Blink and you’ll miss it! Wisconsin’s been on a building spree. From a dragon-guarded resort in the Dells to a museum you can walk straight into the woods from, your must-see list has just grown! Here’s what’s new, where to find it and why it’s worth the drive.
Photo: Madison Public Market, courtesy of Hillary Schave
NEW EXHIBITION SPACE AT DOOR COUNTY MARITIME MUSEUM, STURGEON BAY
The Door County Maritime Museum just gave itself a reason for repeat visits. Its new Peterson Gallery is a rotating exhibition space built for shows that come and go, so the museum’s story keeps shifting even if you’ve been there before. The debut exhibit, “Beside the Lake, Beneath the Wind,” leans into the moody, water-and-weather themes that define this stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline. It’s a great addition for a museum already beloved for its lighthouse climbs and shipbuilding history and proof that even a Door County institution steeped in tradition is still finding new stories to tell its visitors.
DELLSHIRE RESORT, WISCONSIN DELLS
Subtlety was never on the table here.
Guests are welcomed to Dellshire Resort by a 70-foot, fire-breathing metal dragon guarding the entrance. And then there are the 208 rooms built around a full medieval-fantasy theme, five different dining outlets and a family entertainment center made for rainy afternoons. It’s the kind of over-the-top concept that could only work in Wisconsin Dells. Whether you’re there for the waterparks or just passing through, it’s worth a drive-by for the dragon alone.
KALAHARI TREEHOUSE ADVENTURES, LAKE DELTON
Not far down the road is another Wisconsin Dells icon — the Kalahari Resort. For travelers who’d rather sleep among the trees than in a standard hotel room, Kalahari’s new treehouse collection overlooking Lake Delton is the move. Built in partnership with Nelson Treehouse & Supply — the crew behind Animal Planet’s treehouse-building show — these stilted cabins include built-in slides on some units and stargazing nets for lying back under the sky. It’s a quieter, more scenic counterpoint to the Dells’ usual chaos of waterslides and go-karts, proof there’s a slower, cozier side to the state’s biggest tourist town.
NORTHWOODS FOREST HISTORY EXPERIENCE, MANITOWISH WATERS
The North Lakeland Discovery Center added a new museum wing, the Northwoods Forest History Experience, dedicated to the story of logging and forest history in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Exhibits trace the region’s logging boom and the forests that grew back from it, but the real draw is what’s just outside the door, where you’ll find trails leading straight into the woods that the museum is telling you about. It’s an easy pairing of learning and hiking that fits the Northwoods’ whole ethos: less lecture hall, more trailhead, with a little history to carry along the way.
KAHNEKANO·LÚ CULTURAL CENTER, ONEIDA
The Oneida Nation’s new museum is now the Kahnekano·lú Cultural Center, a 21,000-square-foot space that finally gives a collection of roughly 3,000 objects, 12,000 photographs and 25,000 archival pieces the visibility it always deserved, moving from a tucked-away former location to a more prominent spot near the airport. Exhibits trace Oneida Nation Madison Public Market history while spotlighting the present too, including contemporary art, athletics and craftsmanship.
CANNERY PARK, EAU CLAIRE
Cannery Park sits along the Chippewa River just northeast of Mayo Hospital, with a playground, basketball court, open pavilion and green space built for picnics, pickup games or just watching the water go by. It’s named for the canning facility that once stood on the land, a nod to the neighborhood’s industrial past even as the space becomes something entirely new. For visitors exploring Eau Claire’s growing riverfront, it’s a nice, low-key add to the walking or biking loop.
MADISON PUBLIC MARKET, MADISON
After literal decades of false starts, Madison finally has its public market. Housed in a renovated former city warehouse at First and East Johnson streets, it packs in 28 permanent merchants selling food, drinks and goods from a wide mix of cultural backgrounds, plus rotating pop-up space reserved for startups and minority-owned businesses.
Expect empanadas next to burgers next to bottled hot sauce, all under one roof. The market has been quietly filling up with new vendors week by week, leading up to the official grand opening taking place November 19.
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