Wisconsin
7 Best Small Towns in Wisconsin to Visit in 2024
With coastlines on two Great Lakes, expansive and exciting state parks, and miles of pristine, sandy beaches, Wisconsin is a Midwestern state to put on your must-visit list. Although Wisconsin is best known for its big, bustling cities of Madison and Milwaukee, it’s the small towns that dot the map that make visitors feel at home. If you find yourself on a road trip through Wisconsin this year, take some time to explore these charming communities.
Minocqua
Located in the heart of the state’s beautiful and pristine Northwoods, Minocqua is named “The Island City” due to the fact that a small portion of town is only accessible by a bridge. The charming, outdoorsy town is home to about 45 lakes, 18 campgrounds, and nine sandy beaches for swimming and sunbathing. Minocqua also offers approximately 100 boat launches, so bring your own watercraft if you’re visiting in the summer, or rent one from a local shop such as Minocqua Lakeside.
Although the Minocqua area features several hiking and biking trails, the Bearskin Trail is the most popular one since its trailhead is located right downtown. The 18-mile crushed granite trail runs along a former train rail corridor, and gives outdoor enthusiasts to see local wildlife such as bald eagles and white-tailed deer. To see animals in a more controlled setting, check out the Minocqua Zoo, which is the second-largest one in the state and houses everything from parakeets to giraffes.
New Glarus
Dubbed “America’s Little Switzerland,” quaint New Glarus was founded by Swiss immigrants in 1845, and and has kept its its Alpine-inspired feel through its charming architecture, ethnic special events, and Swiss restaurants and shops. The town plays host to several popular annual festivals, including the New Glarus Family Fest, Swiss Volksfest, the New Glarus Polkafest, and the Beer, Bacon, and Cheese Festival.
Start your visit to this charming town by checking out the Swiss Historical Village Museum, which depicts life on an orginal Swiss settlement in Wisconsin. The New Glarus Brewing Company is known as Wisconsin’s “hometown brewery” and produces craft beer using seasonal local ingredients, such as cranberries and cherries. The brewery offers a tasting room and is open to self-guided tours. If you’re looking for a more family-friendly attraction, you can’t beat Swissland Miniature Golf during the warm summer months.
Bayfield
Beautiful Bayfield is nature’s playground no matter what time of year you visit. Conde Nast Traveler placed the quaint town on its “The 23 Best Places to Go in the U.S. in 2023” list, and USA Today voted it one of the 10 Best Coastal Small Towns. Located on the scenic shores of Lake Superior, Bayfield is known as the “Gateway to the Apostle Islands,” which are easy to boat and sail to from town.
If you’re visiting during the summer, spend some time swimming at one of the town’s beaches, or go kayaking along the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, which features unique carved arches and sandstone cliffs along the Bayfield Penninsula. You can also paddle along the peaceful Madeline Island Lagoon. If you need to rent a kayak or canoe, head to Big Bay Town Park and check a boat out on a first-come-first-served basis.
Hayward
Stunning Hayward is another small Northwoods town known for its abundance of sparkling lakes, miles of pristine wilderness, and one-of-a-kind natural beauty. Hayward draws in anglers from all over, as it’s considerd a world-class fishing destination for those hoping to catch walleye, musky, bass, and northern pike. Lake Hayward Public Beach is a popular spot for locals and visitors alike in the summer, as it offers a soft, sandy beach and clear water for swimming.
One of Hayward’s most notable attractions is the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, which is a non-profit sport fishing museum and education organization. You can’t miss the world’s largest musky sculpture that sits in front of the complex, as it measures 143 feet long, and is four stories high. The 35-acre Wilderness Zoo and Recreation Park is another must-see, family-friendly destination. The nearby Cable Natural History Museum offers naturalist-led hikes and live raptor programs.
Lake Geneva
Arts, culture, history, and outdoor recreational opportunities combine to create a unique small Wisconsin town called Lake Geneva. Just over the Illinois border, this coastal town is situated on pretty Lake Geneva and has long been known as as summer resort destination. One of the town’s biggest draws is its beaches, including Riviera Beach and Williams Bay Beach. Big Foot Beach State Park offers 5 miles of hiking trails, a family campground, and a sandy beach.
