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The Uproxx 2023 Fall Travel Hot List is live! Visit here for the full experience!

As a travel influencer and writer, nearly all my time and income revolves around traveling. And while I always have to add the obligatory, “It’s not always as glamorous as it seems! Yada yada…” disclaimer – it is one helluva way to earn a living.

Most of my travel primarily centers around the United States and outdoor destinations like our incredible National Park System — and I have been lucky enough to travel to all 50 states solo as an adult, nearly every major and mid-sized city, and 59 of the 63 Major National Parks. I’ve driven on all the major highways and probably have a cafe recommendation in any small American town you can throw at me.

That being said, it’s rare that I go on a trip and am truly surprised. Small things, sure, but generally, I have a pretty good idea of what I might find when exploring a new place. So when I traveled to the theme park-heavy Wisconsin Dells recently, to be honest, I thought I knew what to expect. The perennial Midwestern family vacation destination (it is literally the waterpark capital of the world) didn’t quite seem like… my vibe.

Well, plot twist. What I found in the off-season, when most of the over 20 theme parks had closed, was a hidden, adults-only oasis. Here is how you can experience it for yourself this fall:

STAY:

SUNDARA INN & SPA

The highlight of my trip – and maybe my year – was my stay at Sundara Inn & Spa. Tucked away in a pine forest, the adults-only destination spa is one of the first in the Midwest. The 26-room property is luxe and calming, with a full-service luxury spa with a purifying bath ritual, salt treatment room, energy therapies, and traditional body treatments. Sundara includes three pools – one with a swim-up bar – an outdoor hot soak, relaxation and reflection spaces, hammocks, bicycles, a silent room, a meditation room, hiking trails, and a host of daily wellness activities. The public areas are all phone-free (and the entire property is adults-only), making the relaxation… genuinely relaxing.

Many of the rooms and suites – including mine – feature private outdoor hot soaks. I spent excessive time on my sizable private balcony relaxing in the hot soak (with fireplace), enjoying room service, and watching the stars and regular wildlife that passed by. It felt like a true retreat.

EAT & DRINK:

BALANCED ROCK WINERY

There are a surprising number of wineries in the Wisconsin Dells area, one of my favorites being Balanced Rock Winery, outside Devil’s Lake State Park (and its namesake trail) in Baraboo. The winery – with a facility and tasting room overlooking a gorgeous bluff – specializes in wine made from cold, hardy grapes that survive the frigid winters of the Midwest. They offer tastings, glasses, and a surprisingly extensive food menu, including flatbreads and street tacos. I recommend grabbing a flight and sitting by a firepit overlooking the vibrant fall colors.

WOLLERSHEIM WINERY & DISTILLERY

Another winery I was impressed with is Wollersheim Winery and Distillery, about 30 minutes south of Wisconsin Dells. Interestingly, the property originally served as a vineyard in the 1840s when a Hungarian nobleman, later called the “Father of California wine,” Agoston Haraszthy, planted and made wine and brandy there until prohibition.

In 1972, the Wollersheim family purchased what was now being used as a dairy farm to return it to a vineyard. The family winemakers experimented with wines made using cold-hardy grapes and have achieved fantastic success and accolades for their wine in the decades since. The property is divine and feels very far from Wisconsin (and I say that as someone who loves Wisconsin). A National Historic Site, the winery grounds alone are worth the trip.

TUMBLED ROCK BREWERY

After hiking at Devil’s Lake State Park for a day, I stumbled upon Tumbled Rock Brewery and was immediately glad I did. The open-concept kitchen and tap room offer a wide selection of beer, wood-fired pizzas, and an elevated pub fair.

I especially love that the head brewer is a woman – and that every pour on my flight was on point.

BELLA GOOSE COFFEE

Locally-owned Bella Goose Coffee is a local community pillar with two locations in Wisconsin Dells. I love the Cafe on the River location for a perfectly balanced latte and house-made pastry with an incredible view of the Wisconsin River. The rustic modern decor is inviting, and the community vibe is evident when you walk through the door.

NAVA RESTAURANT

Nava, Sanskrit for “fresh,” is the Sundara Inn & Spa on-site restaurant, but I’d dine there even if it weren’t convenient for my stay. The dining room is beautiful and feels upscale while staying down to earth – don’t be surprised if diners are robe-clad here – much like the entire property. I loved enjoying a glass of wine with perfectly prepared Pan Seared Scallops with maque choux and remoulade sauce for dinner and was impressed again with my avocado toast in-room for breakfast.

