56 MAY 2017 |LAKELANDBOATING.COM Picturesque

photo by Brad gegare/courtesy of visitportwashington.com Port Washington the village’s delightful shops,food, New England charmandlighthouses, Boaters intheknow headto Port Washington, for terrific fishing. Butpart of the fun of visiting for thefirst timeis exploring and thenpassingthe discovery alongto other boaters. by JodieJacobs LAKELANDBOATING.COM | MAY2017 57 Milwaukee 58 Franklin Street WASHINGTON WASHINGTON MAY 2017 |LAKELANDBOATING.COM PORT PORT Sheboygan Sheboygan

Lake Michigan restaurants.” Cherny. “Walkafewstepsandyouareatseveralpubs you areattheDocksideDeli,”saysHarbormasterDennis to find downtown PortWashington. “Step offtheboat and things todointheareathatyou’llwantstayawhile. Washington Marina.Youwillfindenoughrestaurantsand the channel between these two lights to dock at the Port small green flashing light on the south breakwater. Enter Light —anunusual,artdeco-stylelighthouseanda from village.that evolved acommercial intoacharming port don’t pastPort intocruising belulled Washington, town asmall of thePortWashington HistoricalSociety. “Rick” D. Smith, author of “Port Washington” and codirector dating backto1879,according localhistorianRichard town hastheoldestman-madeharbor ontheGreatLakes, bricks andotheritemssentthrough theGreatLakes.The surrounding farms,hidesfromthe localtannery,cordwood, grew inimportancecommercial shippingofgrainsfrom Executive DirectorKathyTank. Washington is a boaters’ destination,” says Tourism Council “lake effect”hereismorethanjustaweatherphrase.“Port With adowntownthatabutsPortWashingtonMarina, Lake power W You don’t need to walk any further than across the street You don’tneedtowalkanyfurtherthanacrossthestreet Look fortheflashingredlightonNewPierhead Port Washington, founded in 1835 as Wisconsin City, Port Washington,foundedin1835asWisconsinCity, fairly quiet between and Milwaukee Sheboygan,fairly but isconsin’s coastlineappearstobe Michigan Lake exhibits, including thenewSSAtlanta Port Washington inpermanentcollectionsand rotating not takeanythingfromtheboats.” means diverscandivedownand look[atshipwrecks]but offshore. “We’reproposingone for PortWashington.It “We wanttogetthenextgenerationinterestedinlake.” Oceanic andAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA). erosion. ThereisalsoaliveweatherfeedfromtheNational interest, lakedepthandwhatishappeningregarding information onshipscurrentlypassingthetown,pointsof Museum, whichisonthenorthbluffabovedowntown. Port Exploreum, and the 1860 Lighthouse and Light Station Washington HistoricalSociety.TheSocietyoverseesthe ship,” saysWayneF. Chrusciel, executive director of the Port Milwaukee andTwoRivers,Wisconsin. spaces tolearnthewhereaboutsof50shipwrecksbetween interactive LakeMichiganTablewherevisitorscantapon Exploreum onFranklinStreet.Thismuseumhasaspectacular get everyoneoffoftheotherintime.” everyone on-board,”Smithsays.“Thelocalswereableto the samestormin1856becauseofpierproblems.“Onelost out into thelake,” Smith says. Two boats went down during The Port Exploreum features artifacts from shipwrecks near His nextprojectisgettingaNational MarineSanctuary “This isaLakeMichiganlearninglab,”Chruscielsays. By tappingonothertablespots,museumvisitorscansee “It showstheshipsunderwater,includingChristmas If you’reinterestedinshipwrecks,stopatthePort “Alotofschoonerswouldtieupatpiersthatjuststuck exhibit. Upstairs are Upstairs are

