Our Impressions of Tomah, Oakdale and Warrens, Wisconsin

We are always drawn to quaint, unique downtown areas. While there wasn’t a downtown for Oakdale, population 302 (where we stayed at the campground), there was a wonderful, busy, thriving downtown in Tomah about 7 miles away. Here, restaurants and businesses were plentiful. One of our favorite places was All Things Amish and More, with 3 floors of Amish products!

The most impressive thing about this area is that it produces more than one half of the cranberries in the world! When we think about cranberries, we think about Cape Cod. Who would have thought cranberries are a billion dollar a year industry!

Not far away from downtown Tomah was a commercial area with all the big box stores, restaurants, and businesses you would find in any town across America!

Area Attractions

Tomah: We don’t usually list a grocery store as an attraction, but we were very impressed by the Cranberry Country Market on the outskirts of Tomah. While we were there, people were coming in to pick up freshly made sandwiches. The sandwiches were huge and the people we talked with said they were fantastic (we had just eaten or we would have tried one!). It is a store run by the Amish. We stocked up on locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables!

Warrens: If you are in the area, be sure to stop by the Cranberry Discovery Center. There are products for sale and a museum. We learned more about cranberries from the film and museum than we had ever known! They have many varieties of cranberry wines for sale as well as cranberry themed products (dried cranberries, cranberry-scented candles, etc.). April, a Discovery Center employee who was very pleasant and helpful, provided us with samples, and we ended up buying 3 bottles of cranberry wine!

Food and Drink

Tomah: We always gravitate toward small locally owned restaurants. One restaurant we went to was called BP Smokehouse. We tried our first cheese curds! They are very similar to smaller chunks of fried mozzarella. Very interesting taste!! Dave had the combo and loved the pulled pork and the brisket sandwiches. Neither required sauce to enhance the flavor. This was a very popular place for locals and for military personnel from the local base.

Warrens: Cranberry Country Café was a wonderful gem in the small town of Warrens. It is in the same building as the Cranberry Discovery Center. We both had BLTs with fries. The food was plentiful and fresh.

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers! We stayed on site 35 at the Oakdale KOA in Oakdale, Wisconsin. The campground was clean and well-maintained. The staff was friendly. Our full hook up (water-sewer-electric) site was on level packed gravel. Our pull through site was long enough to leave the Jeep hooked up and still have both vehicles off the road. 30 and 50 amp service was available. There was good cell phone coverage (Verizon). Due to the shade trees, we were unable to use our satellite. There were other sites that would have been satellite friendly, but none were available when we were there. Rarely has a park been as easy to get off and on the interstate as this one. In addition, there were two very easy in and out gas/diesel stations at the I-90 exit. The cost of this convenience was constant I-90 traffic noise.

Fun Facts

Did you know Wisconsin is the leading producer of cranberries in the world? More than half of the world’s cranberry supply is grown on 250 Wisconsin family farms. Cranberries are Wisconsin’s #1 fruit crop, generating more than 1 billion dollars in economic revenue and 4,000 jobs.

Contrary to what most people believe, cranberries do not grow in water. Cranberry beds are flooded at harvest because cranberries contain four tiny air pockets and will float.

Another Fun Fact is the town of Oakdale has a fracking sand mine that covers over 1,000 acres and includes a railroad terminal with almost 7 miles of track.

	Tomah	Oakdale	Warrens
Population:	9,574	302	541
Founded:	1855	1858	1868
Average income:	$69,000	$32,500	$80,833
Average housing price:	$197,300	$206,085	$227,000
Population Median age:	41 yrs.	52 yrs.	38 yrs.

Websites:
Oakdale: https://www.wchsmn.org/oakdale/
https://villageofoakdalewi.gov/news-notices/
Tomah: https://www.tomahwi.gov/community/page/things-do
Warrens: https://villageofwarrens.com/

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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