As you know, I’m hosting a new video series for Huffington Post Travel / AOL! I scout out what’s hip and happening — starting with Wisconsin.

Gothic hair accessories: Red and silver choker necklace gifted from Gloomth, black flower clip gifted from Sourpuss. The velvet terrier hair clip is something I’ve had since I was a kid.

For the video intro, I skipped through the streets of Milwaukee.

Black leather bag: gifted from GUNAS
Pirate dress: gifted from Lip Service
Cut-out boots: Leche by Yosuke, from Marui One Shinjuku’s “shoe heaven” floor

Arrr.

In the new episode of my Huffington Post Travel TV show, two guards yell “Halt!” as I try to enter Mars’ Cheese Castle. The tension mounts to an epic stare-down. But in truth, the family members that run the store are the friendliest folk you’ll meet.

Mars’, a family business since 1947, specializes in all things cheesy, from aged cheddar to cheese hats. Last March, the family unveiled the renovated space — 24,000 square feet, including turrets and drawbridge.

Tyson Wehrmeister whisks me around his kingdom, insisting that I try a taste of everything. The video captures my surprise at chicken soup cheese and squeaky curds.

The decorative cheese, shaped and colored like cows, was too cute to eat. For Brewers fans, there were even cheddar baseballs and gloves.

I’ll admit I was hesitant about “chudge,” or chocolate cheese fudge. (It tastes better than it sounds.) And turtle kringle, a Nordic pastry. (Not actually made from turtles, thankfully.)

Pain and Suffering, Submission… these hot sauces would have been a great gift for Sebastiano, no?

With blow-up cows and hand-puppets, the gift shop was the cheesiest part of the castle. Or should I say…wait for it…“udderly ridiculous.”

What makes the castle a gem? The Ventura family, who keep it personal: handing balloons to kids, hanging at the bar, passing around generous samples. Despite the big new location, Mars’ still feels like the warm family shop from 1947. Now that’s cool.

Stay tuned for my next Weird Wisconsin video! Please take a second to watch my Mars Cheese Castle adventure here. Thank you for the Likes, Shares, Tweets, Comments.

What’s the strangest cheese you’ve ever sunk your teeth into?