photo courtesy of visitportwashington.com

museum photo courtesy of port washington exploreum; marina photo courtesy of travelwisconsin.com; launch photo courtesy of visitportwashington.com; Sullivan photo by brad gegare/courtesy of visitportwashington.com November 1,Cherny recommendsreservations. want toshopand dinedowntown.OpenfromApril 1to 30 transientslips,aswellshort tie-upsforboaterswho dock, whichareeasierforboaters touse.” docks weinstitutedandthepumpout systemsaddedtoeach recently renewed.“Partofthatisattributable tothefloating adopted,” Chernysays.Headdedthatthecertificationwas 2010, shortlyaftertheCleanMarinaCertificationruleswere Built bythecityin1982,marinawasrevamped2010. fish-prep facilitiestheharborhasafishcleaningstation. and rainbow,lakeorbrowntrout.Inadditiontothecharters’ Cherny says.WhattheycatchareCohoandChinooksalmon, in twotothreehourswiththeirmaximumcatch(30fish),” been goodforcharterboats,particularlyin2016. species havedecimatedcommercialfishing,thelakehas Harbormaster Cherny notes that even though invasive In an upstairsmarinaoffice with a great view of theharbor, Fish andslips when invasivespeciescamein.” “There’s nocommercialfishingnow;itendedaround1998 fishing familiesthatgobackfourandfivegenerations. fishing era. The stairs are labeled with Port Washington pictures andartifactsfromthetown’s135-yearcommercial Port WashingtonMarina Port Exploreum Port Washington Marina offers 220 deep-water slips and Port WashingtonMarinaoffers220 deep-waterslipsand “We wereWisconsin’sfirstcertifiedCleanMarinain Cherny isparticularlyproudofhowcleanhismarinais. “Thefishinghereisphenomenal.Charterboatsareback “Originally itwaslikeashantytown,”Chruscielsays. spot the deli on East Main Street from the marina’s office. Or spot thedelionEast MainStreetfromthemarina’s office. Or the DocksideDeli foraCedarCresticecreamcone. Youcan to PortWashington’stinyfour-block downtownbystartingat really meanFranklinStreet.Main isacrossstreet. the store,bakeryorrestaurantis on“MainStreet,”they exploring. Justknowthatwhenthe friendlylocalstellyou Dock orpark,andyou’rereadyforicecream,apub Shop andsip friendly eventlaunchesPortWashington’ssummerseason. the PirateFestivalfirstweekendinJune.Thisfamily- usually leaveSunday.” entire lakefront,sopeoplehavetobeinonFridayand marina closesbecausetheeventstartshereandcovers “We’re usuallybookedupthatweekendbyJanuary.The when nearly30,000peopledescendonthetown’slakeshore. Washington’s FishDayduringthethirdweekendofJuly, you mayalreadybetoolatetobookaslipduringPort according toAssistantHarbormasterLisaRathke.But trailer boatersfromIowa,MinnesotaandKansas.” rest andsee Port Washington,” Cherny says. “Wealsoget Milwaukee, andpeopledoingtheLoopwhostoptorefuel, boats. “Wegetboatersfromacrossthelake,Chicagoand is alsoapopulardestinationforpeoplewhotrailertheir Dennis Sullivan If you like to travel by your stomach, you can orient yourself Another popular time to dock at the marina is during “It’s theworld’s largest all-day fish fry,” Rathkesays. Reservations arehighlyrecommendedforJulyandAugust, Not everyone comes by water, however; Port Washington Boat launch