Wisconsin is home to more than 1,000 miles of gorgeous Great Lakes coastline, bordering both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Milwaukee is located directly on the Lake Michigan shoreline, home to excellent urban beaches such as Bradford Beach. Certain attractions may be temporarily closed or require advance reservations. Hours/availability may have changed.
1.Atwater Beach
Atwater Beach is a lovely family-friendly beach in Milwaukee's Shorewood neighborhood, spanning five acres of beachfront and park lands along East Capitol Drive. The beach, which offers beautiful shoreline expanses along the city's Lake Michigan coastline, is best known as the site of the neighborhood's annual Memorial Day and Fourth of July celebrations and the Shorewood Men's Club Chicken Barbecue event, which officially opens the beachfront to the public each June. Visitors can great swimming conditions along more than 800 feet of shoreline, with surfing training offered by the Milwaukee Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. Visitors can observe the beach's Spillover II statue, created by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, or make use of the park's children's playground and day-use picnic areas.
N Lake Dr, Shorewood, WI 53211, Phone: 414-847-2650
2.Bradford Beach
Bradford Beach was named as one of the United States' top 10 urban beaches in 2016 by USA Today, known as the city of Milwaukee's best spot for swimming and sunbathing throughout the summer months. The Blue Wave-certified beach, which was revitalized in 2008 to divert bacteria-rich storm waters away from its shoreline, is Milwaukee's only lifeguarded beach during the summer months, offering opportunities to swim, sunbathe, or play beach volleyball along its gorgeous Lake Michigan shores. Visitors can rent beach chairs and cabanas for shoreline relaxation or grab beach drinks at the beach's public tiki bar. Nearby, while Bradford Beach View serves up a variety of American and Mexican-inspired beach eats. For brave cold-water swimmers, the beach is also the site of the city's annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge.
2400 N Lincoln Memorial Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53211, Phone: 414-257-7275
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3.Tietjen Beach at Doctors Park
Tietjen Beach at Doctors Park offers a secluded alternative for urban Milwaukee-area beachgoers, located within the city's Fox Point suburb. The beach is located within the 49-acre Doctors Park, established in 1928 and named in honor of donor and eye doctor Joseph Schneider. Blufftop park lands provide paved and dirt access trails to the beautiful Lake Michigan beachfront, named for area citizen George Tietjen, the founder of Milwaukee County's Lifeguard Corps. Visitors should note that no lifeguards are staffed on duty at the beach and should exercise appropriate caution when entering the water. Nearby, visitors can explore the beautiful preserved natural lands of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, which borders the park's grounds.
1870 E Fox Ln, Fox Point, WI 53217, Phone: 414-257-7275
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4.Grant Park Beach
Grant Park Beach is one of Milwaukee's best-kept secret beaches, located along the Lake Michigan shoreline in South Milwaukee's Grant Park. The beach, which is accessible via the reputedly-haunted creekside Seven Bridges Trail within the park, offers ample space for beachfront relaxation and great family-friendly swimming conditions throughout the summer months. Ferch's Beachside Grill serves up a variety of classic American-style fare, and the Sprecher and Milwaukee County Park's traveling summer beer garden makes stops at the beach throughout the summer. A children's playground is also offered for day use, along with areas for beach volleyball league play and pick-up games.
100 Hawthorne Ave, South Milwaukee, WI 53172
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5.McKinley Beach
McKinley Beach is a smaller and less crowded alternative to popular Bradford Beach, located directly south of the beach along Milwaukee's Lincoln Memorial Drive. The beach showcases more than 737 beautiful feet of Lake Michigan shoreline, located adjacent to Back Bay Park within the city's 103-acre McKinley Park. Gorgeous waterfront views are offered of boats coming into nearby McKinley Marina, with jet ski and scooter rentals provided for water sports enthusiasts. A children's playground is also offered, along with day-use picnic tables and beach volleyball courts. Delicious coffees and smoothies are served up nearby at Colectivo on the Lake, while open green space in adjacent Veterans Park provides opportunities for running and kite flying.
1750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53202
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6.North Beach
North Beach is a beautiful Blue Wave-certified beach along Racine's Lake Michigan shoreline, named as one of America's 51 great beaches by USA Today and as one of the nation's top 10 family-friendly beach parks by Parents magazine. As Wisconsin's first Blue Wave-certified Beach, the 50-acre beach park offers more than 2,500 feet of shoreline for families to relax and play, with lifeguards staffed on duty daily between June and September. Beach volleyball courts are also offered for visitor use, along with a nautical-themed children's playground and a snack bar serving up delicious beach eats and drinks. Free parking is offered in designated lots, with additional street parking available nearby.
