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With so many unexpected adventures right here in Wisconsin, this series helps you discover great places to visit throughout the state.

Wandering Wisconsin helps you plan a fall getaway

Skelly's Farm Market
Skelly's Farm Market
/
Travel Wisconsin
Scarecrows and pumpkins welcome visitors to Skelly's Farm Market in Janesville.

Wisconsin is home to 50 state parks, more than 40 historic landmarks and, of course, lots of good beer and cheese. With so many unexpected adventures and places to discover, why not plan your next vacation right here in our home state?

We’ve teamed up with Travel Wisconsin to help you make it happen. Wandering Wisconsin is our new monthly conversation where we bring you suggestions for great places to visit throughout the state. To kick things off, we’ll help you plan a fall getaway.

Fall colors

You could plan a whole vacation just based around Wisconsin's beautiful fall colors and Travel Wisconsin has a resource to help you do it. Their Fall Color Report is an interactive map that shows the status of the leaves progression from green to peak colors, according to Amanda Weibel, the communications officer for Travel Wisconsin.

"And when you select a location, you can also find nearby dining and lodging recommendations, plus a three day weather forecast to make your trip planning as smooth as possible," she says.

Wisconsin is nearly half covered in forests so there are endless locations to check out the colors and different ways to enjoy them like by foot, bike or car. One unique way Weibel suggests enjoying the fall colors is from a kayak or a canoe.

Family enjoys Fall colors from the water.
Travel Wisconsin
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WUWM
One way to enjoy Wisconsin's fall colors — via canoe.

"It's just such a neat experience to be on the water [to] have the contrast of that water or the reflection of the leaves," Weibel says. "That makes fall color even more spectacular, and a great spot to check out is the Kickapoo Water Trail in the Driftless Region. There are outfitters along the river that can assist you with equipment rentals and shuttle services, which makes the trip even easier, and you can just enjoy winding your way along the Kickapoo River."

Kickapoo River Valley
Distance from Milwaukee: Approx. three hours

If you want to stay closer to Milwaukee, Weibel also recommends Holy Hill Basilica to take in the fall colors.

"Built nearly a century ago that sits atop a hill formed by glaciers during the Ice Age. And there are 178 stairs to get to the top of that scenic tower, but it is absolutely worth the climb. You'll be able to see for miles over that colorful canopy," she says.

Holy Hill
Distance from Milwaukee: Approx. 40 minutes

Farm visit

While you are out enjoying fall colors, you might as well take part in another essential part of any fall getaway — a stop at a farm.

Skelly's Farm Market in Janesville has pumpkin picking, apple cider and hay rides. But the big draw at Skelly's is their elaborate corn mazes. They were one of the first farms in the country to start doing corn mazes.

You can find two elaborate corn mazes at Skelly's Farm Market in Janesville.
Skelly's Farm Market
/
Travel Wisconsin
You can find two elaborate corn mazes at Skelly's Farm Market in Janesville.

Scott Skelly, Skelly's director of fun, explains, "This year for our 25th year, we really wanted to mix it up and we have two mazes actually on our farm — one that's six acres, one that's nine acres. And the six acre maze, we've just innovated with something really new this year, it's like an escape room within the corn maze. So, you find clues and when you get to the end of the maze, you actually have to unlock an actual door to get out of the maze based off the clues and the keys that you found as you went through. Then, over at the impossible maze, it's really an awesome experience. We basically made it into a life-size video game. So as you go through the maze, you're finding different lost fruits or vegetables and you get points and scores and you get to see how you're stacking up against other people that have gone through the maze, all by using your smartphone to scan."

Another unique thing Skelly's offers is choose-your-own-adventure hay rides.

Skelly's Farm Market
Distance from Milwaukee: Approx. one hour and 30 minutes

If you want to make a whole weekend out of a trip to Skelly's, there is food and shopping destinations in downtown Janesville — like the Sandwich Bar. Adorn Janesville sells ethically produced apparel, jewelry, accessories and gifts if you want to get a jump on holiday shopping. ANd, you can also check out the The Glass Garden where you can try your hand at making your own stained glass creations.

And of course, you'll need a place to stay when planning your fall weekend trip.

"There's just some neat local hotels, whether you're right on the Rock River in downtown Janesville, there's even some bed and breakfasts. If camping is your thing, you know we have Lake Koshkonong not too far away that has campgrounds and other nearby places. So, always a good time to get out and find a good spot to stay and enjoy the whole weekend," Skelly explains.

Wandering Wisconsin is a partnership between WUWM and Travel Wisconsin. You can hear them monthly on Lake Effect.

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Becky is WUWM's executive producer of Lake Effect.