Last summer, we went on a road trip to a small town in Wisconsin called Green Lake. Upon hearing this, most people asked, “Uhhh, why Wisconsin?!” Even people IN Wisconsin asked us that, so I’ll give you a little background…

Earlier that year, my husband decided he wanted to enjoy the 4th of July festivities in water-oriented, small-town America, and he chose Wisconsin. I set about researching the entire state, and happened to stumble upon Green Lake, which fit the bill perfectly. With only around 1,100 year-round residents, it certainly qualified as a small town, and its namesake is the deepest natural inland lake in the state. There was a list of festivities that would be taking place that week, so we took a chance and booked a B&B for an entire week. We’ve never done that before, but we couldn’t be happier that we did… The Miller’s Daughter Bed & Breakfast was probably the best B&B we’ve ever stayed in.

You might be thinking, “what is there to do in a town that small??” The answer is, plenty! We rented a boat and spent a whole day on the lake, took scenic drives, went biking on the plentiful trails, joined the locals for a 4th of July parade and music festival, watched the fireworks, gawked at the mansions on the water, visited a couple of nearby museums, went shopping, and ate tons of food (two words: cheese curds). It was just good, simple fun.

For more information on the town that many consider to be “the Hamptons of the Chicago area,” please check out the links I’ve provided below:

1. The Miller’s Daughter B&B
2. Boat House Pub
3. Christiano’s
4. Adam’s Rib
5. Green Lake’s Tourism Site