Get Inspired by These Wisconsin Family Vacation Ideas

It doesn’t matter if your kids are toddlers or teens, Wisconsin is a destination for the family’s Best. Vacation. Ever. Read on to find ideas for your next group getaway.

Outdoor Adventure for the Whole Family

Beautiful Door County is a favorite vacation destination for families. And at a remote part of this peninsula, in Newport State Park, you’ll find an International Dark Sky Park, one of only a few in the whole U.S. On a clear night, pack blankets, chairs and flashlights, find a spot in the grass and then just lay down and look up. Time stops when you’re gazing up at the cosmos, swapping stories under the Milky Way, planets, shooting stars and in rare instances, the colorful northern lights.

Find more outdoor fun on a hike with the whole family at Cave Point County Park, a place so pretty that it’s a popular wedding site. The trail will take you past birch, maple and beech trees to the limestone cliffs along Lake Michigan’s rocky shoreline. The trail links up with the adjacent Whitefish Dunes State Park, where kids — and their adult companions — can roll, slide and play together in the sand dunes.

A trip to the peninsula wouldn’t be complete without getting out on the water. From shipwrecks to towering lighthouses, the sights on a Door County boat tour will be something all members of your family will remember for a long time to come. These small-group tours take you along the scenic coastline, slowly floating through limestone caves and providing a fun lesson on the area’s history.

Explore Magical Sculpture Parks

Scientific studies show that nature is beneficial to a child’s development (and reduces parents’ stress levels), which are both excellent reasons to go hiking in the Badger State’s bucolic countryside and parks. You’ll find all kinds of trails here–some leafy and cavernous, maybe with a small waterfall or scenic overlook onto a lake. Others keep young trekkers engaged with manmade wonders, such as the giant rusted metal dinosaur sculptures in Jurustic Park in Marshfield.

Art sculptures, some climbable, also dot the trails in the 20-acre Stevens Point Sculpture Park and the Green Circle Trail. Kids get excited when they round a corner and discover another sculpture among the trees. The sculpture park connects to the Green Circle Trail, a lovely river-adjacent route for longer hikes and bike rides.

Family Fun on the Farm

Kids get giggly when they pet goats, feed piglets and frolic in pumpkin patches. Hinchley’s Dairy Farm in Cambridge does all that but with an added twist — it gives guided tours of its real, working farm, explaining how the business operates and cares for its animals. At the end, everyone gets a chance to milk a cow!

Cow’s milk is used to make cheese, Wisconsin’s most famous food. That homemade cheese has spurred a new crop of “pizza farms” across the state. These trendy farms are more than just a pizza dinner, they’re an experience. A ride through the scenic, hilly Norwegian Valley leads to The Stone Barn pizza farm in Nelson, built in 1896. There, share a custom-made pizza loaded with fresh cheese, picked-from-the-garden herbs and other fresh, locally grown ingredients. They’re cooked in an outdoor, wood-burning oven, and eaten at tables and picnic benches set out across the property. After dinner, kids can run around in the open fields and go for a scoop of ice cream while the adults sip on local craft beers or wine, and maybe pop into the on-site antique shop.

Awe-Inspiring Islands, Caves & Castles

The 22 Apostle Islands above Wisconsin’s northern edge are one of the state’s most beautiful sites. While it takes more than just a drive and a hike to see them, the Apostle Islands sea caves are worth the effort to experience. Waves and erosion from Lake Superior have carved out reddish-brown sandstone arches, caves and caverns on several of the islands, which you can explore by boat or kayak, followed by a hike. Many cave tours reveal a bit about the culture of the islands’ original inhabitants, the Native American Ojibwe people. Make sure to check ahead before heading toward the islands, as weather sometimes closes access to the caves.

Weather is never an issue at Crystal Cave in Spring Valley, the state’s longest underground cave. Descend 70 feet below ground to see thousands of pointy stalactites and stalagmites, and learn about geology, biology and conservation. Once back above ground, kids love to pan for “gems” or challenge their parents to a round on the Tee-Rex mini golf course.

Find more magnificent caverns at Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds. The main cave here began forming more than a million years ago, and every drop of water entering the cave leaves calcite crystals on the ceiling, walls and floor. Take a tour and follow paved, lit walkways designed for all ages.

What about visiting Wisconsin with the kids when the weather is cold and snowy? Don’t miss it! Winter is an ideal time to go through the spectacular, freshly carved and colorfully lit Winter Realms in Lake Geneva. It’s like stepping into Queen Elsa’s palace, and you’ll watch the awestruck wonder play across your kids’ faces. 

Kid-Friendly Thrills

Unique and memorable activities are scattered across the state, but perhaps one of the most famous family destinations is Wisconsin Dells, rightfully known as “The Waterpark Capital of the World.” Each of the more than 20 — yes, 20! — indoor and outdoor waterparks are epic, and loaded with colorful waterslides, exhilarating bowl drops and lots of out-of-water family activities, too.

While you may choose the role of spectator as your kids zip down a high-speed, 60-foot-high waterslide like the Screaming Hyena at Kalahari Resort, take comfort in knowing there are plenty of peaceful rides to enjoy together, too, such as floating along a lazy river.

A new slide, ride or attraction debuts nearly every year in “the Dells.” Work up the courage to ride America’s Tallest Waterslide - 145 feet tall! - at Mt. Olympus for a thrilling vacation you’ll never forget.

Discover more vacation inspiration by checking out these trip ideas!