100 Kewaunee St, Racine, WI 53403, Phone: 262-636-9233
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7.Big Bay Town Park
Big Bay Town Park is a relaxing La Pointe Township public park located on Madeline Island, approximately three miles north of nearby Big Bay State Park. The park is a popular camping destination for families looking for a getaway from urban life, offering 61 recently-revitalized campsites, including 22 electric RV sites. A gorgeous swimming beach is located near the mouth of Big Bay Lagoon, with ample sunshine keeping the beach's waters warm for swimming throughout the day. Other popular beach activities include kayaking, canoeing, fishing, beachcombing, and hiking, with a 900-foot boardwalk offered to connect the park to Big Bay State Park over a land spit. Nearby in the town of La Pointe, visitors can stock up on camping and picnic supplies at a general store and several ice cream parlors.
2305 Town Park Circle, La Pointe, WI 54850, Phone: 715-747-2801
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8.Schoolhouse Beach
Schoolhouse Beach is a charming lakeshore beach on Wisconsin's remote Washington Island, known throughout the Midwest for its unique limestone rock shoreline. The beach is one of only five sandless limestone rock beaches worldwide, creating a unique texture for beachgoers to stroll barefoot if they so choose. It is name in honor of a former one-room schoolhouse on the island, which has long disappeared and been replaced by a day-use picnic area with barbecue grills. Though the beach once allowed visitors to collect its unique rocks, which were polished by glaciers over the course of several thousand years, it is now a protected site and rock collecting is against the law. Beachgoers can swim, sunbathe, and relax on the shoreline and are free to build structures with the beach's rocks as long as the natural habitat is not disturbed.
Schoolhouse Beach Road, Washington Island, WI 54246, Phone: 920-847-2179
9.Kohler-Andrae State Park
Kohler-Andrae State Park is a dual state park area in the Wisconsin city of Wilson, located near Sheboygan, combining the existing Terry Andrae and John Michael Kohler State Parks into one jointly-managed unit. More than two miles of public beachfront along the shores of Lake Michigan is offered for visitor day use, with opportunities for swimming throughout the summer months. Anglers can catch trout and salmon along the beach's shores, though no boat launches are offered for fishing directly on the water. Two nature trails and three hiking trails are offered throughout the park for visitor use, including the 0.5-mile Creeping Juniper Nature Trail, the one-mile Woodland Dunes Nature Trail, and the 1.5-mile Dunes Cordwalk. During the winter months, park visitors can enjoy sledding, tobogganing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing opportunities. 107 campsites are offered at the park, including group sites and an indigenous teepee available for rental.
1020 Beach Park Ln, Sheboygan, WI 53081, Phone: 920-451-4080
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10.Point Beach State Forest
Point Beach State Forest is a gorgeous Wisconsin state forest spanning nearly 3,000 acres near the city of Two Rivers, originally protected in 1938. The forest is best known for its Point Beach Ridges natural area, preserved as a National Natural Landmark. Six miles of pristine Lake Michigan shoreline is available for visitor use throughout the year, with ample opportunity for swimming, though visitors should note that lifeguards are not staffed on duty for protection. A separate dog beach is also offered for four-legged friends to run and play on leashes. 17 miles of hiking trails are available for visitor use, along with three connecting off-road bicycling loops and a five-mile paved biking trail. Other forest attractions include the Rawley Point Lighthouse, which is operated by the United States Coast Guard and is one of the Great Lakes' tallest operating lighthouses.