If you’re seeking a thrilling experience, spend a day at Lake Geneva Ziplines and Adventures, which features zip line tours, a climbing tower, high ropes excursions, and other heart-pumping attractions. Safari Lake Geneva is fun for the whole family, as it allows you to view herds of exotic animals,such as giraffes, from the comfort of your vehicle.
Fish Creek
Situated in idyllic Door County, picturesque Fish Creek is Wisconsin’s ultimate summer vacation destination. No matter if you want to spend your getway on a sunny Lake Michigan beach, out on the water, or immersing yourself in local arts and culture, you’ll find it in this lakeside enclave. Fish Creek offers easy access to Peninsula State Park, which offers more than 460 campsites, hiking and biking trails, an 18-hole golf course, a lighthouse, eight miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, and sweeping Niagara Escarpment bluffs.
You can either rent a watercraft from a local outfiiter such as Nicolet Beach Rentals or Northern Door County Boat Rental, or sign up for a ride with Fish Creek Scenic Boat Tours. Other family-friendly activities include the Skyway Drive-in Theatre, Evergreen Miniature Golf, and Segway the Door Tours.
Baraboo
Situated at the crest of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area amongst the Baraboo Bluffs, historic Baraboo is a small Midwest town like no other. Baraboo is the hometown of the world-famous Ringling Brothers Circus, and delights visitors with the unique Circus World Museum. The colorful attraction offers seven buildings of exhibits, as well as live shows.
Nature enthusiasts will fall in love with nearby Devil’s Lake State Park, which is located along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and offers breathtaking views of the lake from 500-foot quartzsite bluffs. The park also features 30 miles of hiking trails, sandy swimming beaches, quaint picnic areas, and opportunities for fishing, cross-country skiing, rock climing, and much more. At the end of a action-packed day in nature, treat yourself to a glass of wine at the Balanced Rock Winery.
No matter what time of year your find yourself traveling through the dynamic Upper Midwest state of Wisconsin, you’ll come across a charming small town just awaiting exploration. Although Wisconsin is known for its pristine lakes and wilderness areas, as well as opportunities for fishing and swimming, its quaint communities also come to life with no shortage of history, arts and culture.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Wisconsin DNR is reminding ATV and UTV drivers that more conservation wardens and county recreation deputies will be out this weekend.
The increase comes after new laws and regulations were put in place earlier this week.
Wardens and safety patrols will be monitoring risky behaviors, including speeding and operating while intoxicated.
Wisconsin has already seen 15 ATV related deaths this year.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Just east of the Capital City Trail crossing at the Yahara River, a nondescript warehouse rises on Madison’s west side. Its blank exterior offers no hint of what’s inside, and even the interior is not set up for glass cases and museum spotlights.
But its more than 180,000-square-feet of climate-controlled space contains the largest collection of North American history outside of the Library of Congress.
In all, the Wisconsin Historical Society holds 3.8 million print publications, 25,000 maps, 3 million images, 125,000 cubic feet of archival material and 750,000 historic and archaeological objects. Most are stored in the State Archive Preservation Facility, including the original Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages, one of the country’s first weather maps, traditional Ho‑Chunk baskets and comedian Chris Farley’s football jersey from Edgewood High School.
It’s a largely unknown, certainly underappreciated, Wisconsin treasure.
The archives are managed by the Wisconsin Department of Administration and operate in partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Typically, history is presented in a carefully curated way – edited in a textbook, displayed behind a rope, maybe protected under glass. But the archives are an uncurated mix, and in many ways a more accurate reflection of the jumble that is human life than the single storyline we try to make it out to be.
Here, history feels human and unfinished. Every box, aisle and rack holds items that come to life when someone pulls them out and shares their story.