The wine list is extensive and the service is top-notch.

WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUBS:

Wisconsin Supper Clubs aren’t just a kitschy roadside attraction – they’re genuinely a part of the culture. With over 250 supper clubs in the state, the dimly lit dining experience is a must when visiting. Known for socializing, generous portions, Old Fashioneds (the unofficial drink of Wisconsin), and traditional Fish Fry Fridays – walking into one of these establishments feels like stepping back into a simpler time. A time I’d love to visit more often.

Two great options in Wisconsin Dells are:

THE DEL-BAR

Visiting The Del-Bar was a treat during my visit to Wisconsin Dells. The supper club, established in 1943, immediately transported me to the middle of the century. The decor is straight out of Mad Men with a Frank Lloyd Wright twist (the architect was his protege), with dim lighting and excellent exemplary dining service. There is no rush here – that’s the whole point of a supper club, with groups around me spending hours laughing, enjoying craft cocktails and the prime-aged steaks and pan-fried walleyes The Del-Bar is known for. It’s decidedly less “restaurant” and more “experience” when dining here, and I can’t wait to experience it again.

ISHNALA SUPPER CLUB

So… I didn’t actually dine at the famed Ishnala Supper Club, as the seasonally operating establishment closed down for the year just days before my visit – but it’s number one on my list for next time. Located in the middle of Mirror Lake State Park, the legendary supper club has historic cabin vibes and a reputation that precedes it. The dinner wait is notoriously lengthy, so be sure to grab a drink and explore the grounds and multiple bars until your table is ready for a genuinely unique dining experience.

EXPLORE:

DEVIL’S LAKE STATE PARK

Wisconsin always makes the shortlist whenever I’m asked my opinion on an underrated outdoor destination. With 66 State Park units, the state is chock-full of natural beauty and impressive hiking, biking, waterways, and climbing routes. One park that offers it all is Devil’s Lake State Park, just south of Baraboo and around 20 miles from Wisconsin Dells. The state’s most popular park, it offers 29 miles of hiking trails (including a portion of the nearly 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail), mountain biking trails, beaches, opportunities for kayaking, canoeing, and SUP, as well as rock climbing and bouldering. It’s also a great spot to catch the vibrant fall foliage on a drive or a picnic.

MIRROR LAKE STATE PARK

The impressive Mirror Lake State Park lies just 3 miles south of Wisconsin Dells. It boasts a pristine lake surrounded by wooded trails, sandstone bluffs, and the Ishnala Supper Club. Camp in the park, hike, boat, bike, or canoe, all under a canopy of striking fall foliage.

SKI-HI FRUIT FARM

A third-generation family-owned apple farm, Ski-Hi first planted apples on the property in 1907. On a fully working farm, visitors can pick apples, visit the farm store (don’t miss the cider donuts), hang out “on the green,” enjoy a wagon ride, and sample ciders and apple wines at the tasting bar. Super conveniently located outside Devil’s Lake State Park, this stop feels nostalgic and fresh all at once – with sleek retro branding, a beautiful location, and all the fall vibes.

Earlier this month, Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band announced that they would be postponing their September tour dates, as the namesake lead vocalist recovers from peptic ulcer disease. Today (September 27), the band announced via social media that the remainder of the 2023 tour dates would be postponed to next year.

According to the statement, the postponing of the dates comes by way of doctors’ orders. Upon the delivery of the news, Springsteen shared a message of gratitude with his followers.

“Thanks to all my friends and fans for your good wishes, encouragement and support,” he said. “I’m on the mend and can’t wait to see you all next year.”

The post notes that the rescheduled dates will be announced next week, and that the new shows will take place at the original venues. Fans who previously purchased tickets will be able to use them at the newly scheduled shows.

Fans who purchased tickets, but will be unable to attend the shows on the newly rescheduled dates will be able to request a refund, however, all refunds must be requested within 30 days through the ticketing company from which they originally purchased their tickets.

You can read the full statement above.

Has getting kicked out of the Beetlejuice musical for vaping, talking loudly, and doing hand stuff caused a moment of reflection for Lauren Boebert?

Nope! If anything, she’s gotten worse since her public humiliation.

The gun-toting Colorado congresswoman proposed an amendment on Wednesday to reduce the salary of Shawn Skelly, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness, to one dollar. Why? As a punishment for Skelly being trans. During her tirade, Boebert made a show of misgendering Skelly, who she accused of “failing at his job and the basic responsibilities.” She added, “This delusional man thinking he is a woman, embodies and espouses the wokeism that that’s causing significant harm to our military readiness and troops’ morale.”

