Best Place for Vacation Home (Milwaukee, Madison: buying, wages, taxes)

[pmsmith2032]

My wife and I have been contemplating purchasing land/cottage somewhere nearby for a vacation retreat for a number of years now. However, we are having a difficult time finding an area that fits our criteria. Here is what we are looking for:

1. Within approximately 4 hours of the far west suburbs of Chicago. I know this immediately limits us in our choices, but anything further will severely limit the amount of time we can spend there. My grandparents have a place near Boulder Junction (6 hours for us) and the drive is just too long.

2. On, or very near, a lake of some sort. Ideally it would be directly on a lake, but due to financials, some sort of nearby access may be the best bet. We would use the lake for fishing, tubing/skiing and swimming. Eventually we will buy a boat and/or pontoon boat so some sort of boat slip would be needed (if we don't have land on the water).

3. Near a town with a "small town" feel. We go every year to Door County (Pumpkin Patch Festival) and like the towns there. Unfortunately, the drive is around 6 hours.

4. Wilderness feel. This is where things get really difficult. We like a remote feel. But we also like somewhere nearby with activities (shopping, restaurants, festivals, wineries, etc). We have kids (and some day grand kids) so need to keep them in mind too. Basically, we like a woodsy feel (living in wide-open, flat, Illinois and want something different). Bugs are also an issue as Boulder Junction can be terrible with mosquitoes and black flies at certain times of the year.

So basically we are all over the board! LOL We like a place with a east coast, beachy, ocean type of feel (like door county). But this isn't all that conducive to water sports. And we like the wilderness feel of the northwoods but these places are too far away. I found the place below, but it is six hours away. It would be perfect (wilderness feel with lots of stuff to do....tennis, golf, beach, fishing, trails, near Eagle River) but is too far.
Lake Lots on Private, Spring Fed Lake with Clear Water and Hard Sand Bottom in Northern Wisconsin

Any suggestions on places that might be close to what we are looking for? Thanks in advance!

[timberline742]

How would you feel about being near a flowage instead of a lake? I'm thinking Black River State Forest region, Jackson, Wood, etc counties.

[pmsmith2032]

Not really sure. How would a flowage be for water activities such as tubing and skiiing? I always worry about someone falling and getting hurt on submerged trees, rocks etc. Are there issues with flooding, drought, algae breakouts etc?

[everwinter]

Apple Canyon Lake.
2 to 2 1/2 hours. I think you'll be more likely to use a vacation home that is as close as possible.
I can't recall how woodsy it felt though. I really like NW Illinois. Pretty area with gravel roads & rolling hills. Galena, New Diggins etc are fairly close. My family had a vacation home there when I was a child & I remember there was a lot of recreation. Tennis, golf, the lake, a waterfall, etc. Thinking back it was kind of weird for my family (Wisconsinites) to buy a vacation home in Illinois. Usually it's the other way around.

Apple Canyon Lake Property Owners Association

[cheese plate]

everwinter - this person wants a lake home. If you go to the Galena area, you are in the Driftless. Because of its unique geological history, there are no natural lakes in the Driftless, just lots of rivers and streams. There are a few flowages (like Lake Redstone in WI) you can choose from, but by cutting out the northwoods due to drive-time, you only are left with "Lake Country" (IL & WI) immediately outside Milwaukee/Chicago, central WI (Waupaca chain of lakes and so forth) or the kettle morraine further north. Castle Rock/Petenwell Lake are also options.

For "Lake Country," well, it's pretty expensive and doesn't offer the same feel as going further out into the sticks.

Waupaca area (go west/south/north) is fairly wooded. The chain is huge, with lots of exploring to do. It can be "up north" expensive for nice places on a nice lake, but there are exceptions.

Kettle Morraine from Holy Hill area up through to Elkart Lake is very pretty, but the lakes are pretty small. Many are fairly open/treeless, but Forest Lake (for example) would fit every bill except big water views. Not too many Door County-like towns, but Kewauskum is nice.

For that, how about Lake Winnebago? One of the biggest lakes in the Midwest, big views, and so on. West side is densely populated (Fox Valley), but the East side is pretty sparse. Not too many "charming towns," but you're never that far from Sheboygan or Appleton, say.