9400 County Rd O, Two Rivers, WI 54241, Phone: 920-794-7480
10 Best Beaches Near Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Atwater Beach, Photo: Paul Sparks/stock.adobe.com
- Bradford Beach, Photo: milanmarkovic78/stock.adobe.com
- Tietjen Beach at Doctors Park, Photo: Ammak/stock.adobe.com
- Grant Park Beach, Photo: izuboky/stock.adobe.com
- McKinley Beach, Photo: Oleandra9/stock.adobe.com
- North Beach, Photo: cppzone/stock.adobe.com
- Big Bay Town Park, Photo: nataliakabliuk/stock.adobe.com
- Schoolhouse Beach, Photo: Swetlana Wall/stock.adobe.com
- Kohler-Andrae State Park, Photo: jfunk/stock.adobe.com
- Point Beach State Forest, Photo: Hank Erdmann/stock.adobe.com
- Cover Photo: Sandra/stock.adobe.com
More Ideas in WI: Pitlik’s Beach Resort
Pitlik’s Sand Beach Resort is a family-friendly retreat surrounded by picturesque pristine wilderness and wild landscapes along the Eagle River. Located on Sand Lake, nine miles southwest of the Eagle River, the laid-back resort offers comfortably accommodations in a variety of layouts and types, upscale amenities and facilities, and a wealth of activities and recreational pursuits for the whole family. Overlooking 1500 feet of Sand Lake shoreline, the lodge features a recreation room with a pool table and other games, Rena’s Place restaurant and Joe’s Taproom, which serve delicious cuisine and signature drinks, a variety of water-based sports, and hiking trails. Activities include a basketball and volleyball court, two tennis courts, and hiking and walking trails, while horseback riding, miniature golf, tubing, canoeing, and river rafting down the Wisconsin River, cross country skiing, fishing trips, and go-karting within seven miles of the resort.
Guest Accommodations
Pitlik’s Sand Beach Resort features a variety of accommodations ranging from standard guest rooms in the main lodge and deluxe log cabins to ultra-duplex, two and three-bedroom log cabins and a four-bedroom premier lake house. All guest rooms and suites have king or queen-size pillowtop beds dressed in high-quality, deluxe linens and soft pillows, and en-suite bathrooms with bath and shower combinations, thick towels and bathrobes, and branded bath products. Modern amenities include flat-screen televisions with cable channels and DVD players, mini-kitchenettes with mini-fridges, microwaves, Keurig coffee makers, irons and ironing boards, hairdryers, and complimentary wireless Internet.
Ultra-duplex Log Cabins have two bedrooms with queen-size and single pillowtop beds dressed in high-quality, deluxe linens and soft pillows, and private bathrooms with bath and shower combinations, thick towels and bathrobes, and branded bath products. Spacious sitting areas have comfy seating, open view wood burning stoves and large fieldstone chimneys and large patio decks with spectacular views of the Sand Lake.
A spacious four-bedroom lake house can accommodate up to 10 guests with queen-size and single pillowtop beds dressed in high-quality, deluxe linens and soft pillows, and two shared bathrooms with bath and shower combinations, washing machines and tumble dryers, thick towels and bathrobes, and branded bath products. The house also features a family room, a living room with a gas fireplace, a dining room with table and chairs for up to eight guests , and a full modern kitchen with dishwasher, and private decks with panoramic lake views.
Dining
Rena’s Place Restaurant is a casual eatery that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on a daily basis. Joe’s Taproom serves a variety of beers, wines, and handcrafted cocktails in the evenings in a warm and welcoming environment.
Amenities and Recreation
Pitlik’s Sand Beach Resort features an array of amenities, including Rena’s Place Restaurant and Joe’s Taproom, a complimentary breakfast every morning, two sandy beaches, a children’s playground, a recreation room with a pool table and other games, and a wealth of outdoor and water-based recreational pursuits. Activities include a basketball and volleyball court, two tennis courts, and hiking and walking trails, while horseback riding, miniature golf, tubing, canoeing, and river rafting down the Wisconsin River, cross country skiing, fishing trips, and go-karting within seven miles of the resort.
Weddings and Events
Pitlik’s Sand Beach Resort provides a beautiful venue for weddings and other special celebrations with picturesque vistas, indoor and outdoor venues, deluxe accommodations with modern amenities, and inviting hospitality. The resort can also provide special services such as professional catering, décor and linens, entertainment, and professional event management.
Local Attractions
Located on a chain of 28 lakes, the Eagle River is world-renowned for its clear, fresh water lakes that teem with game fish. The region also offers a variety of activities and attractions such as hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, river-rafting, and fishing trips in the summer, and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter.
