Elkhart Lake, WI

Elkhart Lake is a village in northwestern Sheboygan County, built around the lake and a downtown that still holds its historic depot. Its most unusual regional connection is Road America, a few miles south. Sports-car races ran on roads around the village in the early 1950s; after Wisconsin banned racing on open roads, a permanent 4.048-mile, 14-turn course opened on farmland outside Elkhart Lake in 1955. Race weekends still reach into town, with vintage cars parading from the track and lining downtown streets for special events. The track gives the village a motorsports business and event calendar that extend well beyond its small population.

Inside the village, Lake Street and Rhine Street gather several everyday pieces: Village Square Park sits beside the public library, Fireman's Park has a seasonal beach, and June Vollrath Park carries baseball, softball, basketball, and winter skating. Village Beach is reserved for village and school-district residents with passes, keeping the lake part of local routines as well as the visitor season. The restored depot museum in the downtown records the village's railroad and resort history. Elkhart Lake is a place where a lakefront village center and a four-mile racing circuit share the same calendar.