Small Town Wisconsin

After a few weeks in Wisconsin, we were feeling right at home, dontch-ya know. The people are all very friendly and the weather was pleasantly cool. We were staying in Two Rivers, a town with only a handful of stop ‘n go lights (otherwise known as traffic lights). Many of the nearby towns are pretty small, but they all carry a lot of flavor and color. Here are just a few of the highlights.

Two Rivers

Known locally as Trivers, this is a small town surrounded by water. Right on Lake Michigan, it also has two twin rivers flowing from the Lake. Unimaginatively re-named East Twin and West Twin River, the rivers form the history of this fishing town. But perhaps it largest claim to fame is as the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. Ed Berner’s ice cream parlor started covering ice cream in chocolate sauce, but only on Sundays. Today, you can visit the same parlor, now the Visitor’s Center and get an ice cream sundae.

The Neshotah Park & Beach is an amazing area. The beach is wide and includes a concession stand, benches and a shaded area. It is situated on the outside of a large park that includes a trail, playgrounds and more horseshoe pits than I have ever seen. Apparently the local horseshoe club built them out so they can enjoy tournaments.

The highlight of the area though is the downtown park where they have a splash pad and a small band shell. We have enjoyed a couple free concerts, including Jerry Voelker and the Jolly Gents, a polka band that was the real deal. The concession stand even served brats.

Across from the park is Cool City Brewing Co, where you can get coffee and work in the morning then roll right into lunch and beer in the afternoon. This is a great brewery featuring a strong list of their own brews as well as full cocktails. Known for their flights, you can get a flight of beer, of old-fashioneds, or of tacos. We had a great evening there playing Gilligan’s Island Trivia and learning about the Wisconsin Old-Fashioned.

We also had a great time at Whiskey D’s. A local bar on the banks of the river, they have live music, outdoor games and a great selection of drinks. The Friday Fish Fry is a Wisconsin staple and we decided Whiskey D’s was our favorite. Another Wisconsin standby is Shake-A-Day, a dice game you play against the house with a possible cash prize. We finally found a bartender with the time to teach us and had a play trying to win. We also got to do Pull Tabs, another opportunity to win cash. So gambling might not be legal, but it isn’t strictly illegal either in Wisconsin?!

Manitowoc

Two Rivers and Manitowoc are joined by a bike/foot path along the lake that was originally funded by seventh graders. While I was not able to ride the full distance, we traveled the road back and forth many times. The bigger of the two cities, Manitowoc has all the chain stores you need, but also a lot of local character. Divided by water, it also has a drawbridge that goes up when need arises for boats.

The Saturday morning farmer market was stellar! A great variety of booths offering the usual produce, stellar baked goods, infused honeys and beautiful artwork. Food trucks lined the street or you can grab a bite at The Wharf, a great bar/restaurant with a huge patio right on the water. We returned here to hear a great local cover band on Friday night.

Manitowoc is also home to several breweries. Petskull is the largest and most known with a wide outdoor patio and tasty food. The beer selection is large and a few are unusual. The Aunt Bernice, a strawberry rhubarb wheat, was surprisingly refreshing. Craft Creek Brewing Co., located in Petskull’s former site, is smaller but has a cozy taproom. They seem to specialize in sours, with four on tap. As the only two in the pub, the owner convinced us to try the sours and I admit that they did taste pretty good. The most popular is like a blue raspberry jolly ranger. Sabbatical Brewing Co. is in a very cool old mill and has a large patio. They had the most unusual beer we tasted. We tried a pastry stout, something I had never encountered. It was incredibly sweet, like a port. The Bernie Mittens has a rich maple syrup taste, like you could pour it on pancakes but at 10.7%, I would be careful!

There is also a great downtown with several cute shops, a respected Maritime Museum and a great restaurant, Courthouse Pub, located in a historic building. The building was built in 1885 as a beer hall, across the street from the impressive courthouse. And of course, the main attraction in Manitowoc is the easy access to Lake Michigan with piers, a lighthouse, and plenty of walking paths to enjoy its might.

And don’t miss Cedar Crest Ice Cream Factory. So much deliciousness in a cone! With many flavors, it is hard to make a choice but I can recommend the Mackinaw Island Fudge.

Sheboygan

We decided this city name was the most fun to say. A bit larger than the others, it still has a beautiful lakefront with many great choices in restaurants and pubs. It also has a coffee shop that was truly one of the nicest I have encountered – eb flo coffee, right on the canal along with several other restaurants and shops.

We also ate at The Northwestern House. Definitely stop here for an awesome lunch but save room for dessert because their torte might be the highlight of my trip! I had the drumstick torte and it was delicious with creamy chocolate middle and a cone crust.

Sheboygan Falls

As you leave Sheboygan and head to Plymouth, you will pass through a very pretty town called Sheboygan Falls. The small falls is surrounded by a lovely park filled with paths and playgrounds. It also had some impressive houses and architecture through the town.

Located between Plymouth and Sheboygan, Sheboygan Falls is home to Johnsonville Marketplace, the ultimate in sausage merch shopping! The large and beautiful business facility is across the street, but vistors flock to the store where you can find a variety of sausage and cheese but also more branded merchandise than I have ever seen. Tees, sweatshirts, glasses, beach balls, you name it! It was definitely worth a stop!

Plymouth

Self-designated as the Cheese Capital, we went for the annual CheeseFest. Sadly it rained that day so the crowds were low, but it was an adorable town to explore. Sartori Cheese has a production facility in town and led a few talks on cheese where we had great tastings and even won a door prize! The surrounding shops on the main street were so cute! We went into several including the Cheese Counter where all kinds of cheese and accoutrements were for sale.

The coolest coffee shop was located in a former bank with a room set up to work in the former vault and another room set up as a library. Moxie’s is definitely worth a stop! And with chai in hand, we wandered down to a small but really well-stocked bookstore, Books and More. One room is set up just for the kids, but her shelves were filled with an impressive title list. She also had several unique book-centric gift items.

More to Come

Our trip to Wisconsin is not complete, so I will likely find other great spots to share. One last spot to highlight is our campground – Scheffel’s Hideaway in Two Rivers. This is a top five campgrounds of all time for us. The area is gorgeous and right on the trail system going from the State Park to the Beach. The owners take such great care of the place and are so kind. Many of the other RVers come back every summer. We hope to make it back one day as well!

Clearly, just based on this list, you can easily see that the area north of Milwaukee is worth a week or two in your RV travels!