Sarah Does Northern Wisconsin – eating my way through Marshfield, Minocqua, and Door County, exploring the local flavors, classic Midwest eats, and hidden gems.
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If you follow Sarah’s Bake Studio on Instagram, you probably noticed I was on vacation this past week, my 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Northern Wisconsin.
Ten years ago, when my hubby and I sat on the beach of Kauai, we discussed how we would travel to Australia for our 10th wedding anniversary. It would be our next BIG vacation. Ten years flew by, and with selling our condo and looking for land to build a house, Australia wasn’t in the cards. We still wanted to go on a trip and celebrate our 10 years, and thus, Northern Wisconsin we went!
Northern Wisconsin is a hidden gem for food lovers, offering everything from cozy supper clubs to charming bakeries and classic Wisconsin fare. On my journey through Marshfield, Minocqua, and Door County, I set out to explore the mostly sweets that make this region special—one bite at a time.
2 ½ Cups Cupcakery and Bakeshop
I've reached the point where I can't travel without scoping out the cupcake shops and bakeries en route. I deeply desire to have my own Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives TV show, except with sweets. That being said, when I came across 2 ½ Cups Cupcakery and Bakeshop, a quaint little bakery and cupcake shop in Marshfield, we HAD to stop.
I ordered the Pucker Up Cupcake, which is a lemon cupcake with something sour (think Sour Patch Kids) baked on top of the cupcake batter. The cupcake was EXTREMELY flavorful, moist, and not too sweet. It definitely made me pucker up!
My hubby had the White Bavarian Cupcake, which comprised of white cake filled with Bavarian cream.
2 ½ Cups Cupcakery and Bakeshop has revolving flavors and offered 10 other cupcake flavors that day, including Salted Caramel, Oreo, and Almond Joy. If I wasn't just passing through, I would have tried them all. I'll just have to wait till the next time I am in the area, but this cute little shop will be on the menu.
Dan's Minocqua Fudge
Dan's Minocqua Fudge has an extensive collection of chocolates, candy, salt water taffy, and ice cream. They have the biggest selection of salt water taffy I've ever seen. It's seriously HUGE, and their flavor selection is out of this world: chicken and waffles, cantaloupe, maple bacon, molasses, chili mango, and buttered popcorn, to name a few. Cinnamon Salt Water Taffy is my absolute FAVORITE, so the Xtreme Hot Taffy was right up my ally; it reminded me of an Atomic Fireball as salt water taffy.
Minocqua is a town worth visiting. It's a lot of cute shops, water activities, biking, walking, and of course eating. I had an AMAZING burger at Minocqua Brewing Company that deserves a shout-out; it was juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection, and the toasted bun...there are no words. I look forward to visiting Minocqua again with the hubs!
Singing Donut
In Door County, I ate FIVE donuts. Don’t judge. I LOVE donuts and trying out new doughnut places!
The Singing Donut in Fish Creek is AMAZ-BALLS (and I don’t even use that word). Their donuts are cake donuts made fresh to order. You get to choose how you want your doughnut iced and decorated. They even have a donut called the Kevin Bacon. Who doesn't love Kevin Bacon?
We went with more simple donuts, except for the Maple Bacon donut. They were all fantastic! There is nothing better than fresh, still-warm cake donuts. We tried cinnamon and sugar, glazed, and then we each had a frosted one. I chose vanilla frosted with sprinkles, of course! They were positively to-die-for! I am drooling just thinking about them now, and already dreaming about when I can go back!
Grumpy's Ice Cream and Popcorn
I committed a blogger foul. I don't have any photos of the delicious ice cream I ate at Grumpy's Ice Cream and Popcorn in Egg Harbor, however, it's so tasty that it's worth the mention. I'd like to say my lack of photos is due to the need to prevent my ice cream from melting into a puddle, but the truth is I just ate it like it was going out of style.
Pirate’s Bounty in a waffle cone from Grumpy’s. Get it!
Funky Cookie Studio
I couldn’t leave Door County without stopping at Funky Cookie Studio in Sister Bay. I share a lot of Jill FCS on Facebook. Her cookies are beautiful and DELICIOUS! I ate these bad boys right up but thankfully got a picture first. Her decorated cookies all looked fabulous, which made choosing a design difficult, but ultimately, I decided you can’t live in WI without getting the Wisconsin Cheese Cookie.
I am so inspired by Funky Cookie Studio’s cookies that I want to try to make them myself. Stay tuned! 😉
Mink River Basin
And now for Mink River Basin, in Ellison Bay. The food was quite good here, but I am only going to talk about the Basket of Bacon appetizer! YES! I was SO excited when I saw this app on the menu. It was a little pricey but worth it. The bacon was thick cut, crispy, and sprinkled with pepper, just the way I like it! There are no words for how super WONDERFUL it tasted. If you can get a basket of bacon, you totally should. Your taste buds will thank you!
Sarah Does Northern Wisconsin was the perfect way to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary—beautiful scenery, small-town charm, and, of course, plenty of sweet treats (and bacon) along the way! From indulgent cupcakes to local bakery finds, every bite made the trip even more special. It was a wonderful time spent with my hubby and away from the hustle and bustle of life.
Whether you're planning your own getaway or just looking for must-try Midwest eats, I hope this sweet adventure inspires you to explore (and taste!) all that Northern Wisconsin has to offer. Until the next delicious trip!
Which of these treats that I shared would you LOVE to eat?
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