11 Small Towns in Wisconsin to Visit for a Weekend Getaway
Bayfield runs the ferry to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and its 22-island archipelago in Lake Superior. Fish Creek anchors the heart of Door County alongside the 1868 Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in 3,776-acre Peninsula State Park. New Glarus carries 180 years of Swiss-immigrant heritage from the 1845 founding by Glarus Canton emigrants. Hayward holds the 143-foot, 41-foot-tall fiberglass muskie at the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. The eleven Wisconsin towns ahead each anchor a weekend getaway around a different specific draw.
New Glarus
New Glarus sits in Green County about 25 miles southwest of Madison with about 2,200 residents and the unofficial title of "Little Switzerland of America." The town was founded in August 1845 by 108 emigrants from the Swiss canton of Glarus who arrived during a textile-industry depression in their homeland. The Swiss Historical Village & Museum on 6th Avenue runs a 14-building replica village laid out with original cabins, pioneer artifacts, and immersive exhibits on the 1840s arrival and the first decades of settlement. Glarner Stube on Sixth Avenue handles Swiss-style fondue and kirsch in a 1901 building.
The Sugar River State Trail starts at the New Glarus depot and runs 24 miles south to Brodhead on a converted Milwaukee Road rail bed, with five restored railroad bridges along the route. New Glarus Brewing Company, in operation since 1993 and the producer of Spotted Cow ale (sold only in Wisconsin), sits on a hilltop two miles south of town with daily self-guided tours. Chalet Landhaus Inn handles overnight stays with Swiss-themed architecture.
Bayfield
Bayfield runs the ferry gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the 22-island Lake Superior archipelago that holds the largest collection of historic lighthouses in the National Park System (eight light stations across six islands). The town runs about 480 year-round residents and triples in summer. Apostle Islands Cruises operates daily boat tours from Memorial Day through October, with routes covering the Devils Island sea caves and the lighthouses. In winter, the mainland sea caves at Meyers Beach become accessible by foot across the lake ice when Lake Superior freezes solid enough.
The Bayfield Maritime Museum traces commercial fishing, shipbuilding, and lighthouse-keeping history. The Big Ravine-West Rim Trail runs 3 miles of backcountry hiking right out of downtown. The Old Rittenhouse Inn handles overnight stays in an 1890 Queen Anne mansion with Jacuzzi tubs, private cottages, and on-site fine dining.
Fish Creek
Fish Creek sits at the heart of Door County on the Green Bay side of the peninsula with about 980 residents and a strong base for exploring the wider county. Peninsula State Park covers 3,776 acres of trails, beach access, and the 1868 Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, the second-oldest active lighthouse on Lake Michigan. The 8-mile Sunset Trail runs the park perimeter for hikers and bikers.
Peninsula Players Theatre, founded 1935 just south of town on the shores of Green Bay, is the country's oldest professional resident summer theatre and stages five Broadway-quality productions across its mid-June through mid-October season. The White Gull Inn handles overnight stays with the cherry-stuffed French toast that won ABC's Good Morning America "Best Breakfast in America" contest in 2010. The town's compact downtown sits a short walk from harbor access for kayaking and sunset boat trips.
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls runs about 14,700 residents with a strong park network for the size. The 318-acre Irvine Park holds a free public zoo with bison, elk, cougars, and bears. Lake Wissota State Park covers 1,062 acres of camping, hiking, swimming, and horseback riding less than 5 miles from downtown. The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company has poured beer on the same site since 1867 (one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in the country) and runs daily tours through the production floor.
Chippewa Falls is also the hometown of supercomputer pioneer Seymour Cray, who founded Cray Research here in 1972 and built the Cray-1 (the world's fastest computer at launch in 1976) in a downtown plant. The Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire covers the regional industrial history. Country Inn & Suites sits 4 miles from Irvine Park for an easy overnight stay.
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva sits 80 miles northwest of Chicago and 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee with about 8,200 residents. The town built itself into a Gilded Age summer resort after the 1871 Chicago Fire pushed wealthy Chicago families north for clean lakeside retreats, and several of the resulting mansions still stand on the wooded shoreline. The Lake Geneva Shore Path runs 21 miles around Geneva Lake, an unusual public-access path that crosses through more than 60 private estates per a 19th-century easement protecting the Potawatomi shoreline trail.
Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures runs canopy zip lines and sky bridges through nearby forest. The Geneva Lake Museum holds interactive exhibits on local history. The Baker House Hotel handles overnight stays in a restored 1885 Queen Anne building. The 7-mile Grand Geneva Resort holds two championship golf courses and a small ski hill outside town.
Sister Bay
Sister Bay sits on the Green Bay side of Door County with about 980 residents and the largest concentration of restaurants and shops north of Fish Creek. Sister Bay Beach handles swimming, sunbathing, and picnicking through summer. Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik anchors the downtown dining scene with Swedish meatballs, lingonberry pancakes, and the locally famous sod roof grazed by live goats from spring through fall. The restaurant has run the goats-on-the-roof tradition since 1973.
