The 8 Friendliest Little Towns In Wisconsin
Wisconsin's friendliest little towns hide in the state's most beautiful spots, such as on the shores of the Great Lakes or in welcoming rural communities that put on massive harvest festivals. You can discover a little Swiss village in New Glarus, or a Swedish enclave nestled on the Mississippi River. For those looking to escape into the Great Lakes, you won't have to battle crowds as you venture out to the Apostle Islands just outside of Bayfield or atop one of the largest lighthouses in Wisconsin in Bailey's Bay. And then there's the local festivals, like Warren's massive Cranberry Festival. If you're looking for a much smaller town for your next Midwestern or Great Lakes trip, try out these 8 friendliest little towns in Wisconsin.
Warrens
Warrens is a tiny community known for producing the largest number of cranberries in the state. This fruit is deeply ingrained in the town's culture, as is evident from the Cranberry Festival held each September. The festival first began in 1973 and today brings in more than 145,000 visitors with its cranberry-inspired vendors and foods. This isn't the only cranberry festival in Warrens, as the next month it puts on the Cranberry Harvest Days through the Wetherby Cranberry Company. You can learn about cranberries all year round at the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center, with exhibits on this cash crop, and cranberry ice cream cups from its gift shop. Travelers can take back a cranberry candle from Kindred Candles or go hiking at the nearby McMullen Memorial County Park, situated next to Lake Wazeda.
Bayfield
Just under 600 people live in this beautiful small town on the shores of Lake Superior. One primary reason folks come to Bayfield is to access the 21 islands known as the Apostle Islands. By taking a boat over to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, you can explore caves, beaches, or historic lighthouses. The easiest way to get there is to take the Madeline Island Ferry Line, but you can also see a lot in town as well, from looking at the oldest functional pottery in the state at Eckels Pottery and Fine Craft Gallery to going skiing at Mt. Ashwabay. If you come to Bayfield in September, you can experience the Festival of the Arts right on the shores of Lake Superior.
Mineral Point
Just over 2,500 people live in Mineral Point, which is a part of the Madison metro area. It's a great escape from the city, especially for couples looking to have a romantic getaway with its multitude of art galleries, wineries, and museums. Mineral Point was originally a mining center, and that history is preserved at the Pendarvis Wisconsin Historic Site, offering a restaurant with classy Cornish dinners and tea, and several structures built by Cornish settlers and miners. This includes the 1842 Polperro house holding mining artifacts and the 1841 Martin Cabin. The town has several art galleries, including the Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts and the Brewery Pottery. You can sip wine in a relaxing, homey environment at the American Wine Project in Mineral Point.
Baileys Harbor
Baileys Harbor sits on a narrow peninsula to the northeast of Green Bay, which is filled with quiet nature preserves that were created to protect Wisconsin's most biologically diverse places. The Ridges are one such place, filled with wildflowers, rare soil, karst bluffs, and hardwood forests. Hikers can also go onto the cliffside shores of Lake Michigan at Toft Point State Natural Area, a small peninsula with a limestone cobble beach, tamarack swamp, and other natural features. For those who love to fish, Baileys Harbor hosts a Brown Trout Tournament in April, while boaters and fishmen come to town in June for the Blessing of the Fleet. This rich maritime tradition is attended to by a priest or pastor who blesses the boats for safe voyages and bountiful catches.
Elkhart Lake
You don't have to go out onto the Great Lakes to find a great lake town. Just go to Elkhart Lake, known for its laid-back vibes and turquoise-blue waters. The uncrowded Fireman's Park and Beach offers a sandy beach, picnic tables, grills, and more. It's operated by the Fire Department in town, so you're never far from emergency services if needed. Elkhart Lake is also a part of the Ice Age National Trail, following the land shaped by melting glaciers tens of thousands of years ago. Elkhart Lake contains 3.35 miles of the trail along the LaBudde Creek. The nearby Kettle Moraine State Forest features additional hiking trails and skiing trails during the winter. After a day out on the lake, you can grab great pub food in a family-friendly atmosphere at the Stop-Inn Tavern.
New Glarus
The Midwest has many enclaves of lesser-known European immigrant groups. New Glarus, for example, was founded by Swiss immigrants in 1845, who named the town after the canton of Glarus. This community moved here due to failed crops in their home country, and they created a Little Switzerland here. Some of their original buildings are preserved at the Swiss Historical Village, while the Swiss Center of North America displays folk art, costumes, religious artifacts, and other items of importance to this immigrant community. The commercial center of town has several businesses that are built to look like a classic Alpine village, like the Ott Haus Pub & Grill or the Hutch and Hide gift shop. New Glarus also offers a picturesque hiking trail over an abandoned rail line with the Sugar River State Trail, which goes for 24 miles, across 14 trestle bridges.
Stockholm
This little village is named after the capital of Sweden, as it was founded by Swedish immigrants. It sits on Lake Pepin within the Mississippi River, making it a great nature escape for travellers. The most popular spot here is the Maiden Rock Bluff State Natural Area. These 400-foot-tall bluffs tower over Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River and have a large population of Peregrine Falcons. Within town, visitors and residents alike can relax by Lake Pepin at the Stockholm Village Park Campground, buy goods from the old-timey Stockholm Pie and General Store, or try out food made by Wisconsin farmers at the Humble Moon Saloon. The general store has been named the best pie shop in America by USA Today two years in a row. If you visit the village in July, you can go to the Stockholm Art Fair held within the Village Park Campground.
Sturgeon Bay
Named after a bay in Lake Michigan, Sturgeon Bay is a great example of Wisconsin's Great Lakes shoreline. In many ways, the Great Lakes are a Midwestern sea and have birthed a large maritime industry. Sturgeon Bay keeps that legacy with its Door County Maritime Museum, which includes the 118-foot-tall Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower, the fifth-tallest structure in Northeast Wisconsin. There are many places where you can get a great view of Lake Michigan here, whether that's at the top of the lighthouse or within Cave Point County Park, filled with limestone ledges, and underwater caves that you can view from the beach or by going kayaking. Speaking of boats, you can see classic wooden boats on display from July to August at the Door County Classic and Wooden Boat Show.
These tiny communities have some of the best views in the Midwest, which is probably why they are such neighborly places. It's hard to be mad at someone when you have so many beautiful views around you. Visitors and residents alike can gaze out into the largest lake in the Great Lakes at the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, or you can relax by a smaller lake within Elkhart Lake. The great views don't end by the lake; they continue in the cute Swiss village of New Glarus or with the boats lined up for the Blessing of the Fleet in Baileys Harbor. These towns don't neglect great snacks either, with Warrens offering cranberry ice cream and other treats. If you're thinking of staying the weekend in Wisconsin, don't forget about these friendly towns.
