Your Ultimate Wisconsin Thanksgiving Travel Guide

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Happy Tuesday!

In today’s UpNorthNewsletter…

Supper Clubs 2.0: Wisconsin’s expert in all things supper club is out with a new book that includes 15+ new options of where to dine this winter.
Know Before You Go: The best (and worst) times to hit the road this week, the specific roads you’ll want to avoid, and tips to save you money and time!
The Grades Are In! See how your district scored in the latest school report, and learn what lawmakers are (and aren’t) doing to boost that.

Christina Lorey,

Community Editor, UpNorthNews

Wisconsin’s supper club guru shares his latest recs in new book

If you’re looking for the latest supper club locals are loving, check out Ron Faiola’s insider guide to the state’s best. His book “Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Second Edition” is out today!

In it, Faiola–known as “Wisconsin’s supper club guru”–revisits many of the clubs that starred in his first edition to find out how they survived the pandemic and what they changed in order to make it. He also checks out 15 new clubs that opened within the past decade.

The book also shares the regional specialties served at each of the clubs–from popovers and fried pickles in the north to Shrimp de Jonghe in the south. One new addition even serves fry bread, a traditional Native American dish you can’t get at most restaurants.

MORE: 14 of Wisconsin’s best supper clubs, according to MJS readers

Credit: Ron Faiola

AROUND THE STATE IN 60 🔄

PIE PICKS – Who makes Wisconsin’s best? We couldn’t pinpoint just one, so here are 14 of our favorite local bakeries to order from. Tip: If you missed the Thanksgiving pre-order deadline, many of the spots on this list sell extras in store.

ON “TRACK” – Amtrak service from Chicago to the Twin Cities and spots in between is expected to begin next year. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Project adds a second daily round-trip passenger train on the 411-mile route between Chicago and St. Paul-Minneapolis. Find a map of the route.

BIG BUCKS – We’re almost halfway through Wisconsin’s annual November gun deer season, and the numbers (economically speaking) are already looking good. This year, the DNR expects to sell about 550,000 firearm deer licenses. But where are the best spots? Here’s what past deer data shows.

CONGRATS, GOV! – And a big congratulations to Gov. Tony Evers, who just picked up his Distinguished Alumni Award from the UW School of Education. “With my University of Wisconsin-Madison education, I became a science teacher, principal, superintendent, and state superintendent—and I have no doubt it’s part of why I have the privilege to serve as governor,” Evers posted on Facebook. Click here to learn about the two amazing women who joined him as newly “distinguished” alumni.

Your ultimate guide to Thanksgiving travel in Wisconsin

AAA is predicting Wisconsin’s busiest Thanksgiving travel season since 2019–both on the roads and in the skies.

If You’re Driving (like 89% of Wisconsinites)…

Expect the worst traffic on Wednesday, between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. and Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to data from AAA and INRIX. If you can, leave before 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning to avoid most drivers.

Heading home, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be busiest. If you can wait until 8:30 p.m. to leave, AAA says that’s your best bet.

Avoid Wisconsin’s major road projects whenever possible. Here’s a map of every current lane closure and construction project in the state from WisDOT.

If You’re Flying…

Thanksgiving Day itself is the least crowded day to travel. NerdWallet recommends booking the first flight out of the day to reduce your odds of a delay.

Sunday will be the most-crowded day at the airports. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the second-busiest.

Black Friday is the least-crowded travel day. Next Tuesday (the 28th) is the second best.

Credit: Harry & David

News and commentary from

Founding Editor Pat Kreitlow

Latest Wisconsin report cards show progress, but not perfection

Student achievement in Wisconsin schools continues to make progress bouncing back from its pandemic lows—although results are murkier for schools that are part of the state’s voucher program, where standardized tests aren’t required.

Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released its 12th annual round of report cards this month, where they grade schools and school districts based on four categories: achievement, growth, target group outcomes, and on-track to graduation—based on three years of data each time.

Of 378 public school districts receiving report card ratings for the 2022-23 school year, 357 met, exceeded, or significantly exceeded expectations (94 percent of districts). Of 2,098 public schools, 83% met, exceeded, or significantly exceeded expectations.

Public school advocates point to another negative factor affecting public schools and student achievement that far predates the pandemic—anemic support from the Wisconsin Legislature, which received its own report card from the Wisconsin Public Education Network.

“We did give the legislature an F on their school budget report card this year because they sent kids back to school for what will be the 16th year in a row with a less than inflationary increase to public school funding,” said Executive Director Heather DuBois Bourenane on UpNorthNews Radio. “That is just criminal.”

Since February, Bourenane and Gov. Evers have shared multiple plans to better fund the state’s public schools. You can read more about those here.

What’d you get? See how your local school district scored here

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.