🚗 12 Day Trips: One for Every Month in 2024

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Without further ado, in today’s UpNorthNewsletter…

Hidden Gem: The state’s best restaurant deal, which you’ve probably never heard of, is inside a community college.
One a Month: 12 unforgettable one-day getaways to put on your 2024 Wisconsin bucket list.
Who’s Left? Who and what will (probably) be on the ballot by the time Wisconsin voters get a chance to weigh in this spring.

Christina Lorey,

Community Editor, UpNorthNews

One of Wisconsin’s best restaurants is inside a community college

DID YOU KNOW? One of the state’s hardest-to-score reservations is hidden inside a community college.

At Diane’s Delicious Diner on Madison Area Technical College (MATC)’s Truax Campus, all meals are prepared by the school’s culinary students, and, because the restaurant is only open for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays, reservations go fast. The diner often books several months in advance, but it will accommodate walk-ins if there’s space.

Lunch at Diane’s is a three-course prix-fixe meal that’s worth every penny of its $25 price tag, at least according to this review from the State Journal.

“In 1999, I reviewed MATC’s Gourmet Dining Room, as it was known then, and found it to be hit or miss,” reviewer Samara Kalk Derby wrote. “Now it is a pure hit.”

Diane’s (which is named after Diane Ballweg, a longtime philanthropist who donated money to help the culinary program grow) changes its menu every three weeks. Milwaukee’s Technical College has a similar program with even more options. Click here to learn more.

BOOK NOW: Make Your Reservation at Diane’s!

Credit: Diane’s Delicious Diner

AROUND THE STATE IN 60 🔄

NOW OPEN – You know it’s officially winter in Wisconsin when Lake Geneva’s ice castle opens. Only this year, they have a new name: Winter Realms. Learn more about the name change, what else is new, and how to buy tickets here.

AND THE NOMINEES ARE… – 11 Wisconsin chefs and one restaurant are semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Awards! For those unfamiliar, these national awards are like the Oscars of the culinary world. Click here to find out who (and where) got the exciting news. Finalists will be announced on April 3, and the winners will be revealed at a ceremony in June.

WHAT’S NEXT? – No Packers game to watch this weekend, but there’s still a lot for Green Bay fans to anticipate as the team’s front office gets to work building a Super Bowl-worthy squad. Packer Central broke down the team’s five biggest needs heading into the offseason.

TALKING IT OUT – And in case you missed it, one of Green Bay’s most famous fans, actress Jodie Foster, issued an apology to Cowboys fan Kelly Clarkson on Clarkson’s daytime talk show this week. Watch the funny clip here.

12 unforgettable day trips to put on your 2024 bucket list

Think ziplines are just for the summer? Think again.

Only In Your State compiled a list of 12 unforgettable Wisconsin day trips–one for every month of the year. From a winter zipline tour above Wisconsin’s snow-covered landscape to one of the only US restaurants serving Roman-style pizza, these getaways are the perfect mix of food, family time, and fun.

January: Go on the winter zipline tour in Lake Geneva.

February: Enjoy Roman-style pizza at Harry’s Prohibition Bistro in Sheboygan.

March: Explore man-made waterfalls at Daggett Memorial Park in Montello.

April: Hop into the driver’s seat at Accelerate Indoor Speedway in Waukesha.

May: Take a cherry train tour in Washington.

June: See the sculptures at the Paul & Matilda Wegner Grotto in Sparta.

July: Spend the day not just on, but above, the water on the Pontoon Porch in Madison.

August: Take a horse-drawn carriage ride with Lost Canyon Tours in Dell Prairie.

September: Attend the World’s Largest Cranberry Festival in Warrens.

October: Enjoy the fall colors from St. Peter’s Dome in Marengo.

November: Cross off some early holiday shopping at The Craft Barn in Galesville.

December: Hop aboard and explore the museum at the Toy Train Barn in Argyle.

US News & World Report: Best Places to Visit in the USA in 2024

Credit: Daggett Memorial, Only in Wisconsin

News and commentary from

Founding Editor Pat Kreitlow

Who & what will (probably) be on your ballot this spring

Wisconsin’s first two election days are coming up in February and April—and while a presidential primary will attract a lot of attention, most of the campaign work will be happening around dozens of school district referendums because of the ongoing shortfall of funding from the state Legislature.

Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows at least 59 ballot issues are scheduled, asking voters to approve about $840 million in total. Some of these measures are seeking funding for new construction, but many districts are joining a growing list of schools forced to ask voters to raise their own property taxes simply to keep up with the daily costs of keeping schools open and operating.

The referendums are coming despite a modest increase in overall state funding from last year’s budget because the boost arrived only after years of state-imposed limits by the Republican-led legislature.

While most of the referendums will take place on April 2, there will be ballot measures on February 20 in the Burlington, Cumberland, Menomonie, River Falls, Shiocton, Waterford, and Wilmot school districts.

Voting next month will be rather sparse, save for the handful of local government races with enough candidates to require a primary for school boards, judgeships, county boards, and municipal boards for towns, cities, and villages.

What’s on Your Ballot? Click Here to Find Out

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Christina Lorey. UpNorthNews is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.