4833 Sand Beach Drive, Eagle River, WI 54521, Phone: 715-479-4955
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More Ideas in WI: Canoe Bay
Canoe Bay hotel is a beautiful country estate located just outside the town of Chetek in northwestern Wisconsin. Set on 300 acres of pristine forested landscapes, Canoe Bay is designed for adult couples (no children allowed) and features 27 well-appointed guest accommodations in 20 structures dotted around the estate’s picturesque, spring-fed lake. More Things to Do in Wisconsin
Canoe Bay hotel features a variety of accommodations to suit every taste from luxury guest rooms in the main Lodge to the deluxe lakeside and treetop cottages. All rooms and cottages have king-size beds with luxury linens, cozy fireplaces, en-suite bathrooms with double whirlpool tubs and standard amenities, including flat-screen TV with DVD players, iPod docking stations, mini-fridges and private decks. Cottages feature comfortable living and storage spaces, wet bars with microwaves, Keurig coffee makers, sinks, and counter areas, while select cabins have unique additional features like steam showers, private saunas, heated bathroom floors, elliptical trainers and private carports.
The Lodge features Fireplace Rooms which are 300 square feet in size and boast beautiful views and have access to the lodge’s fitness center and library. The Heavenly Suite has stunning lake views from the private deck and has a spacious living room with a cozy fireplace, fully equipped wet bar and a master bedroom with another fireplace and gorgeous lake views.
ESCAPE Tiny Houses are comfortable, stand-alone houses with only 400 square feet of interior space, vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, and large screened porches with long views to the lake. These private homes have fireplaces, wet bars, bedrooms with queen-size beds and en-suite bathrooms with walk-in tiled showers, heated floors, and separate toilet rooms.
Deluxe Cottages feature private entrances and decks with prairie and lake views, spacious sitting areas with beautiful cedar interiors with hardwood floors, fireplaces, and wet bars, comfortable bedrooms, and en-suite bathrooms with whirlpool tubs. Hillside Cottages boast stunning elevated views of the lake and the surrounding landscapes, while the aptly named Lookout Cottages literally look out over the spectacular native Wisconsin prairie.
Six Dream Cottages are roomy, stand-alone cottages with over 700 square feet of space that feature hardwood floors, wet bars, fireplaces, and heated bathrooms with double showers, whirlpool tub, and large vanities. Large decks offer direct lake views.
Lakeside Cottages are stand-alone cottages with the closest lake views and feature spacious living rooms with stone fireplaces and comfortable seating, and inviting bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, double steam showers, and whirlpool tubs. These lovely cottages also have Finnish saunas, elliptical trainers, private carports, and large decks with stunning lake views.
Treetop Cottages are spacious and dramatically designed treetop homes with lovely lake views. These cabins feature impressive stone fireplaces and wet bars and inviting bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms with heated floors, double steam showers, whirlpool tubs, and separate lavatories.
Hilltop Cottages are a 1,300-square foot, fully equipped cottages with kitchens, dining areas, spacious sitting areas with comfortable seating, two fireplaces, and personal spa rooms with whirlpool tubs, Finnish saunas, heated floors, double steam showers, elliptical trainers, dual granite vanities, and toilet rooms. Ample studies with hard-wired phones offer ideal places to work, while two private decks offer impressive lake views and additional extras include a covered carport.
Rattenbury Cottage is a designer cottage with 900 square of space situated on the top of a hill at the end of a private drive with stunning clear-cedar interiors, hardwood floors, a cathedral ceiling with clerestory windows, and a massive 14’ high stone fireplace. The cottage has a ‘wet-room’ with rain shower, whirlpool, a living space with wet bar and a cantilevered private deck with dramatic lake views.
Edgewood Villa boasts understated elegance and an idyllic setting with sweeping views of a private nature preserve and glacially-carved lake. Over 2,000 square feet of space features vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, a prairie-style dining area and ample living room with massive Chilton Limestone fireplace and surround sound system. A romantic master bedroom boasts a two-sided fireplace and cozy window seat, as well as a double tiled steam shower, Finnish sauna with lake views and two-man whirlpool tub.
A continental breakfast is served every morning and includes bacon, eggs, yogurt with granola, oatmeal, fresh fruit, coffee, and tea. Canoe Bay's® glass-enclosed lakeside dining room serves a three-course dinner with an ever-changing menu that features a variety of creative cuisine made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Other dining options include a Wine Cellar Dinner for an extra memorable experience and include a glass of champagne, an additional food course, and a decadent dessert wine. Chef’s Table offers a casual, behind-the-scenes culinary experience that features a delicious dinner in a cozy custom-made booth with locally sourced wine and garden samples. In-room dining is also available.