The Sister Bay Historical Society covers 80 years of local heritage at the Corner of the Past museum complex. Scandinavian Lodge handles overnight stays a minute's walk from the bay.
Hayward
Hayward runs about 2,500 residents in the Sawyer County Northwoods and carries a national reputation for muskie fishing on the Chippewa Flowage (the 15,300-acre reservoir created in 1923 by the Chippewa River dam). The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame on the east edge of town runs the 143-foot-long, 41-foot-tall fiberglass muskie sculpture known as "Shrine to Anglers," the largest fiberglass fish sculpture in the world. The mouth of the sculpture opens as an observation deck that holds 20 people; the interior houses 50,000 sportfishing artifacts across four buildings.
The Lumberjack World Championships, held annually in Hayward since 1960, run sawing, axe-throwing, log-rolling, and pole-climbing competitions each July. Lynne Marie's Candies pours fresh fudge and hand-dipped chocolates downtown. The town also hosts the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival each September on the wider American Birkebeiner ski trail network.
Sheboygan
Sheboygan runs about 48,000 residents along the Lake Michigan shore and carries the unofficial title of "Freshwater Surf Capital of the World" for the steady wind-driven waves that draw surfers across multiple seasons (the 2019 documentary The Cradle of American Surfing built its case around the local Lake Michigan surf community). Deland Park and the Sheboygan break wall are the primary surf access points. Kohler-Andrae State Park covers 980 acres of preserved Lake Michigan shoreline with camping, hiking, and the only black dune ecosystem in the state.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center on 8th Street is one of the country's strongest small-city contemporary art museums, with a permanent collection focused on artist-built environments. The Sheboygan County Historical Museum runs a six-building complex with more than 30,000 regional artifacts. Blue Harbor Resort sits close to the surfing beaches and the downtown art scene.
Elkhart Lake
Elkhart Lake runs about 950 residents in Sheboygan County with a serious racing tradition tied to Road America, the 4-mile, 14-turn permanent road racing circuit in nearby Plymouth. The track has hosted the IMSA SportsCar Championship, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the AMA Pro Motocross since opening in 1955. Through the 1950s, the unpaved village streets themselves served as the racecourse, until a fatal 1952 crash moved the racing out to the purpose-built track three years later.
Firemans Park handles swimming and picnicking along the shore of the 292-acre spring-fed Elkhart Lake (which formed from a glacial kettle). The Two Fish Gallery shows local crafts and sculptures from the surrounding region. Siebkens Resort, in operation since 1916, handles overnight stays close to Road America.
Baraboo
Baraboo sits 40 miles north of Madison with about 12,500 residents and a deep circus history. The Ringling Brothers Circus was founded here in 1884 by the five Ringling brothers, and the Circus World Museum on the original winter quarters site preserves the world's largest collection of circus wagons (217 of them) plus daily summer-season big-top performances. Devil's Lake State Park, the most-visited state park in Wisconsin at 2.5 million annual visitors, holds 500-foot quartzite bluffs around a 360-acre glacial lake.
Pewit's Nest State Natural Area runs trails through a 40-foot gorge cut into Cambrian sandstone less than 10 minutes from downtown. The historic Al. Ringling Theatre, built 1915, still hosts films and live performances. Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott handles overnight stays with an indoor pool.
Sturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay is the seat of Door County and the largest city on the peninsula at about 9,700 residents. The town anchors both ends of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal (the 7-mile shortcut between Green Bay and Lake Michigan completed in 1881) and remains an active commercial shipbuilding centre, with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding still launching Great Lakes freighters from the downtown yard. Potawatomi State Park runs 1,200 acres of biking and hiking trails plus a Green Bay waterfront for paddlers. Whitefish Dunes State Park covers Wisconsin's highest sand dunes (the largest, "Old Baldy," tops out at 93 feet above lake level).
The Door County Maritime Museum holds nautical heritage exhibits including the working tugboat John Purves. The Door County Historical Museum on Michigan Street covers the regional cherry-orchard, commercial-fishing, and lighthouse history that shaped the peninsula. Bridgeport Waterfront Resort handles overnight stays at the harbor edge.
The Wisconsin Weekend Read
These eleven towns each anchor a different version of the Wisconsin weekend. Bayfield handles Apostle Islands ferry routes and Lake Superior sea caves. Fish Creek and Sturgeon Bay run Door County lighthouses and ship canals. New Glarus carries 180 years of Swiss-immigrant heritage. Lake Geneva keeps Gilded Age lakeshore mansions accessible by public path. Sheboygan claims a Freshwater Surf Capital title on Lake Michigan. Hayward holds the 143-foot fiberglass muskie. Baraboo runs Ringling Brothers Circus heritage alongside Devil's Lake quartzite bluffs. Chippewa Falls anchors the Leinenkugel and Cray supercomputer story. Elkhart Lake runs Road America. Sister Bay holds the goats-on-the-roof tradition north of Fish Creek. Each delivers a different weekend.
