A Guest Blog By Learners and Makers
Many communities make one memorable and accessible family vacation in the Fox Cities.
A kid-safe, mobility-friendly visit awaits along the north shore of Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago
Kayaking a narrow, in-town lake that’s also spanned by a pedestrian bridge. Go-Karting with our kids (and then getting severely blasted by them at Laser Tag). Savoring summer mornings with hearty and delectable breakfasts. And of course, shooting zombies with arrows.
One of the hardest things about an amazing family summer vacation is figuring out how to start sharing why you loved it. But here’s the thing: 19 communities comprise Wisconsin’s Fox Cities area. Our family of four romped and recreated throughout Appleton, Neenah, Kaukauna, Menasha, and Little Chute. Each community, like each activity, gave us something new to enjoy and build family memories around.
Each community exists on its own. Each thing we did was its own distinct experience. What left us so happy with our trip to the Fox Cities is also what made this such a fun family destination: The communities and experiences come together as a greater whole, perfect for families and welcoming to people with disabilities.
We want to thank the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau for sponsoring our visit. However, this article reflects our own personal opinions and experiences.
“Our family of four romped and recreated throughout Appleton, Neenah, Kaukauna, Menasha, and Little Chute. Each community, like each activity, gave us something new to enjoy and build family memories around.”
Family and accessible travel: A quick note about our little family
Anthony, Jodie, Connor, and Aster St. Clair: We are the Learners and Makers, and we empower families and the mobility disability community to travel confidently, their way. Our kids are 12 and 9. Jodie is an above-knee amputee. She and Anthony love showing their kids as much of the world as they can, while we can all travel together as a family. And this was our first family vacation in Wisconsin!
Getting around Fox Cities
Many small cities and towns comprise the Fox Cities area, yet it’s easy to get around. In our experience, most destinations were around 10–20 minutes apart. Parking was either free or affordable. Typically it was easy to find a space within a couple of blocks of our destination, even on a busy farmer’s market Saturday in Appleton.
Accessibility and mobility disability considerations
The overall terrain in this lakeside area of Wisconsin is mostly flat. We found local sidewalks to be broad and well maintained. For many individual attractions, we’ll note mobility tips from Jodie’s experience as an amputee using a prosthetic leg for her walking accessibility.
Comfy stays suitable for a family budget
Another thing we appreciated about Fox Cities? Comfy, clean, affordable accommodation—with personality! We stayed at the Best Western Premier Bridgewood Resort Hotel & Conference Center in Neenah. Our family has stayed in Best Western hotels all over the U.S.A., and the Bridgewood’s personality, care, and amenities shone.
Aster enjoyed the pool and playground, especially the water slide, mushroom spray feature, and the little stand of dumping water buckets. Anthony got a kick out of wandering the downtown-themed covered event area, doing yoga in the fitness center, and relaxing in the hot tub after a fun day out.
While we enjoyed our hotel, Fox Cities is full of lodging options. Plus, since it is so easy to get around, you can find great stays throughout the Fox Cities area, and still be within easy drives of anywhere you want to go.
Mobility tip
Jodie found our ADA room easy to maneuver. When using crutches instead of her prosthetic leg, she could easily get in and out of the roll-in style shower, which was also equipped with pull bars and a folding bench seat. Plus, the ADA room’s ground-floor location meant we didn’t have to worry about waiting for an elevator, and it was easy to get to the lobby, pool, and outside areas.
Get moving outside or indoors
Our family enjoys nature, but we especially enjoy the outdoors when we can easily get there from town, or while in town! Many Fox Cities take advantage of their lake and river areas with lush public parks, offering miles of trails, play areas, and above all, easy boating.
Kayaking without a kayak at Fritse Park, Neenah
We’ve traveled with kayaks. We’ve gone on tours and done rentals with kayak companies. But Neenah’s Fritse Park was the first time all we had to do was show up at the lake shore.
Everything we needed to paddle Little Lake Butte des Morts was right by the water:
Free parking lot
Accessible boat launch
Rack of free-to-borrow PFD vests in adult and youth sizes
Kayak rental locker
That’s right: We didn’t even need to bring kayaks. Or shuttle to a distant launch. Of all the places we’ve kayaked around the country, this was the first time we had encountered a Rent.Fun rental locker. Just a few yards from the accessible launch, we used the Rent.Fun app to choose and pay for our 2-hour rental.
From our phones, we unlocked two kayaks from their lockers, complete with PFDs and paddles.
Within minutes, we settled into two hours of blissful Wisconsin lake time. Connor piloted his own kayak, while Aster rode with Anthony. Once they were done, they enjoyed some self-directed recreation. Jodie doesn’t wear her prosthetic leg when we kayak, but it was easy for her to walk with her crutches to the accessible launch. From there, we adults embarked on a little float date around the lake.
Mobility tip
Parking spaces and the pedestrian bridge are close to the rental area. The accessible boat launch is located to the right of the main boat ramp. Kayak lockers start at ground level, but the rack of free PFDs requires some higher reach to hook or unhook a PFD. The boat launch bench also has a retractable extension seat, depending on what best helps you get in and out of your boat.
