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10Best Visits Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin's Historic Playground
Crystal Clear Waters of Elkhart Lake
Often sited as one of America's Coolest Small Towns, Elkhart Lake is located in the picturesque hills of southeastern Wisconsin, an hour's drive from Milwaukee. The lake's pristine waters have enchanted visitors for centuries. But there's so much to this charming community: Elkhart Lake boasts a world-class spa; historical and cultural sites; Road America, one of the premier closed circuit road race courses in the world; and a sophisticated foodie scene.
The Osthoff Resort, the Grand Dame of Elkhart Lake
The historic Osthoff Resort was built in 1886 to accommodate affluent travelers who traveled by rail to Elkhart Lake to escape the summer heat. It remains a favorite year-round destination to this day.
Kayak Through Pristine Waters
Spring-fed, crystal clear and 120 feet deep, the unique blue-green waters of Elkhart Lake are perfect for a day of kayaking.
Historic Site of Open Road Racing
Open road sports car races were held in Elkhart Lake from 1950 through 1952, attracting thousands of spectators, celebrities and professional race teams from across the nation. Today, plaques throughout town mark the historic race circuits.
Rejuvenate Mind and Body
For the ultimate in pampering, the expansive, state-of-the-art Aspira Spa offers a full palette of individualized massages and specialty treatments that reflect the healing techniques of the indigenous people who once made this lake their home.
All Aboard
Built in 1900, the quaint train depot that helped put Elkhart Lake on the map exists to this day and serves as a museum.
Perfect Place to Raise a Glass
Visitors to Elkhart Lake are consistently amazed at the level of dining opportunities available in the town. The Lake Street Cafe offers gourmet bistro fare and an amazing bar selection, featuring signature wines and specialty beers.
Feed Your Passion
Yearning for a unique vacation experience? Learn to make homemade pasta, beef bourguignon, and croissants from scratch, among hundreds of other dishes, at the one- and two-day cooking classes offered at the L'Ecole de la Maison Cooking School.
Gourmet Dining Surrounded by History
Enjoy farm-to-table creations in European culinary tradition, such as this stuffed calamari appetizer, at the Paddock Club restaurant in the heart of town. Take in a view of the bustling open kitchen from its turn-of-the-century bar.
A Shopping Paradise
From unique collectibles and gifts to antiques and souvenirs, Elkhart Lake's quaint shops and galleries offer visitors a delightful and diverse shopping experience.
Photo courtesy of Tony DiBona
Vintage Boat Houses
Take a pontoon tour of Elkhart Lake and learn about the history of this town as you glide past vintage hotels and boat houses of yesteryear.
Taste Some Wine
It's hard to believe a town of under 1,000 residents would boast its own wine-tasting venue, but it's a fact. Wine tasting at Vintage Elkhart Lake Wine shop and Tasting Bar is owned by Jaclyn Stuart, an award winning certified sommelier who hand selects each of the over 150 wines carried there.
Photo courtesy of Joanne DiBona-Vintage Elkhart Lake Tasting Bar
Feel the Sand Between Your Toes
You can do everything, or nothing, at Elkhart Lake. Relaxing on the lake's sandy beaches is a favorite pastime for those visitors looking to de-stress and bond with nature.
Cheese Heaven
Cheese is to Wisconsin as corn is to Kansas--and the varieties are endless. Sample the local artisan cheese plate at Lola's on the Lake restaurant...or the traditional fried cheese curds available at many eateries in town.
Dairy Farms Dot the Landscape
It takes the milk from contented cows to produce Wisconsin's flavorful cheeses. Dairy farms dot the countryside that surround Elkhart Lake, where one can always see grass-fed cows munching in the green pastures.
Reeling In on Elkhart Lake
At 118 ft. deep and 286 acres of water, Elkhart Lake is home to a wide variety of fish species, from bass and perch, to northern pike. It is a fisherman's paradise.
Enjoy a Delightful Walk Around the Lake
Start out at the Osthoff Resort and hook up to the picturesque walking path that will take you around the lake. It's a 3 to 4-hour adventure, but an easy hike. It is filled with wonderful views of the lake and the vintage homes that surround it.
Go Back in Time at the Wade House
The Wade House Historic Site, located near Elkhart Lake, offers a first-hand look back to the 1860s, when stagecoach travelers stopped at the 27-room inn on their way to points in Wisconsin and beyond. Watch how iron implements were forged by hand at the Dockstader Blacksmith Shop in a dramatic historic reenactment.
Road America--Big Business for Elkhart Lake
Considered by the motor sports community as not only the best in the U.S., but also one of the world's premiere race circuits, Road America is a year-round venue with unique activities for individuals and groups of all sizes. Road America attracts 800,000 visitors a year from every corner of the world.
ATV Adventure Trails
There's no better team-bonding experience than to bounce over back-road trails on an ATV! Go-karting and other exhilarating experiences are also available through Road America's Adventure programs.
Off the Rail
The picturesque vintage cafe, Off the Rail, is positioned near the 19th century railroad tracks that still service an occasional train or two. It offers homemade baked goods and specialty sandwiches and coffee and tea drinks for breakfast and lunch.
Perfect Your Swing
Set within the verdant hills of the Northern Kettle Moraine Forest and built in the late '20s by renowned golf course architect Tom Bendelow, Quit Qui Oc Golf Course offers golfers of all skill levels a challenging, yet pleasantly playable, course.
Discover Life Before the Automobile
Step back into the state's 1860s stagecoach era on a tour of the Wesley Young Carriage Museum, home of Wisconsin's most extensive and diverse collection of carriages, sleighs, wagons, and other horse-and hand-drawn vehicles.
Photo courtesy of Joanne DiBona--Wesley Young Carriage Museum
Live Music Lights Up the Elkhart Lake Scene
An excellent live music and theater scene is very much a part of the Elkhart Lake experience. The Stop Inn Tavern, located in the Siebkens Resort, is a very popular evening spot touted as "the best bar on the racing circuit," since the early '50s.
Explore the Old World Charm of the Victorian Village Resort
This grand, 11-acre resort was built in 1872 and has recently undergone an extensive million-dollar restoration and expansion. Enjoy the romance of the Victorian era with modern-day amenities at this historic hotel.
Art in the Village Park
Beautifully-crafted bronze statues of children saluting the American flag adorn the quaint Village Park, located in the center of Elkhart Lake.
Bucolic Scene from Yesteryear
History surrounds you each step of the way when you visit this part of Wisconsin. This is a scene of what an 19th- Century blacksmith may have enjoyed as he molded horse shoes in the blacksmith shop at the Wade House.
Find A Slice of Americana Just an Hour from Milwaukee
The historic and cosmopolitan city of Milwaukee is a little over an hour's drive from Elkhart Lake. General Mitchell International Airport offers connections to destinations nationwide, making Elkhart Lake easily accessible for visitors and convention and meeting groups.
About Joanne DiBona
You'll never see Joanne without a camera or two strapped around her neck as she travels around the world, together with her photographer husband Tony, to unearth new and exciting destinations to share with her readers.
Her professional career includes a long tenure in communications with the San Diego Tourism Authority, where she gained expertise with both the camera and the descriptive word.
When she’s not adding fresh images to her SCENIC PHOTOGRAPHY website, she's posting her current adventures on her popular TRAVEL BLOG .
Joanne is a member of the esteemed Society of American Travel Writers (SATW).
Read more about Joanne DiBona here.
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