A trip to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, is full of summertime pleasures: the cool water of a sparkling clean lake, strolling through a small downtown crammed with Victorian houses and surprisingly good restaurants and admiring the blooms in immaculately kept gardens. This town 68 miles north of Milwaukee offers a classic Midwestern summer lake vacation.
On the Lake
Kettles — holes left behind by departing glaciers — dot Wisconsin. The spring-fed kettle lake that the town is named for is a little more than a mile across, four miles around and 120 feet deep. Long sacred to Native Americans and named by the Potawatomi tribe, Elkhart Lake became a resort in the 1870s when a German family opened a hotel for people who wanted to benefit from the healing waters. Nowadays, the healing mostly continues via boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and, of course, swimming. Some of the resorts offer private swimming beaches, while everybody is welcome at Fireman’s Park, which volunteer firemen bought in 1931. Families love that a 10-year-old can go out 50 yards in the pond and still be only waist-deep.
Visitors can rent kayaks, paddle boards and other small watercraft at the Victorian Village and Osthoff resorts. Newbies who prefer guided paddling can take a tour with Ecology Outfitters. Owner Douglas Dier will help adjust your foot pegs and life jacket and fill you in on local lore. If you’re in town on a Wednesday, see if you can join Dier’s Wacky Paddlers Club for an adventure.
Hike the Ice Age Trail
In the 1950s, Milwaukeean Ray Zilmer, a lawyer and avid naturalist, started a movement to commemorate the route of the last glaciers that moved across Wisconsin 10,000 years earlier. In 1980, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail was formally established by President Jimmy Carter. Only the most ambitious hikers cover the trail’s entire 1,200 miles. But visitors to Elkhart Lake can drive half an hour to check out the section of trail that passes through the Kettle Moraine State Forest Northern Unit. In addition to the kettles left by glaciers, hikers see moraines, or masses of glacier-borne rocks and sediment. Birders look and listen for the 230 species of birds that live in or migrate through the park, especially in spring. Be sure to pack the insect repellent, as mosquitos live here, too, and may even inspire a faster hiking pace.
Walk the Race Track
Visitors strolling around town will notice historic plaques commemorating such odd places as “The Hard Right” and “Wacker’s Wend.” These were the trickiest parts of the street racing course that made Elkhart Lake famous in 1950. Soon after, however, town leaders decided street racing was too dangerous and built Road America, a four-mile track that opened in 1955 and still draws race fans from around the Midwest. A fun way to experience the course is to take part in the 4 Miles of Fitness events that run every Monday and Wednesday from 6-8 p.m., May through September. Walkers, runners and cyclists pay $5 to exercise on the famous track.
Relax at the Spa
This town of fewer than 1,000 people has a spa that frequently tops best-of lists. That flowery, herbal smell hits guests as soon as they enter Aspira Spa at the Osthoff Resort, prompting a relaxation response. Aspira offers everything from reflexology to Turkish hammam. Massage therapists rub guests down with cedar oil and incorporate lake water into some of their signature treatments.
The resort’s onsite garden grows fragrant herbs such as lavender and chamomile that are used in the spa, as well as by chefs in the Ostho ’s restaurants. After receiving a treatment, guests can partake of whirlpools, a sauna and meditation sanctuary. The spa also offers yoga classes six days per week.
If You Go
Milwaukee is the closest major airport to Elkhart Lake. Once you arrive in Milwaukee, rent a car and drive 90 minutes. If you plan to stay close to the lake and the small downtown, consider booking a shuttle through GO Riteway instead of driving. Elkhart Lake offers a range of accommodations, from the modern suites of the Osthoff to the vintage charm of the Victorian Village.