Easy entertainment and active time at Appleton’s Badger Sports Park
An afternoon of more indoor and outdoor adventures awaited at the Badger Sports Park in Appleton. While this time around we didn’t make it to the batting cages, miniature golf, or laser maze, Aster delighted in being tall enough to drive a Go-Kart all by herself.
Back inside, we put our Utopia Pass to work on a bunch of “green light” games, all while waiting for what the kids wanted to do most: Take on their parents at Laser Tag.
Grouped into teams with other families, we green team adults soon found ourselves getting completely blasted by our kids. Connor especially gloried later in how he was one of his red team’s highest scorers.
Mobility tip
Staff usually lead people into and out of the Laser Tag area via a steep ramp along the side. Jodie asked about going through the main, flat area instead, and staff made that change.
Animals and an “infarmative” Cowpath at Plamann Park Children's Farm, Appleton
Calmer outdoor experiences abound in the Fox Cities too. Just a little outside of Appleton, Plamann Park offers a free farm animal viewing experience at the children’s farm. Aster led us around the pens, where we got to know donkeys, pigs, cows, Mittens the rabbit, and other animals.
After seeing how high she could go on the nearby swings, Aster and Anthony walked the cow-shaped Cowpath. Along the way, cow-adorned little podiums displayed Wisconsin farming facts. Aster enjoyed reading them aloud, such as this one:
“Did you know that… Wisconsin makes 290,000,000 pounds of butter each year? That’s enough for almost 13,000,000,000 pieces of toast!”
Mobility tip
The Cowpath is grass and dirt, and is overall flat and level with some bumps from the natural terrain. Around the animal pens, the pea gravel perimeter path is compact and decently broad.
Hunting turkeys and zombies at Bent Nock Archery, Little Chute
Sometimes you just want to bulls-eye a zombie with a bow and arrow.
And at Bent Nock Archery in Little Chute, we took aim at turkeys, elk, targets, and even dragons, all from a comfy indoor range.
The Bent Nock staff made sure the bows were set to a kid-friendly draw, and they showed us how to work the video display for targets. With the touch of a button, we could change up scenes where our targets moved, breathed fire, or in the case of those zombies, tried to eat our brains.
Mobility tip
The spacious parking lot has plenty of room, and Bent Nock is at street level. Inside, it’s flat and easy to get around the no-stairs customer areas, from the bar and cash register, to the individual target range lanes.
Hands-on learning at 1000 Islands Environmental Center in Kaukauna
Just off the running track and baseball diamond at Kaukauna’s Bayoregon Field, the 1000 Islands Environmental Center could just as easily have been called 1000 Animals.
It also could be called Aster’s Happy Place.
Aster delights at any opportunity to learn more animals. Whether checking out the interactive bird call display, using a guide to identify large cats by their features, or closely examining birds and fish mounted on the walls, she talked all things teeth, wings, and scales.
Back toward the entrance, we lingered over some of the center’s live animal friends, including swimming Wisconsin native turtles Sam and Squirt, and terrestrial Russian tortoise Gonzo. From there we wandered through the butterfly garden, and romped alongside the rushing Fox River behind the Center.
Mobility tip
The street-level building has a spacious parking lot. Just inside the entrance, wheelchairs and folding walkers are available for use. Most of the interior has wide doorways and open areas. Outside, access to the riverside natural area is mostly natural terrain, so bumpiness and slope vary.
Feasting in the Fox Cities
Speaking of food, our family unabashedly, joyfully travels for food, and the dining scene throughout Fox Cities was one of our delights and surprises. We could find quality without pretension, not to mention welcoming Wisconsin smiles at every place we visited, such as:
Legendairy Cookies 'N Creamery, Appleton
Fox Cities dining on our next time list
On our next visit, places we’d like to visit but didn’t get to this first time around include ACOCA in Appleton, Kaukauna Coffee & Tea, and Dick's Drive-In, also in Kaukauna.Enjoying summer days in downtown AppletonFox Cities communities offered vibrant downtowns, where people shopped, dined, and simply enjoyed fine summer days. Summers also come packed with events, such as Kaukauna’s Music Festival, and the Classic Car Show at local landmark Grignon Mansion.
Our last full day in town was a Saturday. A light breakfast helped us save room for fried cheese curds, cotton candy, and other treats at the local Farm Market in downtown Appleton. With streets closed to vehicles, we people-watched and checked out the many food and craft stalls. Vibrant green beans and purple beets gleamed in the summer sun. Musicians and makers showcased songs and crafts, and as the morning went on, the sun warmed the entire market.
Mobility tip
Downtown Appleton offers street side and garage parking, and accessible parking spaces are available throughout the area.
Fox Cities: Serene water, easy recreation, and vibrant communities
Activities, safety, ease of getting around, and something for everyone (oh, and plenty of delicious things to eat): Fox Cities is defined not only by its array of activity options, but ultimately by its tight-knit communities. From Kaukauna to Neenah, throughout Fox Cities we saw long event lists, family friendly activities, and people who wanted to take in every moment of summer.
From the market to the boat launch, people with disabilities, kids, seniors, and more enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather. As for us? We reflected on our Fox Cities summer family vacation. Easy recreation indoors and outside. Family-friendly dining packed with deliciousness. Options for Jodie to get the most out of her mobility.
And above all? Stories about our trip to these vibrant communities that we can’t wait to share with our family and friends back home.
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