Wisconsin, United States: Towns to Explore on Foot

Wisconsin is a state of Great Lakes shorelines, forests, farmland, river valleys, and cities with strong cultural identities. From Milwaukee and Madison to Green Bay, the Driftless Area, and Wisconsin Dells, there are plenty of ways to experience the Upper Midwest. Neywo has free audio guides for 7 cities in Wisconsin, with 268 narrated places in total.

What to see and do in Wisconsin

Explore the Great Lakes and river country

Wisconsin lies between Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and the Mississippi River. Lake Michigan borders the state to the east, Lake Superior lies to the north, and the Mississippi forms part of the western boundary. Water is central to the state’s landscape and history, alongside wooded plains, lowlands, farmland, and river valleys.

Northern Wisconsin is marked by dense forests, including the Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest. In the west, the Driftless Area has rugged hills that escaped glaciation. Together with the lakeshores and agricultural landscapes elsewhere in the state, these regions create a varied setting for outdoor recreation.

Winter brings skiing, ice fishing, and snowmobile derbies. In warmer months, Wisconsin’s forests, hills, rivers, and lakeshores offer a different way to experience the state. The landscape changes considerably from one part of Wisconsin to another, making the journey between its cities part of the experience.

Discover Wisconsin’s Indigenous and early history

Wisconsin has been home to many cultures for thousands of years. When Europeans arrived, Algonquian and Siouan nations lived in the region, and Wisconsin is still home to eleven federally recognized tribes.

The state’s name comes from an Indigenous name for the Wisconsin River. French explorer Jacques Marquette recorded it as Meskousing, before French and English spelling gradually produced “Wisconsin.” The original meaning remains uncertain, although several interpretations connect the name with the river and its red sandstone. One suggested meaning is “it lies red.”

Wisconsin became a state in 1848, but its story reaches far beyond that date. Its rivers, forests, and lakes were already known and inhabited long before modern state boundaries were established.

Visit Milwaukee

Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s largest city and one of the state’s main urban centers. Its history is closely connected with brewing, breweries, manufacturing, and a strong drinking culture. The city also reflects Wisconsin’s wider mix of immigration, industry, and public life.

Neywo’s Milwaukee audio guide covers 207 narrated places. Its featured locations include North Point Light, Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee County Historical Center, and Pabst Mansion.

Spend time in Madison

Madison is Wisconsin’s capital and second-largest city. Education has an important place in the state’s public life, and Madison is connected with Wisconsin’s university tradition and the Wisconsin Idea, which emphasized service to the people of the state.

The city is also one of the best places to begin exploring Wisconsin’s political and civic history. Neywo’s Madison, Wisconsin audio guide includes 35 narrated places, among them Camp Randall, Elvehjem Museum of Art, L. R. Ingersoll Physics Museum, and Madison Children’s Museum.

See Green Bay

Green Bay is one of Wisconsin’s other important urban areas. Its attractions range from local history and religion to the city’s sporting identity. The Grassy Island Range Lights, Neville Public Museum of Brown County, Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, and Lambeau Field are among the places featured in Neywo’s Green Bay audio guide, which has 9 narrated places.

Explore Appleton and the Fox Cities

Appleton belongs to the Fox Cities urban area, another significant center in Wisconsin. Its sites include historic architecture, science, and the Appleton dams. The Hearthstone Historic House Museum, Lower Appleton Dam, Upper Appleton Dam, and Atlas Science Center are among the 9 places included in Neywo’s Appleton audio guide.

Experience Wisconsin Dells

Wisconsin Dells is one of the state’s tourism destinations and has a landscape associated with Wisconsin’s broader appeal for recreation and travel. Neywo’s Wisconsin Dells audio guide focuses on the town itself, with Wisconsin Dells as its narrated place.

Visit Oshkosh

Oshkosh offers a different perspective on Wisconsin’s local history and culture. Its 6 narrated places include the EAA Aviation Museum, Oshkosh Public Museum, Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church, and First Methodist Church. They are covered in Neywo’s Oshkosh audio guide.

Discover Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva is another Wisconsin destination available on Neywo. Its guide includes Younglands, giving visitors one narrated place to explore in the town. You can find it in the Lake Geneva audio guide.

Taste Wisconsin’s food and drink traditions

Wisconsin is known as America’s Dairyland and leads the nation in cheese production. About a quarter of America’s cheese is made in the state, while dairy farming remains central to its agriculture. Cranberries and ginseng are also important agricultural products.

Food traditions reflect the arrival of many German and Scandinavian settlers during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Bratwurst and kringle remain closely linked with that heritage. Wisconsin also gave its name to two cheeses created in the state: Brick cheese, first made here in 1877, and Colby cheese, which followed in 1885 and took its name from Colby, Wisconsin.

Brewing has a long history, particularly in Milwaukee. Cheese, beer, farms, immigration, and industry all form part of the way Wisconsin presents itself through food.

Understand the Badger State

Wisconsin’s nickname comes from early lead miners in the southwest. Some lived in hillside burrows during winter, earning them a nickname that later became the state’s lasting emblem: the Badger State.

The state’s modern identity combines large cities, manufacturing centers, farms, universities, and tourism. Manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, agriculture, and tourism all contribute to Wisconsin’s economy. More than two-thirds of Wisconsinites live in urban places, even though agriculture remains a defining part of the state.

Wisconsin also has a distinctive political history. The Republican Party was founded here in 1854, and the state has more recently been considered a swing state in national and statewide elections.

Explore Wisconsin with Neywo’s free audio guides

Neywo offers free audio guides for 7 cities in Wisconsin, with 12 walking tours and 268 narrated places in total. Narration is available in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.