Nothing happens in Wisconsin? Rubbish — it’s a fabulous playground for the whole family

Wisconsin! Why on earth Wisconsin? You must be going for the cheese, right? There sure isn’t anything else out there!

Such was the derisive reaction of New York friends when I told them my family was planning a summer holiday in an out-of-the-way Midwestern state known to many Americans only as the place that supplies their supermarket cheddar.

Well, it’s certainly true that Wisconsin — which produces 40 per cent of all the cheese made in the U.S. and one-fifth of its butter — has an awful lot of cows.

Pull up a seat; switch off: Chairs on the shore of Lake Michigan at the  Blue Harbor Resort

Scenic: Lake Michigan is ‘an inland sea so vast it would submerge the whole of England’

Black and white, brown and spotted, they dapple every hill and meadow and seem to set the meandering pace of life for the folks whose livelihoods they provide.

Yet to depict this lush, green state as nothing more than a vast dairy farm is to do it a huge injustice — as I reflect during the drive north from Chicago, where our road trip begins, and marvel at the scenic views along the shores of Lake Michigan.

To call this waterway a lake is like describing Everest as a hill. It is an inland sea so vast it would comfortably submerge the whole of England, and some claim to have seen great white sharks surfacing from its unfathomable depths.

Bypassing Milwaukee, with its renowned breweries and distilleries, we head for the city of Sheboygan — for no other reason than that we like the sound of its name. When we see its pristine sands and inviting bathing waters, we know we have made a fortuitous choice.

When my sophisticated East Coast friends hear me claim to have discovered America’s best beaches, 1,200 miles inland, they will doubtless chortle even louder.

Unlikely as it might sound, however, having spent many a sticky summer fighting for sunbathing space (and paying exorbitant beach parking charges) in Florida, Cape Cod and California, I can assure them these established tourist destinations pale in comparison with Lake Michigan.

Indeed my wife, Angela, and I, and our two daughters, Anna and Lucy (both in their 20s), are so impressed that we decide we have found the ‘Midwestern Riviera’, but without the surrounding condos and high-rise apartment blocks.

We are staying at the Blue Harbor Resort, a large, white-clapboard hotel overlooking the lake. The view from the balcony at sunset, when huge white gulls soar against a sky vividly streaked with crimson, takes our breath away.

But it is the quality of the bathing water that impresses my eldest daughter, Anna, and I most. We enjoy open-water swimming, and have taken the plunge in many places, but we agree that the lake, at Sheboygan, tops the lot.

Locals assure us it isn’t always so welcoming. In October, they say, you need a wetsuit to swim here. By January, you’re likely to need an ice-pick. But on a balmy August morning, with the air temperature in the high 20s, it is perfect for a brisk crawl. Calm, pure and clear enough to see your toes.

It would be equally great for our infant grandchildren, as the depth is so shallow you can walk for 100 yards before it reaches waist height.

For young families, our hotel offers other attractions, including a raucous waterpark and arcade, and the opportunity to sail, fish and go whale-watching. All at a far more affordable price, and with less hassle, than in the popular U.S. coastal resorts at high summer.

Windy City: Fly direct from the UK to Chicago to kick-start your Midwestern road trip 

Sheboygan, which counts many Germans among its early settlers, boasts of being the world’s bratwurst capital, so these stubby, spicy sausages, made with ginger, mace and nutmeg, and served in a roll called a semmel, are on most menus.

All this is within easy striking distance of Chicago, three hours’ drive down the coast.

You can fly directly to Chicago from London and New Yorkers will hate me for saying this, but for my money it now pips the Big Apple as America’s most exhilarating metropolis, at least for a few heady months between May and September.

The best way to see it is by bicycle. We rent bikes at Millennium Park, then ride north along the flat, 18-mile track that runs beside the lake, marvelling at the brilliantly inventive architecture that makes Chicago’s skyline the envy of the world.

Ornate, Art Deco skyscrapers built in the Twenties, when Al Capone ran the city by fear, dazzle alongside modern creations.

Along the way, we cool off for another dip (Chicago also has a superb beach, humming with sporting activity) and get our fix of culture by visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art, one of the many fine museums and galleries in the city. We spend only two days here before heading for the Cheese State.

Party time: David with his wife Angela and daughters Anna and Lucy at a music festival

Our first destination is Eau Claire, a small city beside a much smaller lake and river, whose crystal clear water gives it its name. Our daughters are eager to attend a new music festival there, and persuade us to go with them.

I confess that we had never heard of the bands who were playing, but we’re glad we agreed. It is all very mellow. Very Wisconsin.

We also spend an enchanting afternoon at the House on the Rock, in Spring Green, an architectural masterpiece of shops, houses and ornate gardens designed by a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, who was born and raised in Wisconsin, and frequently return to his beloved home state.

But then, Lloyd Wright, arguably America’s greatest visionary designer, knew Wisconsin has far more to offer than cheese. My American friends would surely view it differently too, if only they deigned to venture here.