Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
crammed in the bun—lettuce, tomatoes, and so on; even sauerkraut, loved by Mil-
waukeeans, is barely tolerated by Sheboyganites.
Anotheroption:Parboilbratsbriefly.Searinbutterinafryingpan.Setaside.Pour
twocupsdarkbeerintofrypanandscraperesidue.Combineafinelychoppedonion,
some beef stock, juice from one lemon, and maybe one chopped green pepper. Put
brats back in and boil 12-15 minutes. Remove brats and place on hot grill. Sauce can
be thickened with flour or cornstarch and poured over the top. A Cheesehead will
stick the sauce in a bun alongside the brat with mustard.
Plymouth lies just west of Sheboygan and would definitely be on a National Register of
Quaint Places—the aesthetics of its early Yankee settlements remain amazingly intact. Ini-
tially a solitary tavern-cum-stage stop, as all rail traffic passed through the little burg, it
eventually became the center of the cheese industry in eastern Wisconsin (the first Cheese
Exchange was here). The visitors center is itself an architectural highlight: the
Plymouth
Center
(E. Mill St., 920/893-0079, 10am-2pm Sun.-Thurs.), a restored 1920s edifice that
also houses a historical museum and art galleries.
Accommodations and Food
Historic bed-and-breakfasts are everywhere you turn. A structure woodworkers will want
to see is the
52 Stafford Irish Guest House
(52 Stafford St., 920/893-0552,
www.52stafford.com
,
$100). The 19 guest rooms are decent, but the main attraction here
is the food. The limited but ambitious menu changes a lot; the signature meal is an Irish
beef brisket basted in Guinness—it'll wow you. The rich woods, ornate stained glass, and
original fixtures give the place a special atmosphere. Do drop by Wednesday evenings for
rousing Irish music.
If rousing isn't for you, ignore the strip-mall ambience and go for the fish at the delight-
ful and unbelievably friendly and helpful Italian restaurant
Sweet Basil
(645 Walton Dr.,
920/892-7572,
www.sweetbasil-plymouth.com
,
dinner Mon.-Sat., $8-25).
Northwest of Sheboygan is one of the region's first resort areas, Elkhart Lake
(
www.elkhartlake.com
)
. In the early 20th century, well-to-do Chicagoans sought out the
quietgetawayand,later,sodidhigh-profilemobsterssuchasJohnDillinger.Anothermajor
