Sheboygan, WI

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

I woke up to the sound of Aden flushing the toilet at 5:15am. Two days into our trip, and the four of us are still adjusting to living in such close quarters again. It’s not our first time RVing together, obviously, but it always takes a few days to get used to other people’s noises and habits. Aden went back to sleep fortunately, but I was now awake for the day. I got up as quietly as I could, and snuck to the cab of the RV. From there, I blogged from the front seat until Andi got up around 7:30am.

Tory and Aden are growing up, and require a little more privacy than they used to as young kids. Tory has always had a full-length curtain that separates her sleeping space from the rest of the RV. Aden sleeps on the converted dinette table, so his sleeping area is right in the middle of everything. Over the summer, Andi and I fashioned a curtain around Aden’s bed using a fabric shower curtain and clasp hooks. It’s nothing fancy and it can’t stay up all the time, but it does give him more privacy at bedtime. Aden was thrilled about the curtain addition so that’s all that matters.

When traveling together as a family for a longer period of time, it’s important for us all to have some solo time. I like to wear a pair of headphones while I’m prepping meals or doing my make-up in the mornings so I can tune out everything around me and listen to something I want. The kids like to watch their own TV shows or chat with friends in the evenings & simply having a curtain barrier between them and the rest of the family seems to provide enough separation for them to be content.

The weather pattern is changing in eastern Wisconsin with spotty showers in the forecast for today and cooler temperatures arriving later this week. Andi and I hoped today wouldn’t be a total wash-out as the forecast seemed to predict. We packed up the RV around 8:00am, and stopped by the dump station on our way out of the Harrington Beach State Park grounds.

From there, we drove about 15 minutes to the town of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Sheboygan is famously known as the “brat capital of the world,” thanks to its German and Belgian heritage. It’s also nicknamed the “Malibu of the Midwest” (which Andi and I thought was a bit of a stretch) because many people like to surf the waves of Lake Michigan here.

Nevertheless, about 50,000 people call Sheboygan home and many industry and manufacturing companies are headquartered in the city. There’s a lot to do here, so we had no trouble filling our day with activities — even between rain showers.

Our first stop in Sheboygan was to the Wednesday Farmer’s Market held from 8:00am-1:00pm in downtown Fountain Park. There were several vendors set up along the sidewalk with fresh veggies for sale and other foods for purchase. Andi, Tory, Aden, and I walked through the line-up of vendors who all seemed to be selling similar things — green beans, corn, carrots, cabbage, beets, and ground cherries.

I’d never heard of ground cherries, but every market stall seemed to have them. “Try one!” one vendor said when Andi inquired about the fruit. Andi peeled open the brown papery pocket to reveal an orangish-yellow fruit inside. He bit the fruit in half, giving half to me and eating the remainder. It wasn’t at all what we expected. The ground cherry tasted like a tomato, but firmer in texture. I read later that ground cherries make excellent jam, or they can be eaten fresh as we did at the farmer’s market.

At the market, we also purchased a bag of hot apple cider donuts and an apple cider slushie from Log Cabin Orchard. Andi and Aden also enjoyed an egg roll from another local vendor.

Next, the four of us walked around downtown Sheboygan. Not many shops were open on a Wednesday morning, but we enjoyed doing some window-browsing.

Afterwards, Andi drove to the Sheboygan Marina where we parked the RV for a while. Andi sat in the front passenger chair and worked from his computer while Tory, Aden, and I did school work at the dinette table. It had started to rain again outside, so it was the perfect time to get some of our computer & book work done.

By the time we finished, it was 1:00pm. Time for lunch. As I mentioned, Sheboygan is known as the “brat capital of the world” and specifically for the double brat — two bratwursts served on a hard roll with a generous serving of butter, ketchup, mustard, pickle, and fried onions. Nothing could be more Wisconsin than a sandwich like that! We had to try it.

I suggested a few restaurants that served the famous double brat sandwich, but they were all closed today. So, Andi drove us to Al & Al’s Stein Haus — another classic Sheboygan restaurant — but they were closed, too. Finally, we found a place that served double brats AND was actually serving customers today.

The Northwestern House is a beloved, local gem in Sheboygan known for its laid-back atmosphere, brats, fish frys, chicken dinners, and classic hamburgers. We liked this place the minute we stepped through the door — it was as “Wisconsin” of a place as they come. The decor was amazing — white lace doilies on the table, German beer steins on display, and several cuckoo clocks. I overheard our waitress ask one table of customers if they’d like to see pictures of her new grandbaby. She proudly pulled the photographs out of her apron which were stored safely in a sandwich baggie. So Midwestern!

Andi, Aden, and I all ordered the double brat — gotta try the local speciality, right? Even though we knew we’d probably have heartburn later. Tory said she wasn’t very hungry and opted for a healthier grilled chicken sandwich.

For dessert (as if we needed one), Andi ordered a piece of homemade torte. The Northwestern House must be known for the cake because there was a long list of flavor options and almost every customer ordered one.

Andi thought this sign was hilarious, and made Tory pose for a picture beside it.

“If you are grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean, there will be a $10 charge for putting up with you.”

As we left the restaurant, Andi and I instantly regretted eating the double brat sandwich with “the works.” Oof, we felt so sick to our stomachs. We still needed to workout today, too…

We decided we need some buffer time between lunch and the gym, so we headed to a strip mall next with a Target store, ULTA, and TJ Maxx. Andi purchased a new skillet, Tory bought a new hat, and I got some protein bars and trail mix.

Now, it was time to workout. I seriously regretted not doing this before lunch. Andi navigated us to an Anytime Fitness in Plymouth, Wisconsin, about 20 minutes inland of Lake Michigan. We exercised and showered while Tory and Aden stayed inside the RV in the parking lot. They don’t seem to mind having some chill time to themselves.

After the gym, we continued driving 30 minutes further to a municipal park / city campground on Lake Winnebago in Pipe, Wisconsin. Lake Winnebago is the largest lake in Wisconsin, and also one of the most shallow with a maximum depth of 21 feet. The water was fierce when we arrived with wind whipping violently onto the shore. Most of the trees were permanently leaned to one side, so the wind must be a regular occurance.

Our campground was nice & quiet though. Our stomachs were still stuffed from our double brats at lunch, but if any of us had been interested in dinner, there was a supper club within walking distance of our campsite. Before the sun set on the day, Andi and I went for a short campground walk instead.

Tomorrow, we’re planning to visit the Fox Cities — a group of communities along the Fox River in east-central Wisconsin.