Day Trip Idea: Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides at Wade House

Step back in time one hour north of Milwaukee!

Recently our Calendar Editor Bridget McMahon visited the Wade House near Sheboygan with her family. Here are her notes, tips, and tricks:

“This historic 1850s stagecoach hotel, located 20 miles west of Sheboygan, takes the whole family back in time.

You enter into a beautiful new welcome center with a snack bar and gift shop. There is a beautiful carriage that makes a great photo opportunity that you can sit in and feel like you are going for a ride.

Downstairs there is an impressive museum with 100 carriages on display with interactive exhibits.

You exit the back of the welcome center and take a horse drawn carriage or tram (depending on the weekend) ride back to a working saw mill, a blacksmith and the Inn.

At the Inn you get a tour of the eating area, the bar and entertainment area, the hotel rooms, the living quarters and the kitchen.

In the kitchen the staff serves you an old fashioned freshly baked cookie, while you can participate in helping to make the next batch. 

In the kitchen the staff serves you an old fashioned freshly baked cookie, while you can participate in helping to make the next batch. 

The Wade House has many special activities on weekends including visitors helping feed the chickens, make fire starter to take home, pet the animals and more.

This historic destination is part of the Wisconsin Historical Society and include in their annual membership.

Feel free to bring a lunch or buy something at the snack bar. Plan to spend 3 or 4 hours visiting and learning about what life was like in the 1850s.

For more ideas, check out “101 Best Day Trips From Milwaukee“.

About the author

In 2013, Calie Herbst, a former teacher with three little ones, saw a need for a “One Stop Shop” for family fun in Milwaukee. So she founded Milwaukee With Kids. Her goal was to find the best this city has to offer families and share it with other parents. In one place. In 2019, she published "Exploring Milwaukee WIth Kids", a comprehensive Milwaukee travel guide for families and kids. She appears regularly on WISN News, Fox 6's 'Real Milwaukee', B93.3, and Wisconsin Morning News. She has been featured in Medium, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, NPR, the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, and on CBS 58 News. Calie is available for hosting, moderating and media appearances.

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