Castle Rock/Petenwell Lake are also large lakes with affordable properties, but there's very little "charming" about the towns and locals, for the most part.

You could also get a place near a Lake Michigan beach. Once you gain access, the shoreline is public, so just find a place near an access point. Forget about buying a spot right ON the lake, of course, because that's quite expensive. North of Algoma before you get to Sturgeon Bay you can still find under $200,000 cabins occasionally, but they usually come with fairly high taxes and are more rock than sand in that area. The Green Bay side of the Lake is nice (sunsets, not sunrises over the water) and cheaper in some spots (southern Door).

[Rynldsbr]

Castle Rock and Petenwell seem like good fit for the OP criteria. Adams and Friendship may not seem charming in the tourist sense of the word, but have a small town aura that may work.

What about river towns? If not "lake fun" the Missisppi river (and associated tributaries) in SW WI offers a lot of nice areas and many are affordable.

[everwinter]

Originally Posted by cheese plate

everwinter - this person wants a lake home. If you go to the Galena area, you are in the Driftless. Because of its unique geological history, there are no natural lakes in the Driftless, just lots of rivers and streams.

My bad. I didn't catch that.
You can tube/ski, fish, & swim in/on Apple Canyon Lake though as it is conducive to those water sports the OP listed, which is why I mentioned it. You're right that it is a man made lake.

[pmsmith2032]

Thanks for all the great replies. A couple of follow-up questions:

Castle Rock and Petenwell - Do these two lakes have problems with pollution and/or algae bloom? I thought I remember reading somewhere that they turn green in summer?

Lake Winnebago - How are Sheboygan or Appleton as towns?

Kettle Morraine - How big are the lakes? Can you ski and tube on them?

Waupaca area - Do these lakes get really busy? How are the towns in the area?

Apple Canyon Lake - I read somewhere that it is next to impossible to get a boat slip....anyone know if this is true?

Thanks again!

[ranger17]

OP, it's likely that you'll find the best water will be the busiest. Those known for fishing will have every hot spot covered by boats, and those that are good for water sports will have plenty of boats and jet ski's out playing.
For algae bloom, that can happen regardless of the lake location (though i dont recall seeing it as frequently in the northern lakes). The Madison chain of lakes can get it bad, and i've been on the Petenwell flowage (bowfishing) and at least where we were the weeds and algae was abundant. I'll add there were plenty of water hazards out there, we dealt with them for what we were doing but i could see skiing/tubing being an issue. Again that may have been the locations on the waters that we were at, i wont say it covers the entire area.
Bugs? Going to be prevalent on/near water, especially if one also is in a wooded lot. That wont change.
You may also want to look at lakes in Marquette & Green Lake counties (Green Lake is popular but can get busy), the lakes near Montello (Puckaway, Buffalo) good for fishing, not totally sure on the sports aspect but all are probably 1-1.5 hours north of Madison which falls in your range. And all are in or near various small towns for that "feel" and frankly all do get a share of summer tourists/regulars from the IL area so the drive must be reasonable enough.

[Rynldsbr]

Didn't think of Waupaca but that may be a good idea to look into. Lakes are nice and town is decent with plenty of summer activity anyway. Google maps says it is 3:20 from Crystal Lake (as a reference) so well within the drive time you are looking for.

Would a RV site with lake access be an option? I know spots in Adams and Waupaca area that offer sites with access and plenty of trees (not just an open field) where you could enjoy the water, northewoods feel, and maybe not have to spend a fortune while you decide if you like it and use it enough to justify the expense of a permanent vacation home.

Also depending on budget there are a few in Jefferson County, between Madison and Milwaukee that could be compromises worth looking at. Lake Koshkonong outside Ft Atkinson, Rock Lake in Lake Mills, and then Whitewater Lake near the southern Kettle Moraine are all near nice towns, offer good water for watersports, and would shorten the drive time. May not offer all the remote northwoods feel you seek though.

I grew up near Minocqua and miss it sometimes, wishing I could have a place there versus the drive time to get there is a conflict I wrestle with myself. Good luck.