Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays
  • Videos
  • current issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      14 Fresh Places to Eat, Drink, Play & Stay This Summer

      Hot off the minds of Midwest travel writers: a fresh look at where to eat, drink, play and stay around the region. Read More
    • Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Out Now: Best of the Midwest 2022

      Find your summer adventure with our new bookazine, available now in the magazine store! Read More
    • This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      This Family's Garden Farm is a Nature-Filled Paradise

      On land passed down through generations, a Wisconsin family experiences—and shares—the glory of gardening. Read More
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel
    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    Urban-Pop Art, a New Boutique Hotel and More—Here's What to See and Do in Fort Wayne Right Now

    On a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana, catch a colorful wave of fresh development, plus a new hotel from the cofounder of Vera Bradley.
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Family Travel
    • Around the Region
    • Beyond the Region
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food
    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    Mango Toast with Prosciutto

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home
    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart 

    5 Clever Tips for Repurposing a Potting Bench as a Bar Cart 

    With smart accessorizing, a potting bench becomes a celebration station for summer soirees.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden
    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Expert Tips for Growing a Window Box Garden

    Casey Lawrence’s lush window boxes were a revelation to her online followers. Use her tips to grow your own.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Festive 4th of July Dessert Recipes

    Get out your red, white and blue for these patriotic dessert recipes.
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Thanksgiving
    • Halloween
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing

    Don't toss those orange peels! Instead, use them as vessels for our super-simple and fragrant candles.
    • Brighten Your Front Door with This Colorful Easter Egg Wreath
    • These DIY Orange Beeswax Candles Will Make Your Home Smell Amazing
    • Ring in the New Year with This Glam Star Garland
    • How to Make a Modern Fruit Cake Box
    • An Eye-Catching Oval Treat Box You Can Make
    • Make a Colorful Paper Raffia Wreath to Welcome Fall
    • How to Make a Dried Floral Arrangement
    • How to Make an Easy Pina Colada
    • How to Make an Amazing Pavlova
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
  • current issue

    current issue

    See All current issue
    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    Midwest Living's Best of the Midwest Winners 2022

    • March/April 2022 Issue
    • January/February 2022 Issue
    • November/December 2021 Issue
    • September/October 2021 Issue
    • July/August 2021 Issue
    • May/June 2021 Issue
    • Summer 2022 Issue
  • Sweepstakes
  • Road Rally

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Travel
  3. Wisconsin
  4. Best Wisconsin Road Trips

Best Wisconsin Road Trips

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com Updated July 11, 2021
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Wisconsin
Credit: Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux

Wisconsin road trips almost inevitably lead to the water—Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, the Mississippi River or one of the many lakes that dot the state. Get ready for adventure in destinations such as Door County, Lake Geneva, the Wisconsin Dells and Bayfield.

Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Door County

Wisconsin
Credit: Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux

On a peninsula jutting into Lake Michigan, this one county contains 300 miles of shoreline and 10 waterfront towns. You'll find wineries, orchards, boutiques, art galleries, lighthouses and hiking trails. Spend your days exploring towns like Egg Harbor and Fish Creek; or head to places like Cave Point County Park (shown), where beech forests, wetlands and shoreline studded with caves and limestone cliffs show off Door County's wilder side.

Read more about planning a trip to Door County.

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Lake Geneva

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

The famously clear Geneva Lake, ringed by resorts, vacation homes and 19th-century mansions, is anchored by the town of Lake Geneva on its east end, with Fontana on the west. Stroll the lakeshore path, seek fun on the water, or head into town for restaurants, shops and more. Let yourself be pampered at Grand Geneva Resort and Spa northeast of Lake Geneva or The Abbey Resort at the Fontana end of the lake.

Read more about planning a trip to Lake Geneva.

2 of 11

3 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Wisconsin Dells

Wisconsin
Credit: Courtesy of Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau

It's all about getting on the water in the Dells. Boat tours introduce today's visitors to the sandstone cliffs that first drew tourists to this region, and water parks thrill them with wave pools and towering slides. Nearby, Devil's Lake State Park offers 29 miles of hiking paths and 6 miles of off-road bike trails, plus beaches, boat rentals and camping. 

Read more about planning a trip to the Wisconsin Dells.

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Great River Road

Wisconsin
Credit: John Noltner

Wisconsin's 250-mile stretch of the Great River Road leads to small Mississippi River towns with hiking, fishing, birding, shopping and dining with a view. In Alma, for instance, head to Buena Vista Park for great views of the Mississippi, and sample the tangy sauces and smoky flavors of Memphis-style barbecue at Pier 4 cafe and Smokehouse. Watch for eagles soaring along the bluffs (and if you like, take the bridge across the river to Wabasha, Minnesota, where you can learn more about the majestic birds at the National Eagle Center).