LAKELANDBOATING.COM | MAY2017 59 60 their maximum Charter boats phenomenal. two tothree "The fishing "The are backin hours with MAY 2017 |LAKELANDBOATING.COM here is catch." Wisconsin Highway 32 (Grand Avenue) into town. Park where Wisconsin Highway32(GrandAvenue)intotown.Parkwhere make yourownwinewiththeirwinemaker! also You can their wines. sample bar to tasting complete wine micro-winery producesafullselectionofwines,andoffers of beerandwhiskey. & Grill,oratSt.JamesPub,knownforitslargeselection seafood dishesandadailyfishfrywithLakeMichiganviews. Dives byCoastalLivingmagazine,NewportShoresoffersfresh on JacksonStreet.ChosenasoneofAmerica’sBestSeafood walk overtoNewportShoresatthenorthendofmarina also hasicecream andfountaindrinks. Grand Avenue to Chocolate Chisel’s tiny store. The shop When you’rereadyforachocolate break,walkwestup in therestofbuilding,alandmark since1954. clothes andaccessories,DuluthTrading hasamajorstore Trading Co. Famous for its rugged, long-lasting work cut throughasideentranceintoitsneighbor,Duluth is nowgone,butthecoffeeshopinitscornerspotexcellent. Washington justtoeatatSmithBros.Therenownedrestaurant “Smith Bros.FishShanty.”FolksusedtodriveorboatPort Franklin youwillseeaneonsignoffishermanandthewords, look up atopthebuildingatnortheastcornerofGrandand Shop. You know how people say “You can’t miss it”? Well, if you it hitsFranklinStreetandcheckouttheSmithBros.Coffee If you’re driving in on U.S. Interstate 43, you will likely follow If you’redrivinginonU.S.Interstate43,youwilllikelyfollow Downtown onMainStreet,you’llfindVinestoCellar.This If you’realreadyonFranklinStreet,relaxatSchoonerPub The PortExploreumliesjustnorth ofDuluthTrading. After alatteoranauthenticSmithBros.fishsandwich, Visitor’s Center Pebble House Daily BakingCompany check out the elegant Port Hotel Restaurant on Main. check outtheelegant PortHotelRestaurantonMain. restaurants: Newport Shores or Pasta Shoppe. For fine dining, farm-to-table restaurant,oroneof two popular,family-owned only openThursdaythroughSunday. 4 p.m.AlthoughthenameisDaily Baking,thebakeryis small batches,soitmaybeoutof itemsbyclosingtimeat back totheboat.Tip:Getthereearly.Thebakeryproduces the DailyBakingCompanyforbreadandpastriestotake and giftsinthenextcoupleofblocks,butdon’tpassup gifts andhomedecor. everything fromantiquesandsportsmemorabilia tojewelry, cheese selection. European-style baconandsausage;plus,ithasagreat Meats. Thisisagoodplacetoprovisionwithreally boating communityin the summersoeverythingiscasual.” she mentionsthedifferentrestaurantsintown.“We’rea cream?’ ”shesays.Tankisalsoaskedaboutdresscodewhen to KathyTank. of theirhome.StopinattheVisitor’sCentertosayhello stones fromSaukCreekandusedthemfortheexterior Dodge andhiswife,Elizabeth.Theygatheredsmooth originally the mid-1800s of blacksmith Edward Washington VisitorCenter’slocatedinthePebbleHouse, Schooner Pub&Grill Finish thedayatTwistedWillow, acutting-edge, And thatwasjustoneblock.Lookformorejewelry Go nextdoortoShoppesofPort,afunlocalco-opwith BackdownatFranklinStreet,stopinBernie’sFine “The questionIgetfromboatersis‘wherecanice Cross GrandonthewaybackdowntoseePort