In addition to luxurious accommodation, the Canoe Bay hotel also offers delicious cuisine for breakfast and dinner, beautiful grounds and gardens in which to relax, and a fully equipped 24-hour fitness center and library. There are an array of amenities that guests can enjoy, including hiking, walking, running, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, lounging by the lake, and exploring the gardens. In the winter months, there is snowshoeing, cross country and downhill skating and the Sioux Creek Golf Course offers a challenging nine-hole golf course along the Sioux Creek.
Canoe Bay hotel has a modern meeting room with state-of-the-art amenities boasting natural light, beautiful lake views, and a private patio. Amenities include conference table seating for up to 14 persons, a rustic stone fireplace, climate control with heating and cooling, LCD projector and screen, flip chart, easel and markers, dry erase board, markers, and magnets, hard-wire speaker phone. Additional extras include a mini-fridge stocked with bottled waters and sodas, scan and copying services, and free wireless Internet.
W16065 Hogback Rd, Chetek, WI 54728, USA, Phone: 715-924-4594
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More Ideas in WI: The Farm Inc.
The Farm Inc. is a 40-acre farm business located in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Dedicated to achieving their mission of being a living museum of rural America, the farm focuses on agricultural, historical, cultural, educational, and ecological values. Comprising ancient log buildings, barns, trails, woodland, and farm animals, the farm aims to preserve the rural heritage of the area through conservation and education.
History
The people behind the farm were Carl and Ruth Scholz, alongside six of their good friends. Together, they bought 40 acres of land in the 1960s, building the stable and barn in 1966 and the farm opening to the public that summer. After a long period of ownership, Carl and Ruth Scholz sold the farm to the Tanck family in 2002. David Tanck worked on the farm during high school and college, where he developed a love for it. He grouped together his immediate and extended family to buy the farm, and today maintains it with the same care and attention given to it by the previous owners.
Attractions
Bassford House dates back to 1856, when it was built by George Bassford. This log house was moved over to the farm in 1966 and was the first of five cabins to be reconstructed on the farm site.
The Sugarshack is a representation of the many past sugar and maple syrup producing sugarhouses commonly found in Wisconsin and Canada. The building was constructed in 1981-82 and purposefully positioned under a limestone ridge to get some help from gravity when the sap collection tank was being unloaded. It is open for visitors to explore.
The nature cabin was built in 1854 by Carl Arlum. It was used as accommodation for workers stationed in Wisconsin who built the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in 1872-1881. It was moved to the farm in 1970, and is now home to the farm’s observation incubator, where visitors can watch chicks hatching.
The woodshed is a typical woodshed found on many American farms. Built by John Simon in 1876, the shed was moved to the farm in 1971. It now serves as an all-purpose facility, holding wood, peat, tools, snowshoes, and other necessities for life on the farm.
The granary was constructed by John Jadin in 1871. It was originally built to house cattle, with an attached lean-to for people. Now displaying a wine press, a collection of barbed wire, a selection of seed varieties, and ancient farm machinery, visitors can step inside the life of a farm from yesteryear.
Throughout the many acres of the farm are historical fences and stiles. Notable fences are the stone fences built of fossil rocks and an historical stile that uses falling bars, especially designed “for forgetful people”.
The farm contains a number of trails for visitors to walk. Available trails are the Prairie Trail, the Cedar Trail, the Maple Trail, the Beech Trail, and the Succession Trail. Visitors can also walk through the woods, observing the pond life from the bridge.
Growing within the gardens of the farm are farm crops, herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Visitors can peruse the poppy, and sunflower gardens and may even be lucky enough to find a four-leafed clover.
The farm encourages interaction between their many animals and visitors. It is possible to feed the baby goats and pigs as well as hold kittens and, on occasion, ducks. Visitors can also feed the cattle. The cattle breeds range from Scottish Highland to Texas Longhorns. Other animals found on the farm are horses, pigeons, sheep, donkeys, and chickens.
The Farm Gift Shop is located near to the entrance in the big red barn and sells handmade gifts, unique collectibles, and many other farm-related items. The Milk House sells a range of ice creams and cold drinks for visitors.
How to Get There
The Farm Inc. can be found 50 miles from Green Bay and 150 miles from Milwaukee. Visitors should drive 4 miles north of Sturgeon Bay on Highway 57 to locate the farm. A signpost for the farm will mark the turning for the farm on the left-hand side of the road.
4285 WI-57, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, Phone: 920-743-6666
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