7 Reasons You Should Stop in the Lakeside City of Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Mention Manitowoc and the mind can go in a lot of different directions.

Maybe you think of the Manitowoc Minute, video parodies of a Wisconsin newscast by Milwaukee comic Charlie Berens.

On a darker note, Manitowoc might conjure up Making a Murderer, the 2015 Netflix series that raised questions about the conviction of county resident Steven Avery. That blockbuster has resurfaced on the pop culture landscape with the recent release of Convicting a Murderer, a rebuttal of sorts that dropped earlier this month on the DailyWire+ streaming service.

Or maybe you just know Manitowoc as the Wisconsin end of the Lake Michigan-crossing ferry S.S. Badger. Or it's that place you blow past on your drive to Door County.

Well, Manitowoc is more than news spoofs, true-crime docuseries and a quick pit stop on the way to somewhere else.

A lot of work has gone into downtown improvements and waterfront developments — and it shows. Old buildings are being resurrected as buzzy bars. The beaches have gotten better. Cute boutiques fill once-vacant storefronts. And these changes haven't come at the expense of longtime favorites, like the old-school candy parlor that still dips its chocolates by hand.

Here are seven of our favorite stops to make in Manitowoc. Sure, this lakefront city of 35,000 has more than seven spots worth visiting. But as Charlie says on Manitowoc Minute, keep 'er movin'.

1. Check Out What's Brewing at River Point

New housing and businesses are starting to populate the city's burgeoning River Point District, a redevelopment project that's effectively extending the downtown by
transforming a 20-acre peninsula on the Manitowoc River. PetSkull Brewing Co., a local favorite since 2017, recently relocated to the River Point area, expanding its brewing facility and taproom into a century-old building with ample outdoor seating. PetSkull keeps 20 beers on top. Be sure to try the Schnitzky; the German-style hefeweizen pairs nicely with their giant beer hall pretzel, tipping the scales at 1 pound.

2. Do a Deep Dive into Maritime History

Shipbuilding used to be a major industry in the port city of Manitowoc, where everything from wooden cargo boats and yachts to giant freighters and submarines came to life. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum does a stellar job delving into not only that history, but also the stories of shipwrecks and other facets of seafaring. Museum admission includes a tour inside the USS Cobia, a sub that's similar to those built in Manitowoc during World War II. (The National Park Service recently designated Manitowoc an American World War II Heritage City because of its wartime contributions.) If the USS Cobia's tight quarters don't give you claustrophobia, you're welcome to spend the night by booking the sub on Airbnb.

3. Get Your Sugar Fix

For nearly a century, Beerntsen's Confectionary has been selling all kinds of sweet stuff from the same North 8th Street storefront. Tradition runs deep here, from the parlor's old-school aesthetic to the copper kettles, wooden paddles and tried-and-true techniques used to churn out more than 125 kinds of candies and chocolates. Beerntsen's also makes its own ice cream and toppings. Slide into one of the dark walnut booths and pick your pleasure from the Sundae News menu.

4. See Some Art...And Something Else

A 19th-century Victorian mansion houses the free Rahr-West Art Museum, where rotating exhibits share space with a permanent collection of eclectic works from near and far. One item on display—a replica of it anyway—came from really far away. In 1962, a piece of the Soviet Union's Sputnik IV spacecraft fell to the ground, just outside of what's now the museum. A marker on the street commemorates where two bewildered police officers discovered the detritus on North 8th Street. The original fragment was returned to the Soviets, but NASA made a replica that's showcased at the museum.

5. Find Out About Farm Life

Cows outnumber people in Manitowoc County, where dairy farms dot the landscape. It makes sense that the folks behind Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center chose a rural site a few miles south of downtown to build a $13 million facility devoted to all things
agriculture. Come hungry, because the café dishes up delicious fried cheese curds, among other goodies. Hands-on exhibits give visitors a peek at what it's like to be a farmer and the work that goes into growing crops, tending to livestock and making great Wisconsin cheese. If you're lucky, you might get to see a calf be born in the center's birthing barn.

6. Sip Wine on the Water

Relax with a glass of red, white or rosé at the Waterfront Wine Bar, whose lengthy deck skirts the Manitowoc River. Not long before the pandemic, local twin sisters turned a building full of concrete and cobwebs into this popular restaurant and bar, serving 22 wines by the glass. Even more vino is stocked in self-dispensing machines. A little further down the river, closer to Lake Michigan, is another worthwhile watering hole offering F&B. The Wharf started out in a few shipping containers before reopening in 2021 in a much larger indoor-outdoor venue with a decidedly beachy vibe. It's the place to go for free live music most weekends from May through September.

7. Have a Cow—And Ice Cream

Cedar Crest's corporate headquarters are in Cedarburg, but Manitowoc is where the magic happens. The family-run company produces millions of pounds of ice cream each year. Get a factory-fresh scoop or two from March through October at the manufacturing plant's ice cream parlor. It's tough to miss thanks to Bernice, the gigantic fiberglass cow parked on the front lawn.