Bear in Mind
I must admit, I never thought of soft serve ice cream while playing mini golf.
Have you?
But you know what? Once you visit Papa Bear’s Mini Golf in Rome, Wisconsin, you’ll realize that the two go together beautifully. Almost magically. Kinda like football and wings. Or tacos and Tuesdays. Or unicorns and glitter.
In fact, the full name of this match made in Heaven is Rome’s Own Papa Bear’s Mini Golf and Soft Serve Ice Cream. With a name like that, you’ll never be guessing what to expect when you bring the family for a day of fun at one of the area’s top attractions.
As you pull up, the first thing you notice is how inviting it is. You can see, even before you get out of the car, how well maintained everything is. Everything is clean and organized. Everything works like it’s supposed to. You know immediately that Papa Bear’s is a real sense of pride for owner and Papa Bear himself, Tom Gabriel.
“I thought about doing this for a long time. I knew that if I was going to take a chance on moving the family from Milwaukee to open a mini golf course, of all things, then I was going to do it right or not do it at all.”
And boy is he ever doing it right!
Nestled among the pine trees, is a creatively designed course that is challenging yet fun for all ages. Walk up to the window and each member of your party can choose their putter and ball from a rainbow of colors. I usually take red. Don’t know why.
You’re so excited to head for the first tee that you almost miss it. But there it is. It catches your eye. The soft serve ice cream sign. No, not just offering your average twist on a cone (although that’s still my favorite), but Hot Fudge Sundaes and Soft Serve Candy Cups, including the favorite among most kids, the Papa Bear’s Polar Vortex – soft serve ice cream swirled in a 12-ounce cup and topped with your choice of M&M’s, Reese’s Pieces, Butterfinger, or a few more that I’m sure you can imagine. Or maybe not.
But now what do you do? Your logical self is telling you, “Let’s golf first, we’ll ice cream later.” Cuz you know, ice cream is dessert. Right? But your sweet tooth can sometimes shout just a little bit louder, “I want ice cream, NOW! “
Well, this time logic prevails, and you grab your ball and head to the first tee where you’re greeted by the cutest little bear cub holding a welcome sign. Hole after hole you fantasize about a hole-in-one only to watch your ball roll up the front side of a small mound, slide off to the right, and settle against the brick curb. Two putts later you give yourself a three while some four-year-old is plucking her ball out of the cup holding up one little finger.
By now you’ve forgotten about the ice cream. But then, you round the bend on the last hole, and there, just beyond the water fountain, is another kid happy as can be, with a chocolate and vanilla swirl in a waffle cone as big as his head.
And this is when you realize that mini golf and soft serve ice cream do indeed go together perfectly. Like campfires and s’mores. Or Tom Hanks and Wilson. Or chips and beer, which by the way, they have too!
Papa Bear’s is located at 266 Matterhorn Trail, Nekoosa, WI 54457.
They can be reached at (715) 325-PAPA (7272).
Written by: Lydell Capritta