City of Fond du Lac - Fond Du Lac, WI Area Guide

Several tribes of Native Americans settled in the area around Fond du Lac well before the arrival of French fur trappers. One such group with a major presence in the region gave its name to Lake Winnebago. A judge from the Michigan Territory bought the land that would eventually be the site of the city in the early 1830s, and logging and milling brought people to the area throughout the rest of the 19th century. For theater lovers, the Fond du Lac Community Theatre hosts a full season of plays every year. The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac offers interactive and educational exhibits for the whole family. The Fond du Lac County Fair held every July and Walleye Weekend in June provide a chance for the area's residents to get together and enjoy being outside in the warm summer months.

Fond du Lac has a mix of corporate fast food and family-owned establishments, with many of the better restaurants located downtown on or near Main Street. Consistently voted "best pizza in town" and appreciated for its fun and relaxing bar environment downtown, Joe’s Fox Hut never disappoints. Joe’s serves a long list of appetizers, including fries, rings and wings, as well as full dinners of fish or chicken. Of course, they also have great pizza, including bar favorite Joe’s Deluxe with heaping amounts of sausage, mushroom, green pepper and onion. The Green Dragon Brew Pub, located just east of Main Street in downtown Fondy serves great bar fare with plenty of quality craft beer choices. Patrons can enjoy dragon’s eggs appetizers, consisting of hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage, then fried and served on spring greens with honey mustard. Order up some Dragon Wings to go with your soup, salad or burger. The Green Dragon typically features 14 beers on tap at any given time, rotating their selection often. One Wisconsin tradition alive and well in Fond du Lac is that of the supper club. At one time, supper clubs were quite common throughout the Midwest. Doubling as both a social club for its patrons, as well as a place for high-end food and cocktails, this Wisconsin institution has been fading over the decades — but not in Fondy. For proof, visit Blanck’s Lake Aire Supper Club, located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and serving the residents of the city for over half a century. Thick steaks, rib eyes, burgers and haddock, breaded or broiled, keep their customers well fed at affordable prices. For a more decadent dish, try the Cedar Plank Shrimp special. This seafood entrée features shrimp sautéed in butter, wine and garlic, served on a bed of angel hair pasta. Downtown Fond du Lac has a healthy nightlife scene with several venues that regularly host live music. Fat Joe's Bar & Grill not only serves great bar food, but patrons also get to enjoy live music acts from around the area. The Backstage Bar and Grill also offers the opportunity for weekend revelers to take in a tribute band or original act. The Coliseum Sports Bar & Grill gives sports fans a cozy place to watch Green Bay Packers football, Milwaukee Brewers baseball or any nationally televised sporting event. The Coliseum offers a choice of domestic and import beers and also serves a few food items like wings, dogs, burgers and an excellent, and very messy, gyros sandwich with fries.

Fond du Lac Transit runs nine bus routes traveling throughout town. For travel in and out of the city, take Interstate 41 north to Oshkosh or south to Milwaukee, and Interstate 151 runs south to Madison. Many locals get around Fond du Lac by foot, and you can also travel the area easily by bicycle. The city does have cab service, but it's a better bet to call one than to attempt to hail one from the street. Uber ride sharing is not available yet. When shopping in downtown Fond du Lac, parking is free on Main Street, with several paid lots available for employees working downtown, as well as street parking in adjacent neighborhoods.

Free to the public, the Lakeside Park covers over 400 acres of green space on the shore of Lake Winnebago. The park also features the historic Lakeside Park Lighthouse with an observation tower that allows visitors to survey the lake. Children enjoy the petting zoo and a miniature train, and everyone can use the park for walking and jogging. Every holiday season, the park hosts a light display with live music. The Lakeside Dog Park gives dog owners the chance to let their dogs roam unleashed.

The cost of living in Fond du Lac is lower than that of the Milwaukee and Madison metropolitan areas. You can rent a one bedroom apartment in Fond du Lac for about $665 per month. To travel to downtown, adults pay a fare of $1.50 to ride the bus system. Gas prices are about 10 percent less than the national average. For a beer at your local pub, you can expect to pay as little as $3 for a bottle of domestic or $4 for a pint of regional craft beer or an import.

Forest Mall in Fond du Lac offers residents many choices in retail shopping. The mall features popular chain stores such as American Eagle Outfitters, GNC, Hot Topic and Kohl's. If you like bargain hunting for vintage clothes, St. Vincent De Paul remains the best place to mine the racks for second hand gold. For a more high-end retail experience, shoppers in Fond du Lac head to Savvy Boutique on Country Lane for all their clothing and accessory needs. Savvy Boutique offers unique and fashionable apparel for women of all ages while providing excellent customer service. Krail Jewelry has been in business in Fond du Lac for almost a century and carries an impressive array of quality jewelry and timepieces. Pat's Gallery of Antiques has many old treasures for your new home or decorating project. In downtown Fond du Lac, Bookworld is the place to pick out a good book or a magazine, newspaper or cigar. Residents have several choices for grocery shopping. Festival Foods offers a good variety at affordable prices and Pick 'n Save has plenty of value by way of daily deals and other specials. The downtown Fond du Lac Farmer's Market operates in the summer and winter with both outdoor and indoor facilities to showcase the best in locally grown produce.