How to be a Wisconsinite in Chicago

by Chelsea Trembly - Citysearch Editor - 20 Reviews - 3 Lists

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Updated: November 14, 2008

While Lake Michigan will never replace Lake Winnebago and salt water taffy from anywhere but Door County is a complete rouse, Wisconsin's legacy is never too far away. Whether you miss its vast horizons, lined with trees, and the ubiquitous German comfort food, or you just want a taste of the state's legacy in the Windy City, here's a little solace and a little slice of home (without the stench of gurnsey cows or rancid paper mills).

On this page:Eat Cheese Curds, Dance the Polka, Root for the Badgers, Shoot Skeet, Drink Wisconsin-Brewed Beer.

Eat Cheese Curds

  1. 1 Wisconsin Cheese
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    1501 N 25th Ave, Melrose Park, IL 60160 (map)

    Like an oasis in the desert, this Melrose Park cheese market is the only place south of the border where real Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds can be found. Not overdone, these curds are destined to be tossed in the mouth like buttered popcorn. Roll 'em 'round between your molars, and as every true Wisconsinite knows, the more the morsel squeaks the fresher the curd.

Dance the Polka

Root for the Badgers

  1. 2 2.5 Star Rating: Below Average Mahoney's Pub & Grill
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    551 N Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 (map)

    Save the dirty cheering, eight-hose beer bongs and inflated condoms for the University of Wisconsin cheering section. The innocent and past-prime can watch the game from Chicago's Badger HQ: Mahoney's. Expect less collegiate ambience than Camp Randall and more human normalcy. The best part is that Mahoney's plays the school song "Varsity," and the freshman the bleacher over won't toss-her-cookies on that new Badger apparel.

Shoot Skeet

  1. 3 Skeet Chicago
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    1900 N Milwaukeeth Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647 (map)

    A soft flannel button-down, the sweet waft of gun powder and the popping sound of dad's AK-47 just feels like home. The art of shootin' skeet (a moving target game where orange discs are shot with rifles) is commonplace in Wisconsin, and this Bucktown skeet company teaches Chicagoans how to get game--maybe even enough game to keep up with a Wisconsinite from da Northwoods.

Drink Wisconsin-Brewed Beer

  1. 4 Cal's 400 Liquors
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    400 S Wells St, Chicago, IL 60607 (map)

    Due to the heavy German influence and lack of exciting activity, Wisconsinites know how to drink. Save Bud Lite and Coors for the lightweight city slickers--Sprecher?s is for those who are serious about their brewsky. This South Loop dive bar is one of the few bars south of Kenosha to have the Wisconsin-brewed beer on hand. With seriously strong brews like the Abbey-Triple and Amber Special, Wisconsin beer makes drinking more fun.