Read more about a trip along the Great River Road in Wisconsin.

4 of 11

5 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Bayfield and the Apostle Islands

Bayfield's marina.

At the edge of the Lake Superior, the small harbor town of Bayfield forms a gateway to the Northern wilderness of the Apostle Islands. The nearly 70,000-acre Apostle Islands National Lakeshore covers 12 miles of cave-studded shoreline along a peninsula jutting into the lake and also includes 21 of the 22 Apostle islands. Boat and kayak tours help you explore the national lakeshore; and Madeline Island, the only Apostle not part of the lakeshore, is just a 25-minute ferry ride from Bayfield. On Madeline Island, explore Big Bay State Park and grab a drink at Tom's Burned Down Cafe.

Read more about planning a trip to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands. 

5 of 11

6 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Hayward Area

Spider Lake Lodge in Hayward, Wisconsin

In northwest Wisconsin, days bring hiking in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and paddling the Namekagon River; nights bring campfires, cozy cabins and starry skies. Most visitors come to boat, fish and relax by the lakes, but there's also golf, Scheer's Lumberjack Village and the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. 

Read more about a trip to the Hayward area of Wisconsin.

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cedarburg

Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Boutique shopping, charming inns and historic buildings, such as the Cedarburg Grist Mill, await in this town just 22 miles north of Milwaukee. Try wine tastings at Cedar Creek Winery, or visit The Stilt House—a house on actual stilts—for Gouda-topped burgers. Settle in for the night at Washington House Inn, a Cream City brick building that dates to 1886. The 34 guest rooms feature exposed-stone walls, luxe beds and fireplaces.  

Read more about planning a trip to Cedarburg.

7 of 11

8 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Elkhart Lake

Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin: 150 miles north of Chicago
Credit: Courtesy of The Osthoff Resort

Most people come to Elkhart Lake (80 minutes north of Milwaukee) for weekends of swimming, boating and water-skiing on the 292-acre lake. But a world-renowned racetrack draws visitors too: the 4-mile Road America course, a favorite of amateur racers (and amateur racing fans). Kettle Moraine State Forest, meanwhile, offers hundreds of miles of trails for biking, hiking and running. Families appreciate kid-friendly events at The Osthoff Resort; adults enjoy treatments at Aspira Spa.

Read more about a getaway to Elkhart Lake.

8 of 11

9 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Minocqua

Ways to water in the MIdwest

Some 2,300 lakes surround this vacation hub in north-central Wisconsin. You might spend most of your time lounging by (or in) the water, but it's also fun to catch a show of the Min-Aqua Bats, who perform water-ski shows three nights a week. Nearby, you can watch speed carving and axe throwing at the Fred Scheer's Lumberjack Shows. Plus, Minocqua is home to nearly 100 shops, antiques stores and restaurants.

Read more about a getaway to the Minocqua area.

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Kohler

Kohler

This tidy village of 2,000 is a quiet place to relax, savor exceptional meals, play golf or try a plush spa treatment, 56 miles north of Milwaukee. The town of Kohler was created by the Kohler Company in 1912 as a planned community and remains focused on businesses and attractions owned by Kohler, including The American Club, the Midwest's only AAA Five-Diamond resort hotel. Factory tours and a stop at the Kohler Design Center give visitors insight into the history and purpose of the town, but many guests come just to enjoy the deluxe lodging and its amenities.

Read more about planning a trip to Kohler.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

More in Wisconsin

Milwaukee Art Museum

Read our guides to more destinations in Wisconsin to help plan your road trip throughout the state.

Milwaukee Trip Guide

Madison Trip Guide

Green Bay Trip Guide

Trip Guide to Spring Green and Wisconsin's Southern Hills

Appleton Trip Guide

 

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 11 Door County
    2 of 11 Lake Geneva
    3 of 11 Wisconsin Dells
    4 of 11 Great River Road
    5 of 11 Bayfield and the Apostle Islands
    6 of 11 Hayward Area
    7 of 11 Cedarburg
    8 of 11 Elkhart Lake
    9 of 11 Minocqua
    10 of 11 Kohler
    11 of 11 More in Wisconsin

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Midwest Living

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Renew this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Affiliate Program
    • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
    • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
    • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
    • Video
    • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithMidwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

    Sign in

    View image

    Best Wisconsin Road Trips
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.