The Best Weekend Trips from Milwaukee: Stone Mills, a Lighthouse Harbor, and a Lake Resort

The best weekend trips from Milwaukee are Cedarburg (30 minutes, stone storefronts around a working 1855 woolen mill), Port Washington (40 minutes, a Lake Michigan harbor town with an 1860 lighthouse), and Elkhart Lake (1 hour, a resort village wrapped around a legendary road-racing course). All three are on or near the lake, all three are under an hour of driving, and none needs more than one tank of gas for the whole weekend.

Cedarburg: the mill town

Cedarburg's downtown is a National Register stretch of 19th-century limestone and cream city brick, anchored by the Cedar Creek Mill, which has milled wool on the creek since 1855 and now holds shops, a roastery, and Cedar Creek Winery in its stone cellars. Two blocks west, the last covered bridge in Wisconsin, built in 1876, still carries a quiet county road across Cedar Creek.

The town runs on festivals. Strawberry Festival in June fills the streets, and Wine and Harvest Festival in September packs the mill courtyard. Between them it is a browser's town: independent shops, galleries, antiques, and a calm, polished pace.

The 48 hours. Saturday: the mill, the winery cellars, Washington Avenue shopping, dinner at the Stilt House or Anvil Pub. Sunday: the covered bridge and creek path, brunch, and a slow drive back along the shore.

Port Washington: the lighthouse harbor

Port Washington was laid out in the 1830s and still works for a living: a commercial harbor, a charter fishing fleet, and a breakwall you can walk out on. The 1860 Light Station sits on the bluff above the harbor with its keeper's quarters intact, and Coal Dock Park on the north side has the best sunset view in the county.

The 48 hours. Saturday: the Light Station and the historic downtown, an afternoon on the breakwall or out on a charter boat for salmon and trout, dinner at a fish shanty on the harbor. Sunday: coffee, a walk through the Victorian blocks, and a stop at Harrington Beach State Park on the way home.

Elkhart Lake: the lake resort

Elkhart Lake has been a summer resort since the 1880s, with Victorian hotels, a spring-fed lake, and a walkable lake path. It also has Road America, a 4-mile natural-road course cut through the woods that has hosted sports-car racing since 1955 and still draws major weekends from spring through fall.

The 48 hours. Saturday: the lake beach and the path, an afternoon at the Osthoff spa, dinner at Otto's or Lake Street Cafe, then a nightcap at the Siebkens Stop-Inn Tavern, which has poured for racers since the 1950s. Sunday: Road America if there is an event on the calendar, or a paddle and a long breakfast if there is not.

When to go

Cedarburg: June for strawberries, September for the wine and harvest festival, October for creek color. Port Washington: July and August for charter fishing and lake warmth. Elkhart Lake: Memorial Day through September, and any Road America race weekend if you want the town at full volume.

Which one should you pick?

Shops, stone, and a winery: Cedarburg. A working harbor and a lighthouse: Port Washington. Water, spa, and motorsport: Elkhart Lake. Full itineraries are in the Milwaukee escapes hub, with guides to Cedarburg, Port Washington, and Elkhart Lake.