Photography: (St. James Social) Courtesy of the hotel; (Driftless) Chelsey Lewis/USA Today Network via Imagn Images; (Apostle Islands) Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau
A shoreline cross section of landscapes and heritages
Through the Driftless
Through the Driftless
A dive into the culture-rich region that the last Ice Age whiffed on
The Long Weekends
Princeton
Princeton
The little creative hub that could
Neenah
Neenah
A paper mill town turned posh
Baraboo
Baraboo
A circus town flipping into its trendy era
The Weeklong Stays
The Apostle Islands and Their Gateway
The Apostle Islands and Their Gateway
Up north — way, way up north — to Bayfield and beyond
Madison
Madison
Wisconsin’s capital of cool
Eau Claire
Eau Claire
Food, music, the outdoors — all within city limits
The Wisconsin Glossary
A brief guide to understanding the locals
Bubbler
This term for a drinking fountain supposedly originated in Milwaukee — early Kohler plumbing fixtures were branded “Bubblers” — and stuck.
Ope
It covers “Sorry,” “Excuse me,” and “I’m just going to sneak past you.” Most often deployed while reaching for the same ranch dressing as another shopper at Woodman’s.
Hot dish
A casserole commonly made with ground beef, cream-of-something soup, and a starch, baked until cohesive. Appears in church basements and at funeral luncheons.
Fish fry
Friday. Every Friday. All year. Includes beer-battered cod or perch, rye bread, slaw, and potato pancakes (correct choice) or fries (acceptable).
Yeah, no
Absolutely not.
No, yeah
Definitely yes.
Couple two, three
Could mean two. Could mean five. You’ll know when you see it.
Beg/bag
These two words are pronounced the same. Context is your only guide.
Cripes
The polite cousin of a swearword. Covers shock, annoyance, or weather updates. “Cripes, that wind” is both a complaint and a conversation starter.
Jeet?
Translation: “Did you eat yet?” Not a question so much as a prelude to feeding you.
