Must See Wisconsin Roadside Attractions!

By Casey Reeves, Northwoods News Digital Journalism Intern

Looking to go road tripping this year? Need some fun summer ideas? Wisconsin has you covered. In addition to being the “Cheese State” and the home to our beloved Packers, Wisconsin boasts many bizarre, colorful, and quirky attractions that you can visit that make perfect stops on road trips.

With the rise of internet and social media, these once hidden gems can now be shared with the world. Here are some of our favorite roadside attractions of the Northwoods!

 

Are you a fan of all things fish-related? Then The World’s Largest Fish inn Hayward is the destination for you. Standing at 143 feet long, this Muskie houses the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. This giant swimmer is also a movie star! He appeared in the mid 1980’s horror film, Blood Hook. Stop by to learn all sorts of things about freshwater fishing (one of the most popular pastimes in the Northwoods area,) and snap a picture with this large, somewhat scaly friend.

 

For all those coin collectors out there, or people who like bizarre statues, this is just the spot for you. Here in Woodruff, you can meet the World’s Largest Penny! Built to commemorate a fundraiser for loose change, this penny has been attracting visitors since 1953.

The fundraiser (which helped to build a hospital!) ended up bringing in 1.7 million pennies countrywide! (You can read more about the hospital in this piece written by our editor, Woodzick.) Make sure to stop by and take a snapshot with one of America’s favorite presidents!

 

 

 

Want a more artsy option? Check out the Wisconsin Concrete Park, located in Phillips! The site has over 200 unique sculptures that are built out of all types of materials. Fred Smith, the artist behind this oddity, spent 15 years sculpting these works out of concrete and embellishing them with items including auto-reflectors, mirrors, and other found objects.

His art was fueled by his drive to work and to think with his hands, and he loved using small items like glass or metal bits to add details to his concrete works. Explore a variety of subjects that inspired Smith to create his art, from Northwoods wildlife to American history.

There are even more places to explore that are located outside of the Northwoods. To learn more about other fun Wisconsin roadside attractions around the state, check out the original piece from the Travel Wisconsin website by Kristina LeVan here.

Don’t see one of your favorite attractions? Email us at news@northwoodsnews.com and tell us all about it. It may end up in one of our future stories!

 

Casey Reeves is a college student with a few years of writing experience under their belt. Casey currently lives in Chicago, and has family in the Northwoods.