things to do in Wisconsin are. I don’t care if its hiking, a new restaurant, a local business that you love to support. Anything. I want your favorite activities to do so that I learn from the people who know it the best. It turns out, people love to be asked this question. I’ve gotten hundreds of answers!

In the one month of being here so far, I’ve been all over the place! I spend a lot of time in downtown Wausau exploring, finding local businesses to check out. I went to the Eau Claire Dells which are absolutely beautiful. I went and hiked there which was peaceful and the wooded trail I was on was lined with benches and I passed so many smiling faces who all made sure to say hello. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to be 96 degrees out the day I went hiking?? I moved up North to get out of the heat. I thought Wisconsin was supposed to be cold. Like Antarctica cold. At least that’s what I always was told about Wisconsin, that it’s cold and Aaron Rodgers runs this place. Well I arrived and it was hot and Aaron had gone to the East coast where I had just left. Just my luck, lol. I ended up finding the water and man was it packed. So many people swimming and partying and jumping off rocks into the water below. It was a sight to see and I’m so glad I got to witness that. It reminded me of all the river swimming at home my friends and I did since I grew up along the Susquehanna river. I know next summer when it’s hot again (since I jinxed myself and it’s freezing now), I’ll be one of those people jumping off the rocks.

My next adventure was to The House on the Rock. Now, if you haven’t heard of this place or been there, LOOK IT UP. NOW. It was a fever dream. My best and worst nightmares all combined in one place. It felt like the man who designed this place was on something when he threw all this together. A Japanese garden, the world’s largest carousel…underground?? Rooms devoted to dolls, dollhouses,clowns, British artifacts. Just so much randomness. I really can’t say anything other than he let his intrusive thoughts win. You have to see this bizarre place in the middle of the woods.

WIFC is involved in countless community events and I’m lucky enough to get to go to these events… as part of my job? That’s still the coolest thing ever to me. I’ve got to work a beer and bacon fest, meet Wausau’s own Grace Stanke who is Miss America, work an arts festival and so much more fun stuff. One event in particular I’ve got to work since coming here was the Nekoosa GIANT Pumpkin Fest. Dave kept telling me how big of a deal this event was, but as an outsider, I was kinda confused on why a giant pumpkin falling from a crane was so exciting. I found out when I watched for myself. 851 pounds of pumpkin (her name was Diane #RIP ) came falling from the sky and it was insane! I even got to lead the countdown (talk about making a girl feel welcome) and share the excitement with the 10,000 people that were there with me. They were not kidding when they say GIANT pumpkin fest. The pumpkins were all bigger than the studio I’m sitting in right now. There was a 1890 pound pumpkin that was dropped from the air too. How does one even grow a pumpkin that big?? Overall, it was such a fun event. I met as lot of friendly people, bought the cutest fall decor items from local vendors and ate wayyy too much food.

Now where should I go? I’m ready for the next adventure! 🙂