“Without the stories, the passion behind them, the experiences of individuals, it’s just a desk or a chair, but it’s the stories that are there,” said Nick Hoffman, chief creative officer with the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Preserving film history at 40°F
As the heavy doors to the “cold room” on the second floor swing open, chilled air spills out. The room’s temperature holds at 40 degrees Fahrenheit with 35% relative humidity – the ideal balance to protect film and videotape.
More than 44,000 film cans sit packed inside, and despite Madison’s distance from entertainment hubs like Los Angeles and New York, this is one of the world’s leading collections of film and television history.
More than 300 manuscript collections include materials from figures such as Michael and Kirk Douglas, Agnes Moorehead, Rod Serling and Edith Head. The shelves hold Mary Tyler Moore’s full archive, materials from early talk show host Faye Emerson, and footage of the McCarthy hearings later used in a documentary by Emile de Antonio.
The oldest film in the archives − “The Lumberjack,” a 16-minute silent film shot in Wausau − dates back to 1914.
Many donors have no ties to Wisconsin. What binds the archive isn’t geography so much as the pull to preserve a legacy.
“It’s often about an individual,” said Jill Sterrett, chief collections officer.
History written in ink on paper
One of the country’s oldest newspaper collections resides on the third floor, including a July 10, 1776, edition of The Pennsylvania Gazette, with one of the earliest printings of the Declaration of Independence, as well as Frederick Douglass’ 1850s newspaper, and the Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper published in a Native language.
The archives has the ability to bring people down to the individual level, then zoom out to show how an individual connects to a huge moment in U.S. history, Hoffman said. “That’s the scale that we have here,” he said.
In the early 1960s, for example, the Historical Society began collecting material from civil rights groups and activists, becoming a leading center for studying the American civil rights movement. Today, the archives hold hundreds of thousands of documents and recordings from the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee. Highlander trained activists like Rosa Parks to organize and educate people, especially on voting rights.
That training partly shaped Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man, which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, said senior archivist Lee Grady.
One of the earliest weather maps by Milwaukee scientist Increase Lapham is also in the collections. Lapham made the map in 1868, reconstructing a storm from a decade earlier to show how weather patterns could be tracked. The map served as a proof-of-concept, Grady said, which helped prompt Congress to establish the National Weather Service in 1870.
The archives also have an ongoing, little-known interaction with the public. Grady said the Historical Society fields about 16,000 questions a year, mostly by email, on topics like land records, divorce filings, even whether a house is haunted. Family history requests are the most common, he said.
Racing Sausages, Freedom Desks, tribal baskets share space
About 100,000 objects share space in a cavernous room on the fourth floor.
The original, 7-foot-tall Milwaukee Brewers Racing Sausages tower around the first corner. Made with foam and rubber cement, they are being restored by the Historical Society before they go on display in the new Wisconsin History Center, which is scheduled to open in 2028.
Directly above the Racing Sausages sit “Freedom Day” school desks from Milwaukee. During Milwaukee’s 1964 “Freedom Day” boycotts, thousands of students left segregated public schools to attend alternative Freedom Schools in local churches.
Also on display are materials from the March on Milwaukee – the 200 consecutive nights of marching to protest segregated housing, led by the NAACP Youth Council and advised by the Rev. James Groppi.
Wedged in the middle of a nearby clothing rack is a bowling shirt from Earlene Fuller, a legendary Milwaukee bowler who became known for designing custom shirts, many featuring kente cloth and other African-inspired patterns. She broke down racial barriers in the sport, and was the first Black woman to bowl a perfect 300 game.
There’s also Rosie the Riveter coveralls made in Beloit and Jane Kaczmarek’s “Lucky Aide” smock from Malcolm in the Middle.
“These are telling the stories of everyday efforts to win World War II, to the stories that make us laugh,” said Leo Landis, director of curatorial services.
More aisles open up at the push of a button. Each aisle is arranged by when its contents were donated, a densely packed uncurated cross-section of memorabilia.
One aisle holds West Allis–born speed skater Dan Jansen’s Levi’s velour Olympic warm-up jacket from 1984.
A couple of aisles down are Ho-Chunk baskets, some that date back to the 1800s, weaving together more than a century of tradition.