pebble house photo by indigotimbre; smith bros. photo by mike steele; bread photo courtesy daily baking website; bar photo courtesy of schooner pub

photos courtesy of visitportwashington.com closes at 10p.m. 2:30 p.m.).Lakefront fireworks beginat 9:30p.m.andthefestival 3 p.m.,theSoccer Water Fights begin(participants register at View, Blues andRock Stages andoff-stage entertainment. At button isneededto enter thestagesarea, which hastheLake main entertainment area alsoopens. The festival isfree buta$5 the marinaat Upper Lake Park, 554N.Lake St. At 10:30a.m,the marina, andthecarnival andhelicopter ridesstart. At 10a.m,thefishandchipsstands Family Stage open at the Streets. The 100-unitparade endsat City Hall, 100 W. Grand Ave. a large parade startsnorthof downtown at Wisconsin and Walters service beginat 8a.m. and stageentertainment. classic car show, anartsandcrafts show, acarnival, helicopter rides well. The event features anearly morningfunrun,ahugeparade, a out fishandchips;there are chicken tenders and other food bites, as organizations. Expectninebooths alongthemarinamainly dishing and out-of-state boaters. draws more than30,000hungry visitors from nearby communities Started inthemid-1960s, Port Washington FishDay’s reputation Fish Day Learn more: Visit The ClassicCar Show and Arts &Crafts Show opennorthof Where: The gated festival area opensat themarinaat 10a.m.,and When: July 15,2017 from 10a.m.to 10p.m. The funrunandshuttle What: Basically, it’s afundraiser for ninelocal fraternal andservice Two Over-the-TopPort WashingtonFestivals portfishday.com. Grand Ave. next to thePort Washington Marina. Stage, Governors Gazebo andBuccaneer Bar. Rotary Park isat 231E. look for treasure, takes place inRotary Park at 10:30Saturday andSunday. 10 p.m.Sunday is10a.m.to 6p.m. The “pirate invasion,” when re-enactors Saturday andSunday typically draw families. Saturday hoursare 10a.m.to hang out with local residents andmerchants. Friday hoursare 5-10 p.m. great place to bringthem.” says, “Everybody really loves pirates; kidslove pirates, sothisa Kids CostumeContest ismidday Saturday andSunday. artillery display andfiring,as well asknife and tomahawk throwing. A acrobats, workshops anddemonstrations, suchascannon and food, a Thieves Marketplace of shopsandsouvenirs, dancers, along theshore don’t feel quite asjammedduringFishDay. by landandsea,Pirate Fest spreads across three days, sothecrowds are expected to return June 2-4. say, for “merriment and locals mayhem.” the or as games, In 2017, they they annually come ashore thefirst weekend of June for funand ocean isles— would find Port Washington. But witha few exceptions, You might not think pirates —historically known to bury treasure on Fest Pirate Learn more: visit Where: Rotary Park andtheadjacent marina at theDockside When: Friday, June 2,ismostly for adults when there-enactors When asked why thisfestival isso popular, organizer Tracy Ripple What: Bands,sideshows with entertainers inperiodcostumes, Even thoughit’s apopular festival that draws thousands of visitors portwashingtonpiratefestival.com. LAKELANDBOATING.COM | MAY2017 61 marina.com portwashington Port WashingtonMarina historicalsociety.org portwashington Historical Society Port Washington tourism.com portwashington Port Washington portexploreum.com Port Exploreum Resources 62 MAY 2017 |LAKELANDBOATING.COM 1935. Itspredecessor,theOldPierheadLight,wasbuiltin1889. Breakwater Light), it was constructed more than 80 years ago, in Pier is called the New Pierhead Light (aka the Port Washington War. EventhoughtheartdecolighthouseatendofNorth Register ofHistoricPlaces,hasbuildingspre-datingtheCivil harbor lights.Thetown’sHistoricDistrict,listedontheNational Old isarelativetermwhentalkingaboutPortWashington’s Bikes, hikesandlights as wellJohn’sPizzeriaonFranklin. Yummy BonesBBQandChinaKing,bothonMainStreet, think take-out.Somegoodorder-out,eat-inspotsare Charles Lewis, and hisson,CharlesJr. and theirfamilies, includingformerwhaling captain, furniture fromtheperiod along with pictures ofkeepers times oflighthousekeepersand theirfamilies.Thereis The LightStationisawonderful glimpseofthelifeand mid-October; itcanalsobetoured byappointment. Sunday fromMemorialDay Weekendthrough volunteers, theLightStationisopenFridaythrough church youseeupthehillatnorthendofdowntown. Church andSchoolcampus.St.Mary’sisthatimpressive bluff onJohnsonStreet,aroundthecornerfromSt.Mary’s a renovated generator and storage buildings. It sits high on a with the rebuilt lighthouse. It has a totally rebuilt tower, plus that integratespartsoftheoriginal1849keeper’sdwelling North Beach When all you want to do is to kick back on your boat, Operated byPortWashingtonHistoricalSociety But the placetovisit is the1860LightStation,acomplex Light Station Museum 1860 Lighthouse and the Ozaukee County Pioneer Village’s two-dozen historic the OzaukeeCounty PioneerVillage’stwo-dozen historic Saukville, just west of Port Washington, to walk around scenic andfundestinationsnear Port Washington.Goto up VeteransPark,UpperLakePark andWhitefishPark. Station, andpastthedelightful green stretchthatmakes early 1900sto1951.Partofthetrail runsbelowtheLight communities ofCedarburg,GraftonandBelgiumfromthe once wentthroughPortWashingtonandthesurrounding electric railwayroutebetweenMilwaukeetoSheboyganthat Interurban Trail.This30-milepavedbiketrailfollowsthe rent bikes.Whileyou’rethere,askabouttheOzaukee marina. Stop in atZuPedals onFranklin Street to one inGrandTraverse,Michigan,”Smithsays. turned itbackintotheoriginalbuilding.It’ssimilarto including aduplex,butwasrestoredfrom2000-2002.“We and notupatthetop.” have haditbutregulationsrequiredbeinthemuseum Artworks Florida,offeringterrificviews. room wherethereisafourth-orderFresnellensmadeby settled inOzaukeeCountyoverseveraldecadesbeforethewar. other immigrantsfromLuxembourg,GermanyandBelgiumhad servicemen forLuxembourg’sliberationinWWII.Farmersand craftsmen whodonatedthemtotheSocietyasathankyouU.S. Breakwater Light The Interurban Trail makes it easy to get to some of the The InterurbanTrailmakesiteasy togetsomeofthe The LightStationisashorthikeorbiketripfromthe He explainedthat the keepers’househadotheruses, “The lightis a plasticreplica,” says RickSmith.“Wecould A narrowstairway,thenaladder,leadsuptothelantern The rebuilttowerandlanternroomwerebuiltbyLuxembourg

