The Spirit on the Lake: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
The City of Sheboygan is along the western shores of Lake Michigan, the largest surface fresh water system in the world. They say the beaches are brighter and the fish are bigger here. Activities in Sheboygan range from diving for the lake’s shipwrecks to exploring a spaceport with people who trained NASA astronauts.
The coastal lifestyle is a good one. Unemployment is low and Forbes ranked Sheboygan #3 after Google as a best place to work.
The waters are pending NOAA approval as a National Marine Sanctuary, which would protect the lake and its maritime history, which includes many shipwrecks from late 1800s early 1900s. Sail Sheboygan promotes national and international sailing competition and education.
The pride in America is symbolized by Acuity Insurance’s 400’ flagpole, 100’ taller than the Statue of Liberty, and flag, which is wider than a football field. It is called the world’s tallest symbol of freedom.
Sheboygan also has the top charter fishing fleet in Wisconsin.
Deep water access is close to shore, and with three unique rivers and a varied lake bottom structure fish like trout and salmon are abundant. Schwarz Fish Co. will smoke your catch and ship it home.
The stately and turreted Blue Harbor Resort is a top Great Lake vacationland. There are 180 hotel rooms and 64 villas, some with views of the Sheboygan River and fishing village, others with views of the lake and century-old lighthouse.
Its fine dining Latitude 43 restaurant overlooks the lake.
The 54,00 square foot entertainment zone includes indoor mini golf courses glow in the dark and Breaker Bay Waterpark, best in the state, where kids shriek with excitement as they surf the waves or zoom down water slides. It is a reminder of the hotel’s original owner, Great Wolf Resorts, the world’s largest chain of indoor water parks. There’s also Stand Up Paddleboarding right from the Blue Harbor’s beach.
Many people we met were there for a family reunion, a couple’s getaway, a conference, to get out on the lake. Some simply wanted to relax on the beach, at the pool and or just enjoy the view.
When the mood strikes, there are boardwalks to stroll along the South Pier peninsula or the Riverfront Fish Shanty Village, a row of structures originally built for commercial fishermen. There’s an array of dining, shopping, bicycle rentals and maritime activities like a motor boat tours, sailing, and Great Lake surfing. Golf is nearby. Or stop by for a refreshing Really Cool Waterslides IPA by Sheboygan’s 3 Sheeps Brewing Company.
Suborbital rockets have been launched from Sheboygan’s restricted airspace on Lake Michigan for decades. Now visitors can reach for the sky at Spaceport Sheboygan, home to the Great Lakes Aerospace Science and Education Center.
There are live science shows, demonstrations and hands-on activities to entertain and educate all ages.
Eight astronauts in the NASA program came from Wisconsin and many artifacts of the space program are here.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center is right off the historic Main Street.
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center, where the motto is “expect the unexpected,” has four-season gardens and twelve themed contemporary art galleries that cover an entire city block.
The colorful artist-created award-winning public washrooms, featured on the Travel Channel’s Most Extreme television series and created by Kohler Co.’s Arts/Industry program, are attractions in themselves and should not be missed.
Volunteers created and maintain the two acre Bookworm Gardens, which brings over sixty works of children’s literature to life.
There are six themed gateways to gardens, sculptures, structures, musical instruments, and whimsical displays based on books.
The books are stashed in pillars along the way.
Volunteers read aloud in grassy areas and there’s a secret garden for picnics. Admission is free.
The spirit of Sheboygan is embodied in people like Caitlin Brotz, who emerged from a tragedy to reach for the stars. After her boyfriend Adam, a semi-professional snowmobile racer, was burned in an accident she began making lip balm and a soothing lotion at home according to his therapist’s recommendations.
Adam recovered but died in a car accident. Caitlyn earned an entrepreneurship certificate to add to her business degree and opened a shop on Main Street to sell her freshly-prepared preservative-free personal care products made from natural ingredients. Customers at Olivü 426, a name derived from a major ingredient, olive oil, the sound of “I love you”, and Adam’s snowmobile number, were busy customizing their purchases by mixing in their choice of colors and fragrances.
The lip balm and whipped lotion are top sellers among the over 120 products. They were included along with with her anti-aging serum in the 2014 Emmy Awards and 2015 Golden Globe Awards swag bags.
Caitlyn is now married with children who cherish Adam’s mother, Sandra Muesegades, as a grandmother. Mrs. Muesegades works in the shop and beams with pride at Caitlyn, a “gift from her son.”
These are but a few of the reasons that Sheboygan is known as the “Spirit on the Lake” and that Wisconsin is consistently named great place to live in or to visit.