Boebert is being called a “transphobic idiot” on social media for her comments. Another X user wrote, “We all like to make fun of Boebert for the Beetlejuice incident, and for generally being a messy disaster. But it’s easy to forget- she’s also a deeply hateful bigot.” Here’s more:

This isn’t the first time that Boebert has made her hateful views towards the LGBTQIA+ community known. GLAAD reports that she “introduced legislation in the House to block research into gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth, claiming that trans youth are ‘sexualized and used for horrific sexual research’ when given life-saving puberty blockers.”

Fresh off the success of her “http://” target=”_blank” title=””>Put It On Da Floor Again” remix with Cardi B, former Uproxx cover artist Latto has announced her next single. “Issa Party” is due this Friday, September 29 and features fellow Georgia native Baby Drill. Latto shared the celebratory single art which involves a collage of Polaroid photos of Latto surrounded by party favors. She’s sampling a bit of birthday cake while wearing a pair of party hats — they’re not on her head, though — and in the caption, she quotes, “I got shots for all the opps issa holiday!”

It’s a big look for Baby Drill, who is affiliated with Young Nudy’s PDE imprint and recently released the single “Slight Dub” with Nudy and 21 Savage. The relatively new artist is also fresh off the release of his third mixtape, MadMan, which he dropped in June — a little over six months after his last project Drill Season, which featured his first collaboration with Latto, “Freak.”

Latto calls herself “the biggest” but lately, she’s been bigger than ever as a result of some strategic collaborations. In addition to Cardi, she also worked with K-pop sensation Jung Kook on his single “Seven,” resulting in her first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. With her profile higher than ever, it’s nice to see that she’s sharing the wealth.

“Issa Party” drops on 9/29.

Forget the Property Brothers. The only home renovation experts I’m interested in hearing from are Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder (also, The Gang in that one episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).

Showtime and A24 have released the first teaser for The Curse, which follows a newly married couple, played by The Favourite and Nathan for You stars, “as they try to conceive a child while co-starring in their new home-improvement show.” There’s also an “alleged curse” that threatens to “disturbs the relationship.” The promo doesn’t get into that, however. Instead, Stone and Fielder wear their fakest smiles to record a promo for the show-within-a-show.

“He is such a good actor — he really blew my mind,” the Taylor Swift fan told W magazine about working with Fielder, who also co-created The Curse with Benny Safdie. “I remember watching a scene a couple days in that I wasn’t in. I was texting him up a storm, saying: ‘You’re one of the best actors I’ve ever seen.’ He’s so great and such a natural on Nathan for You and in The Rehearsal — but he’s playing himself. And still, he’s acting.”

The Curse premieres on streaming and on-demand for Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on November 10th before making its on-air debut on Showtime on November 12th.

Noah Kahan‘s fans are trying their hardest to get tickets to his upcoming We’ll Be Here Forever Tour, as the tickets go on sale today. However, they are experiencing a lot of trouble trying to buy from the Ticketmaster queue. While fans had presale codes, apparently the sale was so disastrous that scalpers were already reselling — or they had to encounter long waits.

This happened especially in Boston, where Kahan will play a show at Fenway Park next year.

“The fact that people were reselling Noah Kahan tickets for Fenway while I was still in presale queue is my villain origin story,” one user wrote.

“I’m getting f*cking Taylor Swift flashbacks trying to get Noah Kahan tickets at Fenway,” another added.

Others had issues with just how high the ticket prices were when they did make it to the seat selection — which has been a common complaint about Ticketmaster these days.

“I’m shaming both him and TM,” one fan wrote in response to another being upset about how high the cost was. “You can’t tell me the artist doesn’t have a LITTLE ounce of control over ticket prices, Ticketmaster is also greedy and can’t properly do a presale to save their life. Both are at fault I fear.”

Continue scrolling for some more reactions about Noah Kahan’s We’ll Be Here Forever Tour sale and Fenway Park.

Earlier this year, Boygenius made their anticipated full-length debut with their album, The Record, which arrived this past March. The supergroup comprised of Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers first formed in 2018 and have proven buzzy since. This October, the ladies of Boygenius will share a new EP called The Rest, which will complete the story of The Record with four new songs.

Last night (September 26), during the second of two consecutive concerts at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, the group previewed a new song called “Afraid Of Heights” from The Rest.

The song primarily features Dacus as the lead vocalist, the ladies, at various points in the song, join each other in unison, harmonizing in pure delight.