lighthouse museum photo courtesy port washington historical society website; beach and light photo courtesy of visitportwashington.com

quilt photo courtesy of of Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Art Port Wa photo onthewallofFranklinStreet.“Ithasn’tchangedallthatmuch.” heading southonFranklin,you’llfindbuildingsfromthe1880s,saysChrusciel. National Register.SoistheHistoricalSocietybuildingdatingbackto1854.Then, century buildings.TheentireblockthatincludesthePastaShoppeison Luxembourgian stonebarnbuiltin1872. Center hasaRootsandLeavesMuseumintheformerMamer-Hansen Port WashingtontoBelgium.There,theLuxembourgAmericanCultural Museum ofQuiltsandFiberArtsisalsoinCedarburg,eastthedowntown. mill, artist’sgalleries,cuteshops,awineryandgoodrestaurants.TheWisconsin Creek Settlement, which date back to the mid-1800s. There is a restored woolen popular WisconsindestinationfeaturingaclusterofbuildingsknownastheCedar undeveloped bluffsalongLakeMichigan. of theGreatWisconsinBirdingTrail,ithasbridgesandstairwaysalong Washington totheLion’sDenGorgeNaturePreserveinGrafton.Part prairies andpondsalongtheMilwaukeeRiver. buildings; orhikeRiveredgeNatureCenter,a370-acrepropertyofwoodlands, www.Vinestoc Sitting onabenchinthePortExploreum,Chrusciellooksupatan old Back inPortWashington,strolldownFranklintoseesomeofitsmid-19 If you’reinterestedintheLuxembourgconnectiontoarea,gonorthof For someshopping,gosoutheastofGraftontothehistorictownCedarburg,a If you’reabirderlookingforsceniclandscapes,gosouthofPort 262-536-4544 114 E.MainSt. S hington ellar.com Come inforasample, of $30ormore any purchase leave withabottle! stay foraglass, $5 off Wisconsin Museumof Quilts Expires December 31,2017 and Fiber Arts H th

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• Live music most Thursday -saturday WWW (262) 284-6838 • 407 E. Jackson Serving 1/2-hour later all summer! later all 1/2-hour Serving Port Washington, Wisconsin .n Tuesday -Thursday: 11 am -9 pm Friday -Saturday: 11am -10pm EWP • o Sunday Brunch: 10am -2pm LAKELANDBOATING.COM | MAY2017 nights all summer Sunday 12-9pm Dinner: utdoor patio &bar port-washingtonmarina.com ortshor Mondays: 4-9pm E sr E staurant.com rEcomm 262-284-6606 rEs E rvations s ichigan trEE E nd 63 t E d