Old World Wisconsin

Are you sick of reading about our trip yet? I hope not, because this was one of the funnest things we did.

We had a little extra time to kill. Everyone else on our trip went to two Brewer's games, but I was pretty sure my kids couldn't handle three games in three days. So we had an afternoon to ourselves. After spending some time with my buddy Google, I found this place. It is a living historic site.... kind of like "This Is The Place" in Utah.

We paid our admission, and we were off to the gift shop. Specifically, we went in their for the "modernish" bathrooms because I hate porta-potties and that is the option throughout the rest of the park. While Matt was using the facilities, the littles talked me into a couple of items. The girls really wanted bonnets, which were fairly affordable and I thought were a good purchase because you're always looking for something like this to complete a social studies report, sharing time, or primary lesson. The one caveat was that they had to promise to wear them the entire time we were there. Jack wanted a gun, but settled for a giant lollipop that he promptly dropped in the dirt.

Doesn't Erin look thrilled? I'm really hoping this is a phase and that the rest of my family vacation pictures until she's 20 don't look like this.

Anyway, they have lots of different areas in the park. An area called the Crossroads that looks a lot like I imagine Walnut Grove (of Little House fame) to look. We went to the Blacksmith shop, where the kids got to pump the bellows and watch the smithy make S-hooks.

We saw some baby animals.... so fun.....

The kids got to take a good look, up close, at some of the staples of 19th-century living. Jack couldn't believe that this wagon was a precursor to our wonderful mini-van. We talked about shocks, suspension, potholes, etc.....

Jack loved ringing the bell at the old fashioned school house and was amazed that they used to get water this way. Kind of grateful that we have indoor plumbing. I'm not sure what I'd end up with if I had to depend on this little guy to "fetch a pail of water."

This is the one decent picture I got of Will before he decided he was hungry and pooped his pants. We headed back to the car and spent the rest of our brief time in the car.

Matt took the kids to see as much of the rest of the site as we had time for. They had a German area, a Norwegian area, Danish area, etc.... We really could have spent a lot more time there. They have all sorts of things year round, so if we ever find ourselves back in that neck of the woods again, we will definitely be going back.

At five o'clock, the whole group was back in the car, checked for ticks, noshing on Jelly Bellys and headed towards the Marriott. All in all, a successful day of traveling.