“When the black water ate you up / Like a sugar cube in a teacup / I got the point you were makin’ / When I held my breath ’til you came up,” the three sing on the song’s chorus.

This is the second song Boygenius has previewed from The Rest, the first being “Black Hole” at the previous Boston show.

You can see a clip of the “Afraid Of Heights” performance above.

The Rest is out 10/13 via Interscope. Find more information here.

The biggest story in sports and pop culture right now involves Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his flirtation with Taylor Swift. Kelce has made clear that he is … let’s say a fan of the most famous person in the world right now, and there sure seems to be a lot of smoke around the two of them dating, most notably that Swift went to the Chiefs’ game against the Chicago Bears this week, sat with Kelce’s mom, celebrated when he scored, and left the game with him.

Kelce addressed the whole thing on the most recent episode of his podcast, but it appears that there is one person who thinks something smells funny here. That person is noted yeller Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who took some time during his weekly First Take segment about stuff that made him mad to float his theory that all of this is about publicity.

“LOOK AT THIS!” Russo said, as eloquently as ever before — and maybe I am just not hearing this correctly — just screaming out a bunch of letters in combinations no one has ever put together before. He then got back on track.

“SHE WANTS TO ENJOY HER SON,” Russo said. “AND WHO TAKES THEIR GIRLFRIEND, TWO MINUTES INTO A RELATIONSHIP, TO VISIT MOMMY AND DADDY? NOBODY DOES THAT! AND THEN WE’RE GONNA SHOW ‘EM WALKING OUT? AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN, SHE’S A BIG KANSAS CITY CHIEFS FAN. SHE’S NEVER HEARD OF LENNY DAWSON.”

To be clear, he might have said someone other than Len Dawson and I just am once again not hearing him correctly, but really, that part is not important here. (Well, it is kinda important in that it’s crappy to pull the “I bet she has never heard of THIS athlete!” card.) (Also, Swift is a well-documented fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.) While Stephen A. Smith and Marcus Spears attempted to compose themselves, Molly Qerim prodded Russo a little bit.

“I can’t believe you’re mad about Travis and Taylor,” she said. “They found love.”

“FOUND LOVE?” Russo responded. “WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY? FOUND LOVE? ARE YOU NUTS? YOU CAN’T BELIEVE THAT. FOUND LOVE AFTER FIVE MINUTES? PLEASE. OH IT’S … FOUND LOVE? OH MY GOD, FOUND LOVE? YOU KNOW WHAT THEY FOUND? LET’S GET SOME PUBLICITY, THAT’S WHAT THEY FOUND.”

I am sure they talked about other things on First Take on Wednesday morning, but I am willing to wager that nothing else was this loud.

The highly anticipated The Boys spinoff, Gen V, is set to drop in a few days, and judging by the first batch of reviews, the college-based series will definitely tide fans over until The Boys Season 4 arrives. (Whenever that is.)

Set at Godolkin University, Gen V follows a burgeoning crop of young Supes who are dreaming of joining The Seven, the seemingly elite and righteous superhero team led by Homelander. However, as fans of The Boys know, The Seven are anything but righteous thanks to the machinations of Vought Industries. But if there’s anyone who can sniff out corporate bullsh*t, it’s college students.

The cast of Gen V will be put through the wringer as they learn the truth about The Seven and navigate their new powers through a sea of dong jokes and horror that only the world of The Boys can deliver.

You can see what the critics are saying below:

Kimberly Ricci, Uproxx:

Ultimately, Gen V will please The Boys fans as much as any spinoff possibly could without the physical presence of Homelander. And I understand why they’ve kept him away. His revolting charisma would distract the audience from getting to know a whole new roster of screwed-up Supes. Like the original, this spinoff is subversive and giddy and full of characters worth caring about as they cope with a deluge of bodily fluids that confirms that, yes, this is very much The Boys territory.

David Opie, Empire:

Bizarre sex scenes, a cascade of prosthetic cocks, and the kind of extreme violence Tarantino could only dream of all come into play — this is The Boys still, after all — but just like in the main show, these R-rated moments are grounded with real concerns that try to say something beyond mere shock value.

Alison Herman, Variety:

Is “The Boys” a satire of superhero franchises or a superhero franchise itself? Such is the question posed by a show that is, among other things, a cautionary tale about corporate monopoly that airs on Amazon. So far, though, the answer is both — a delicate balance “The Boys” has sustained through three acclaimed seasons, an animated anthology series and, now, a live-action spinoff, the college-set “Gen V.” The contradictions of success may eventually take their toll on the pitch-black comedy and its satellites, which portray so-called superheroes as pawns of the rapacious Vought International. But “Gen V” retains the edge, cynicism and (aptly) adolescent humor that make its parent show tick.

