Located halfway up Wisconsin’s east coast, which is also the western shore of Lake Michigan, Sheboygan* has many epithets: ‘Malibu of the Midwest,’ ‘Bratwurst Capital of the “World”’ and ‘The Best Place to Raise a Family.’

The latter was conferred by Reader’s Digest in 1997 and it seems to holds true today, if all the happy families I saw enjoying the end of summer are anything to go by. I took a late afternoon, sunlit slow drive through the charming neighbourhood near my hotel to check out the architecture, which was eclectic to say the least – everything from two story dream homes to one which rivalled The Brady Bunch home in its mid-century design.

Downtown Sheboygan has that small town USA feel and I highly recommend strolling the streets, popping into the shops and chatting with the locals.

My first/last visit here, ten years ago during The USA 50/50 Challenge, was also coincidentally in September. This time, however, I was to experience the Labor Day weekend and to see how seriously Americans take the ending of summer is a thing to behold.

“Joining the epic line of locals queuing to get a late afternoon ice cream treat was a quintessential American summer moment.”

The Malibu of the Midwest and ‘Freshwater Surfing Capital of the World’ epithets arise from its pivotal location and shoreline that juts out into Lake Michigan, creating breaks that surfers love, particularly in winter. You can read more in the section below or click this link.

One reason for Sheboygan’s prominence is the arrival of John Michael Kohler in 1873, a first generation German immigrant who started a foundry to make farm implements. When he created a claw footed bathtub by enamelling a cast-iron feed trough, all bets were off and a titan of industry was born. You can read more about his achievements in ‘The history of Kohler’ section below.

*The town’s name most likely comes from the Chippewa for ‘passage or waterway between the lakes.’

Experience

Further afield

Consume

Purchase

Rest

This guide details all of the things The Packed Bag experienced. Please see Visit Sheboygan for more.