From the shores of Lake Michigan to the Wisconsin River — and back again.
Along the way, on a 200-mile circle tour from here of southeastern central Wisconsin, you’ll also travel through a glacial forest, visit an enormous inland rest-and-refueling stop for thousands of migratory birds, drive an official rustic road and see trapper/trader history from territorial days
Though you could do most of this drive in a one-way direction from here or Portage, Sheboygan is a town worth coming back to on a weekend (or longer) trip. Restaurants and retailers line the bustling boardwalk along the Sheboygan River.
The Sheboygan County Historical Museum in Taylor Park houses a collection of old-time items, an intriguing contrast to the multi-media contemporary artwork featured at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
There is a beach in town, but just outside of town you can have a broad, sandy Lake Michigan beach almost to yourself.
When you’re done lingering, begin your drive by heading for the little village of Kohler, where the plumbing fixture manufacturer of the same name showcases its products via factory tours, Design Center displays and (if you’re a guest) bathrooms of the famed American Club resort.
Within walking distance of the Design Center, the Shops at Woodlake, an upscale mall, offer a tempting array of pocketbook teasers.
Then head west on County C through quaint Sheboygan Falls and Plymouth to Greenbush and the Wade House, an old stagecoach stop.
Also on the site are the Charles Robinson home, an old blacksmith shop and the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum, which re-create the flavor of a bygone era. Operated by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the complex hosts numerous special events.
The adventurous will want to travel County Highway S from Wisconsin Highway 23 north to the hamlet of Glenbulah. The 2.4-mile county road, designated one of Wisconsin’s “Rustic Roads,” has a sometimes-paved, sometimes-gravel surface and twists up, down and around like a theme-park ride.
From there, head south to plunge into the heart of the 29,000-acre Northern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest on a scenic drive identified by acorn-shaped markers.
Approximately 30 miles long and 8 miles wide, this wonderland boasts sugar maple and red oak trees, a wide variety of ferns and wildflowers, and hills pockmarked with small lakes. Wild turkeys sometimes gather where woodlands join open grassy areas and fields. Deer, of course, are abundant.
Climb the wooden steps of the 60-foot-high Parnell Tower for an overview of the landscape, then follow the acorns to the Henry S. Reuss Ice Age Visitor Center, a half-mile south of Dundee. Film, exhibits, panoramas and knowledgeable staff members explain the kames and kettles, eskers and erratics of this unique moraine terrain formed during the last Ice Age.
Head southwest on Wisconsin Highway 67 to Theresa to pick up Wisconsin Highway 28 to Mayville, a good place to headquarter for visits to 32,000-acre Horicon Marsh, 6 miles down the road, where all those migratory birds hang out.
Bill Volkert, a naturalist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, presents free spring and fall weekend programs about the ecosystem at DNR headquarters in Horicon. (The Horicon Marsh Bird Festival winds up this weekend with hour-long talks about bird-banding, marsh history, wildflowers and wildlife management teamed with easy-walking hikes.)
At the Blue Heron Landing on Wisconsin Highway 33 at the bridge in downtown Horicon, a two-hour Strictly Birding Tour is held through September on some Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings (phone for times and dates). A one-hour pontoon boat tour leaves daily at 1 p.m. through September. If you want to paddle your own canoe, daily rentals are available, also through September.
Next, take Wisconsin Highway 33 west to U.S. Highway 151, then proceed southwest to Columbus, which presents a totally different landscape.
At 159 W. James St. is the Farmers & Merchants Union Bank designed by Louis H. Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright’s mentor. This “jewel box” featuring the architect’s signature curling leaf tendrils was Sullivan’s last work.
Here, too, you’ll find other patterns of the past at the Columbus Antiques Mall & Museum, which dubs itself “Wisconsin’s Largest.” Dealers show and sell their wares from 8:30 to 4 p.m. daily in 400 booths occupying more than 80,000 square feet of space. Another shopper’s delight is the brand new, hand-crafted redware pottery offered at the Wisconsin Pottery Gallery & Studio, 1082 Park Ave.
From Columbus, take Wisconsin Highway 16 to Portage, 29 miles northwest. Built on the narrow neck of land between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers, the town was originally named “Wau-wau-onah”–Winnebago for “carry on the shoulder.” Visited by Indians, missionaries, trappers, traders and fortune seekers for more than two centuries, the area’s rich heritage has been preserved in the Indian Agency House (built in 1832), the Surgeon’s Quarters (old Ft. Winnebago’s only remaining building) and the Zona Gale Home (built, for her parents, by the 1921 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama).
Returning east toward Sheboygan, drive 40 miles northeast on Wisconsin Highway 33 and 68 to Waupun, a town that prides itself on its sculptures. There are seven in the city proper; find them by following the blue directional signs. Look for two of the most famous — “The End of the Trail” by James Earle Fraser and “Recording Angel” by Lorado Taft — in Forest Mound Cemetery.
Our final stop, 17 miles away, is Fond du Lac. Perched at the bottom of Lake Winnebago, it offers a drive-by tour of 24 homes, 14 of which are “talking sites” (via a limited-range radio station). Pick up a free tour map and other area information at the Visitor Information Center, 19 W. Scott St.; 800-937-9123.
IF YOU GO
POINTS OF INTEREST
Sheboygan County Historical Museum, 3110 Erie Ave., Sheboygan (920-458-1103): 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday (April 1-Oct. 31). Admission: $3; $1 ages 7-12.
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 6th Street and New York Avenue, Sheboygan (920-458-6144): 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 10 a.m-8 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free.
Design Center, 101 Upper Road, Kohler (920-457-3699): 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends and holidays. Kohler factory tours depart at 8:30 a.m. weekdays (except holidays). Free.
Wade House, Greenbush (920-526-3271): 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (May 1-Oct. 31). Last tour begins at 4 p.m. Admission: $7.75; $3.75 ages 12 and under.
Henry S. Reuss Ice Age Visitor Center, Wisconsin Highway 67, mile south of Dundee (920-533-8322): 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Free.
Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area. For free weekend programs, spring and fall, contact: Department of Natural Resources Field Office, N. Palmatory Street, Horicon; 920-387-7877. For a list of free or fee group tours, phone the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, 920-387-2658.
Blue Heron Landing Boat Tours/Canoe Rentals, Horicon (920-485-4663): 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Strictly Birding Tours: $15; $8 ages 4-11. Daily tours: $8; $4.50 ages 12-15; $3.50 ages 4-11. Canoe rentals: $15/day for two people, $22.50/day for three. All plus 5.5 percent sales tax.
Indian Agency House, Agency House Road, Portage (608-742-6362): 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday (May 15-Oct. 15). Admission: $3.50; $3 seniors; $1.50 ages 12 and under.
Surgeon’s Quarters, W8687 Wisconsin Highway 33, Portage (608-742-2949): 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily (May 15-Oct. 15). Admission: $3.50; $3 seniors; $1.50 ages 12 and under.
Zona Gale Home, 506 Edgewater St., Portage (608-742-7744): Open by appointment. Admission: $2; 50 cents ages 12 and under.
