1. Lambeau Field
You’ll hear it from every Packer fan, but really there is nothing like the magic that is experienced when you walk into Lambeau Field. Everyone around is decked out in green and gold and "Roll Out the Barrel" is blasting from the loudspeakers. You haven’t experienced football until you’ve experienced Green Bay football.
2. Beer
It flows at almost every event. Graduation party? Beer. Wedding? Probably a keg. Tailgating? Obviously. Plus, the girls in Wisconsin know how to enjoy a beer. None of those girlie drinks that takes the bartender five minutes to mix. Give a girl a Spotted Cow, and she’ll be perfectly content. We don’t need umbrellas in our drinks.
3. Roundabouts
Slowly but surely Wisconsin is adopting the European classic intersection. No more of the awkward pulling up a four-way at the same time and wondering who gets the right away. Technically you yield to your left, but that’s forgotten when you’re trying to be friendly and keep waving people to go ahead of you. (It happened to me, for a good three minutes.) Roundabouts make driving easy. Go when you can.
4. Four Seasons
Granted our winter might be 6 months long, but we actually do get four seasons in Wisconsin. Southern states can’t brag about that, and nothing beats driving across the state in Fall when the trees are ablaze in color. The hills look like a patchwork quilt made up of leaves, and there are few things that are as beautiful.
5. The Badgers
Even if you don’t attend UW-Madison, there’s still a statewide pride for our Badger boys. Sitting in the student section at Camp Randall is an experience like none other, and their cheers will stay in your head for days. “By the light of the moon!” It’s always fun taking a weekend trip down to Mad-town to visit friends and see the team crush their opponents. Plus the marching band is easily the best of any university.
6. Cheese
I mean, it’s Wisconsin, so this is a given, right? We love our cheese in any form. Topping burgers, deep-fried, shredded, added to a casserole, the list goes on and on. Pro tip: If you want the best cheese curds, go to The Old Fashioned in Madison.
7. Small Towns
If you’re driving across the state, chances are you will have to slow down to 25 mph as you travel through a small little town. Brick buildings will line the street, usually an old bank, a bar and an antique shop will be somewhere on the main road, and if you’re really lucky, there will be an ice cream shop.
8. Kroll’s
It’s a hole-in-the-wall kind of joint, but the burgers, chili, dumpling soup and malts are pretty hard to beat. If you’re ever in Green Bay, make sure you stop by this iconic restaurant.
9. Summerfest
It’s the world’s largest music festival hosted over 11 days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This year's headliners include Selena Gomez, Paul McCartney and the up and coming Alabama Shakes. Over the years they’ve hosted a variety of artists such as Lady Gaga, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Doobie Brothers, Vance Joy, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Justin Bieber, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Kanye West, Owl City, Toby Keith and Mr. Worldwide himself, Pitbull. The list is endless. With all these artists who have or will play at Summerfest, it is clear it’s an event you shouldn’t miss.
10. The People
Sure we’re crazy and wear cheese on our heads. We sit outside in minus 20 degree weather just to watch our beloved Packers. Bratwurst, beer and cheese curds are main staples in our diet. But one thing is for sure. Wisconsinites are some of the best people you will ever meet. We will smile at you on the street, invite you over for a backyard cookout or help you shovel your driveway after 14 inches fall overnight even if you are a Bears fan. Nothing beats the great state of Wisconsin or the people who live here.
I love being a Wisconsin girl.
