7 Small Towns in Wisconsin with the Best Downtowns

Located right in the heart of the Great Lakes, Wisconsin is one of the most visited states of the Upper Midwest, which is no surprise when its downtown areas offer opportunities to walk along the Beloit Riverwalk or Bayfield Harbor & Marina. According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, more than 114 million tourists visited the state in 2024, generating over $25 billion in economic impact. These are the seven small towns in Wisconsin with the best downtowns, thanks to their unique attractions, beautiful landscapes, and quirky personalities.

Cedarburg

Cedarburg is home to one of the most visually distinctive downtowns in the state with its Cream City bricks, limestone buildings, and 19th-century mill architecture. People visit downtown Cedarburg for more than its beauty and friendliness; there are also countless, unique things to do. Sitting along the banks of Cedar Creek is the Cedar Creek Settlement, a restored, historic 1864 woolen mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The settlement now anchors downtown Cedarburg housing restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, and artisan boutiques. A particular favourite among tourists is the Cedar Creek Winery, which adds old-world charm to your wine-tasting and touring experience with its restored mill backdrop. Cedarburg also hosts seasonal affairs like the Cedarburg Winter Festival, featuring hot spiced wine tastings, ice carving, and food competitions.

Downtown Cedarburg’s Art Museum is another unmissable gem, delightfully showcased in a historic mansion exhibiting original, rotating shows, art classes, and creative programming. The Cedarburg Museum participates in major seasonal festivals, including the Strawberry Festival and the Wine & Harvest Festival. Adding extra spark to the already-vibrant downtown scene, the museum also offers free admission to a popular seasonal beer garden with live music, food trucks, artist booths, and nonprofit vendors. You cannot fully experience Cedarburg’s downtown without walking through the heart of its shopping and dining scene on Washington Avenue. Along this stretch, you’ll snap beautiful photos along the tree-lined sidewalks passing old historic homes while dipping into a variety of specialty boutiques and shops like Garden Goodies.

Beloit

Downtown Beloit seamlessly blends industrial heritage with contemporary design and a vantage view of the Rock River. Downtown Beloit offers many enjoyable activities to its visitors, starting with the Beloit Riverwalk, beaming with artsy, urban-revitalization energy. The Riverwalk allows tourists to weave in and out of the downtown core along its beautifully maintained pedestrian paths and bridges that follow the Rock River through the heart of the city. Pleasant, photogenic surprises line your scenic stroll along the path, such as sculptures, murals, and small parks, including the Turtle Island Playground for the kids and Wootton Park for a calmer green space to take in the river views.

To explore the more urban facet of downtown Beloit, head to the Ironworks District, which connects to the Riverwalk on the west side of the river. The Ironworks District was built inside a massive historic complex that once housed the Beloit Iron Works manufacturing plant. These buildings have been transformed into a hub of offices, creative studios, event space, public art, and restaurants like the popular Merrill & Houston’s Steak Joint. If you visit downtown Beloit on a Saturday, you will have the pleasure of enjoying the Beloit Farmers’ Market, which is one of the largest open-air farmers’ markets in the Midwest. The market hosts more than 85 vendors selling baked goods, artisanal foods, treats, crafts, and fresh produce with an unbeatable atmosphere of street performers and live music. You will never forget the vibrant, community-driven experience of visiting downtown Beloit.

Bayfield

Downtown Bayfield is a compact, coastal, and artsy destination perched above Lake Superior with a myriad of interesting things to see and do. Stroll through Rittenhouse Avenue to pick up a souvenir at Brownstone Centre, enjoy specialty coffee or baked goods at Wonderstate Coffee, or pick up a new book at the Apostle Islands Booksellers. For an unforgettable tour of Lake Superior’s maritime history, shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the region's fishing heritage, walk south toward the lake to the Bayfield Maritime Museum.

You have not yet had the full downtown Bayfield experience until you hit the waterfront to walk the piers at the Bayfield Harbor & Marina. The Bayfield Harbor & Marina is one of the most iconic downtown experiences where tourists revel in the views, watch sailboats glide past, and take photos of the Apostle Islands. While technically catching a ferry to Madeline Island takes you out of downtown from Bayfield’s City Dock, it is still considered a must-do highlight for tourists looking to get the full experience of everything downtown Bayfield has to offer.

