Campgrounds across Wisconsin are positioning themselves as gateways to historical tourism as travelers increasingly seek destinations tied to America’s past ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The trend is driving attention to historical attractions throughout Wisconsin, including museums, preserved estates and living history sites that are located near privately owned campgrounds featured on WisconsinCampgrounds.com, a travel planning website operated by the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners.
Among the attractions highlighted by Travel Wisconsin are Circus World, a 64-acre museum focused on the history of the American circus; Taliesin, the estate of architect Frank Lloyd Wright; and Old World Wisconsin, a living history museum featuring restored homes, farms, stores and workshops dating from the 1840s through the 1910s.
The Wisconsin campground website directs travelers to nearby campgrounds by allowing users to search by city. A search for Baraboo, for example, generates campground listings including Dell Pines Campground, Fox Hill RV Resort & Campground and Skillet Creek Campground.
For visitors planning trips to Taliesin in Spring Green, the website recommends Wisconsin Riverside Resort, while searches near Old World Wisconsin identify Circle K Campground.
“We’ve tried to make it as easy as possible for people to find campgrounds in the location of interest to them, whether they’re interested in visiting historical sites or recreational attractions or something else,” Lori Severson, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners, said in a press release.
The association’s website features more than 200 mostly family-owned campgrounds across Wisconsin, several of which have historical significance of their own.
Hitts Wildwood Resort traces its origins to 1902, when it operated as Wildwood Resort. Owners Mike and Jenny Hitt acquired the campground in 2021 and have retained several cabins dating to the 1950s while making improvements to the property.
Tilleda Falls Campground also promotes its ties to Wisconsin history and the Civil War era. The campground’s store and bar operate inside a 148-year-old structure originally built in 1878 as a sawmill along the Embarrass River. According to a Jan. 16, 1988, historical report in the Appleton Post-Crescent cited by the campground’s owners, the building was the last water-powered sawmill in Wisconsin.
Campground owners Paul and Rachel Janda said the property also once included a bridge ordered by President Abraham Lincoln to help transport potatoes to Union troops during the Civil War. According to the historical report, the bridge later washed out during a storm in 1912.
The Jandas plan to commemorate both the campground’s history and their 10th year operating the 50-site property during a “Decades Weekend” celebration scheduled for June 26-28.
“Campers can dress in the decade of their choice and we’ll celebrate a decade of us being there,” Rachel Janda said.
Featured image by Skillet Creek Campground