Joshua Rivera, Polygon:

Gen V hews closely to The Boys’ methodology of gleeful provocation in the service of existential angst, giddily pushing the boundaries of good taste in order to inventively present, say, a giant penis, or perhaps a new sexual organ invented for a throwaway gag, only to show how its characters press forward to find meaning in this horrible mess. If The Boys is about the corporate overlords of the media ecosystem, then Gen V is about its lifeblood: the young consumers and fans who aspire to have a part in that system, to carve out their own niche in the attention economy, to be a star on their own terms.

Ben Travers, IndieWire:

With Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters as showrunners (plus Kripke producing the series and co-writing the pilot), it all works well enough to satisfy franchise fans, though one has to wonder if that’s enough. “The Boys” clicked (in part) because it felt like an antidote to superhero fatigue; an outlet for everyone who’s grown frustrated with the same ol’ bloodless stories of angelic men in spandex crashing through buildings with zero consequences. “Gen V” may scratch the same irritated itch, but with “The Boys” Season 4 right around the corner, all that scratching will eventually draw blood.

Nick Schager, The Daily Beast:

Gen V skillfully juggles numerous plot threads without ever losing sight of its protagonists and their problems, most of which will be relatable to anyone who’s had to deal with body shaming moms, overbearing dads or guys eager to seize every opportunity to be date-rapey—the last of which is particularly worrisome when the creeps in question are MAGA-esque telepaths. For all its outlandishness, the show’s supe-populated reality never prioritizes insane spectacle over humanity. As a result, it routinely grounds what winds up being a wide-ranging quest by Marie and company to expose God U for its crimes, rescue victims of horrific abuse, maintain friendships, define identities, and achieve long-sought dreams.

Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter:

With the new spinoff Gen V, The Boys is at least briefly able to take a much-needed reset, bringing in a largely new group of characters, adjusting the satirical targets, and although the new series is still deeply invested in transposing our internal goo to the outside, it does some new things with its corporeal spatter. There’s no single performance as likely to earn accolades as Antony Starr’s ultra-intense take on Homelander, but the cast of relative newcomers is generally sturdy. If the series becomes frustratingly rushed as it progresses, within that rush and those choppy narrative choices, I kept finding enough moments of giddy inspiration to be entertained and sometimes more than that.

Nate Richard, Collider:

While Gen V is able to retain The Boys’ knack for graphic violence and exposing corporate corruptness, it is also able to stand on its own two feet. For better and for worse, Gen V diverges from the more satirical elements of the flagship series and decides to tackle issues that many young adults in our everyday world face, including gender, sexuality, drugs, and eating disorders. At times, the series recaptures the snark of its predecessor. At others, the show resembles something closer to a CW series with a much higher budget.

Gen V premieres September 29 on Amazon Prime Video.

50 Cent is one of the biggest names in rap but how did he get that name? After all, “Curtis Jackson” — the rapper-turned-mogul’s real name — is a far cry from “50 Cent.” Lots of rappers have entertaining stories behind their rap names, so what is his?

How Did 50 Cent Get His Name?

Like many rappers who got their starts in the ’90s, 50 Cent was inspired by a personal hero. However, while stars like Wu-Tang Clan took their inspirations from kung-fu movies and comic books, and others, like Nas and Tupac, used versions of their real names, 50 Cent split the difference, creating his persona from a hero that was a little more grounded and close-to-home.

Kelvin Martin was a drug dealer and stick-up kid from Brooklyn, New York, which shares a phone area code with Queens, where Curtis Jackson grew up. While growing up, he heard stories about the exploits of Martin, who was nicknamed 50 Cent. There are conflicting accounts of how the original 50 Cent, Martin, got the title, from his readiness to rob anyone, no matter how much (or little) money they had on them at the time, to a supposed win in a dice game that started with 50 cents and ended with Martin $500 richer.

Unfortunately, Martin, who inspired Jackson’s eventual stage name, was shot to death at the age of just 23 years old. His greatest claim to fame outside of the neighborhoods he once terrorized is inspiring the rapper who went on to sell 11 million copies of his debut album. In past interviews, 50, who was also short early in his career but survived unlike Martin, explained, “I took the name 50 Cent because it says everything I want it to say. I’m the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means.”