Mineral Point

Mineral Point’s downtown scene is set in preserved 19th-century stone buildings and historic Cornish heritage sites. Start your exploration of Mineral Point’s many downtown attractions by roaming High Street to visit popular shops like High Street Sweets, which showcases a cheerful storefront and old-fashioned candy counter. For a coffee stop or to grab some breakfast or lunch, stop in at Cafe 43, located in the historic Old Royal Inn. If you’re feeling a little more festive, stop by the Commerce Street Brewery for house-brewed beer and classic pub fare. Situated just off High Street, you can tour the historic Cornish buildings in the Shake Rag neighborhood, including the Pendarvis site, which showcases the town’s unique immigrant heritage. Enrich your downtown adventure with some history by visiting the small but mighty, seasonal Mineral Point Railroad Museum, which highlights the town’s railroad and mining heritage with artifacts and restored rail equipment. The Mineral Point Railroad Museum is open from the first weekend in May to the last weekend in October.

New Glarus

Downtown New Glarus is visually captivating courtesy of its Swiss-style buildings, murals, and alpine motifs. Walking Main Street through downtown New Glarus is a delight in its own right, filled with specialty shops and bakeries that celebrate the town’s Swiss heritage. The New Glarus Bakery is especially acclaimed for its cheese, pastries, and other Swiss-inspired treats. With your energy restored, you won’t want to miss a cultural and historic stroll through the historic Swiss buildings at the open-air Swiss Historical Village Museum. These 14 historic buildings tell the story of 1845 Swiss immigrants who founded New Glarus and house a traditional Swiss bee house, a replica cheese factory, an original school house, a log house, and a Swiss cemetery. If you visit downtown New Glarus at the right time, you may get the chance to fully immerse yourself in New Glarus culture and festivities. The Swiss Volksfest is an annual celebration of Swiss Independence Day in August, featuring yodeling, choral folk music, flag-throwing, and more, and the PokaFest is a two-day festival every June, rocking polka music and dancing under a big tent downtown.

Fish Creek

Fish Creek’s walkable downtown is a central hub of Northern Door County with endless things to do in a beautiful small-town atmosphere. Visit the Fish Creek Marina at the edge of downtown to take in Michigan lake views and watch boats go by as you walk the shorelines of Green Bay. Heading into central downtown, Fish Creek’s Main Street is perfect for browsing local shops like The Santa Fe Shop and art galleries like the Edgewood Orchard Galleries, open seasonally from April to November. Enjoy a local treat at one of Main Street’s many cafés, like the Blue Horse Beach Café, which also serves breakfast and lunch with a view of the bay. For other dining options on Main Street, the Bayside Tavern is a popular spot with some of the best burgers around, 18 craft beers on tap, and outdoor seating with a water view. You haven’t completed your Main Street adventure without dropping into the historic Fish Creek Market for specialty foods, sandwiches, local goods, and other Door County products. Make sure you don’t leave Fish Creek’s downtown without a guided tour through the exhibits at the historic Alexander Noble House Museum to get a glimpse into early Door County life.

Sister Bay

Sister Bays’ downtown life has something for everyone, from beaches and shopping to an award-winning marina. Shop and dine along the walkable main commercial strip, Bay Shore Drive, lined with galleries like the Frykman Studio Gallery, ice cream shops like the seasonal Door County Ice Cream Factory, restaurants like the seasonal Boathouse on the Bay, and boutiques. Immediately next to the strip, you’ll find Sister Bay’s Waterfront Park, where you can stroll, have a picnic, or even swim, with access to the Waterfront Park’s beach, green space, and long shoreline walkway with marina views.

If you live for a quirky, can’t-miss attraction for a standout photo opportunity, you will revel in a visit to the most iconic restaurant in Door County, the Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant. Known for its traditional dishes like Swedish meatballs and Swedish pancakes with lingonberries, Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant draws huge crowds, serving as many as 1,500 diners per day in the summer. While the food and attached boutique are worth the trip, the experience becomes unforgettable thanks to the restaurant’s infamous goats grazing grass on the sod-covered roof during the tourist season. When you’ve finished savoring the charming oddity of your goat-filled restaurant adventure, end your downtown Sister Bay tour on a perfect note at the Downtown Sister Bay Marina to catch a perfect sunset that may even rival the goats. Just remember that many Sister Bay attractions are open seasonally, so make the most of your downtown excursion by booking your trip accordingly.

Your Big Small Town Adventures Await

You don’t need a big city to have a big downtown adventure. From enjoying Swiss treats and cheese with an architecturally delightful backdrop, taking in a stunning shoreline sunset, to finding a unique photo-op, these seven small towns showcase the range Wisconsin’s downtowns have to offer. Whether you choose Bayfield’s marina views, Cedarburg’s limestone streets, Beloit’s revitalized river district, or Fish Creek’s boutique-lined shoreline, you won't soon forget the incomparable experiences of visiting any of the seven best downtowns of Wisconsin's small towns.