Best Small Towns for Retirement in Wisconsin

America’s Dairyland, Wisconsin, might be best known for its dairy production, beer breweries, and the Greenbay Packers. However, this culturally rich state has so much more to offer! Especially to retirees who are looking for a scenic, yet historic, small town to settle in! Let’s talk about the best small towns Wisconsin has to offer.

Bayfield, WI

Much of Bayfield’s appeal has to do with its close proximity to Lake Superior. Bayfield visitors can learn to kayak, charter a sailboat, or go for a scenic cruise on the Apostle Islands cruise ship. If you want to enjoy the sandy beaches of Lake Superior you can do that too.

Mineral Point, WI

Mineral Point is located in southeastern Wisconsin and is known as one of the most beautiful towns in the entire state. The small town has a rich mining history dating back to when miners found lead and zinc. Summer is a great time to visit Mineral Point as the town has several art and garden festivals in July and August.

Cedarburg, WI

Cedarburg has long been a favorite vacation getaway destination for people in the Milwaukee area. The small town of mere thousands is known for its distinctive architecture. The town is full of stone buildings built in the 1800s. The town has an annual Strawberry Festival every June.

Spring Green, WI

This artsy little town is actually world-renowned by people within the theater industry. Spring Green is the location of the Tony Award-winning outdoor theater known as the American Players Theater. APT specializes in producing works by William Shakespeare. The theater isn’t the only ballgame in town though. Spring has two excellent golf courses designed by Robert Jones and Andy North.

Warrens, WI

This small town gem is located just off of I-94. Warrens’ signature event is the Cranberry Festival which takes place in late September of every year for a period of three days. Warrens pulls out all of the stops for the Cranberry Festival including a farmer’s market with over 100 vendors, a flea market with 400 sellers, an arts and craft area with nearly 1000 exhibitors, and Wisconsin’s largest marching band to head up the parade. When the festival is not going on Warrens is a great place to do some fishing and casual dining.

Lake Geneva, WI

Lake Geneva is a small town spot for great dining. For being just a town of a few thousand there are some excellent restaurants including the Geneva Chop House, Grand Geneva Resort, and El Palenque. After dinner, people can enjoy a relaxing trip on one of the excursion boats available for charter.

Pepin, WI

Pepin is the spot that’s been voted time and time again as the best boating location. This is definitely a boater’s paradise. Pepin is also the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The town celebrates her birth every year with Laura Ingalls Wilder Days every September. Watercraft of virtually every size hit up Lake Pepin, which is a lake in the upper Mississippi. It’s a great place for boating and watercraft newbies to learn by participating in one of the several boating and watercraft clinics offered during the summer.