Ancient canoes sit alongside the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile
Downstairs, in one of the unassuming basement rooms, it’s hard to know where to look first.
The tightly packed space holds the original Oscar Mayer Wienermobile as well as a Culver’s sign from one of the first franchises, made from a repurposed Ford dealership sign.
There’s also a Packers helmet-shaped ice shanty built by Bill Casper of Sturgeon for Tomorrow, a nonprofit that promotes sturgeon conservation and celebrates Lake Winnebago’s ice-fishing culture.
But one of the most striking displays underscores how history is still being written.
Two dugout canoes raised from Lake Mendota sit soaking in a chemical bath. Discovered in 2018 and 2022, they have been dated to roughly 1,200 and 3,000 years old.
For the past year and a half, the canoes have been treated with polyethylene glycol, a resin that slowly fills the cells of the waterlogged wood. In about six months, Sterrett said, the canoes will be shipped to Texas A&M to be freeze-dried in a giant chamber, drawing out the water while letting the resin holding its shape.
Sterrett said the canoes, along with others found in Wisconsin lakes, are reshaping what people know about the region’s past climate and how people lived on and with the water.
Authority, access, audience engagement
The Historical Society is no longer just collecting items. It is rethinking ownership, renegotiating who defines history, and in some cases returning pieces and material.
That shift is visible in the “repatriation room,” where desks and shelves made from Menominee Forest wood help ground the consultations between the Historical Society and tribal nations on returning cultural items. Repatriation has expanded in recent decades, moving beyond compliance toward collaboration.
More broadly, archivists are rethinking access and engaging different audiences.
The state archives already operates an inter-archival loan system across University of Wisconsin schools. The Historical Society now is working to move records, such as family and land documents, closer to the communities they are tied to.
Anyone can access materials at the Wisconsin Historical Society headquarters on Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus. But the State Archive Preservation Facility is generally closed to the public, with tours offered just twice a year and some items coming out only for special events. When the Wisconsin History Center opens in early 2028, many items from the archives will be on rotating display.
As the leaders of this repository look to the future, they are convinced interest in history hasn’t waned. The key is letting people know what Wisconsin has, and making it available in a way that makes the most of it.
And as always, sharing all those great stories behind the archives.
As Sterrett said, “The risks of not sharing are far greater.”
New history center will increase access to archives
The new history center, slated to open in early 2028, will provide unprecedented access to the objects, entertainment and print products housed within the archives.
The Wisconsin Historical Society broke ground on its new $160.5 million center in 2025. The five-story, 100,000-square-foot building on Capitol Square in Madison will more than double the exhibition space of the previous history center.
When it opens, the center is expected to welcome 260,000 visitors each year. It will feature three core galleries, a rotating community gallery, rooftop terrace, café as well as educational spaces.
Caitlin Looby covers the Great Lakes and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact: clooby@gannett.com. Follow her on social media @caitlooby.
Caitlin is an Outrider Fellow whose reporting also receives support from the Brico Fund, Fund for Lake Michigan, Barbara K. Frank, and individual contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
This fundraising effort is made possible through our partnership with Local Media Foundation, a verified 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (tax ID #36-4427750) and EnMotive Company, LLC, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is the parent company of this publication.
The JS Community-Funded Journalism Project is made possible through our partnership with Local Media Foundation, tax ID #36-4427750, a Section 501(c)(3) charitable trust affiliated with Local Media Association, and EnMotive, LLC, a subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc. USA TODAY Co., Inc. is the parent company of this publication.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 2 drawing
15-26-43-48-60, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 2 drawing
Midday: 0-7-8
Evening: 8-5-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 2 drawing
Midday: 7-9-8-3
Evening: 4-4-7-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from June 2 drawing
Midday: 01-02-03-05-06-10-11-13-16-21-22
Evening: 02-05-06-09-10-14-16-18-19-20-21
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from June 2 drawing
06-13-26-28-30
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from June 2 drawing
10-14-15-18-34-38, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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