On The Shores Of Lake Michigan Lies A Charming Wisconsin Village With Quaint Beaches And European History

America's Great Lakes region boasts sand dunes, lighthouses, and waterfront fun. This region is also known for its cosmopolitan cities, like Chicago, as well as its charming towns, like Belgium, Wisconsin. Belgium is located on the Lake Michigan coast in Ozaukee County,  about a 40-minute drive north of Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport. It's a small rural Wisconsin town, spanning 16,000 acres of farmland, with a population of around 2,600 residents per the 2023 census report. 

If you find yourself on a road trip exploring Wisconsin's Lake Michigan coast, between the cities of Green Bay and Milwaukee (Wisconsin's own culinary capital of the Midwest), Belgium makes for a worthwhile stop, especially to get your beachy nature fix. Along these lines, check out the lovely Harrington Beach State Park, which is spread across 715 acres of land, including a mile-long sandy beach, white cedar marshes, a quarry, a pond, and an observatory for stargazing. The location is popular in all seasons but especially in summer, with opportunities for a multitude of outdoor activities, from swimming, fishing, picnicking, and camping to hiking and birdwatching. While the beach in the state park is certainly one of the main draws, the other landscapes in the park are also inviting, with plenty of spots for strolling and quiet contemplation.

Another reason to visit the town of Belgium is if you have Luxembourgish heritage and want to learn more about it. Wait, what? Yes, interestingly, the town of Belgium is culturally and historically related to Luxembourg, not Belgium. Why the name then? First, though the founders of the town were mainly immigrants from Luxembourg, there was already a Wisconsin town named Luxemberg. Second, the immigrants had grown up in an area of Luxembourg that had since been annexed by the country of Belgium in 1839, so the town's founders thought that the name Belgium was a better fit. 

The Luxembourg American Cultural Center in Belgium, Wisconsin, is the only place in the world to honor Luxembourgish patrimony and is also home to the Dooley-Wagner Research Center, a major research institute focusing on Luxembourg genealogy. The  Luxembourg American Cultural Center offers guided tours, or you can easily visit it on your own. If you do, take some time to explore the "Roots and Leaves Museum," which tells the story of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and its ties to the United States, as well as Luxembourgish immigration to the U.S. 

The cultural center has also created an audio guide narrated by a historian, which you can listen to while you stroll around Belgium's historic downtown. The audio guide, called "Voices from the Village," shares local stories and describes the history of several landmarks in the town, like the Old Town Hall, the Hubing & Hames Grocery, and Curley's Tavern. Lastly, the institution organizes a celebration known as Luxembourg Fest that's held annually in August. This event features traditional food and drinks, parades, folk dancing, live music, and entertaining activities like the träipen eating contest, in which contestants need to eat an entire blood sausage dish within a minute, followed by a second portion if they're able to finish the first one.

No trip to Wisconsin is complete without a visit to a working farm! Fortunately, Belgium has Buechler Farms, a family-owned business that initially began as a dairy farm before shifting to cattle. Nowadays, the farm hosts special events throughout the year, such as live music and karaoke, a rodeo, and a circus in summer and pumpkin and Christmas tree picking in the colder months. Check the farm's website for goings-on while you're passing through town.

To explore more of the local area, head to the north-south 30-mile-long Ozaukee Interurban Trail,  which used to be a railway that ran from Milwaukee to Sheboygan. Today the paved trail links Belgium to other nearby municipalities like Brown Deer, Thiensville, Cedarburg, Grafton, Cedar Grove, Oostburg, Sheboygan, and Port Washington (an artsy village with New England charm on Lake Michigan's shoreline). Meandering along this pretty trail — on foot or by bicycle or even cross-country skis, if you will — you can marvel at a wide range of Wisconsin ecosystems, such as dense forest, grassland, marshland, agricultural areas, and more Lake Michigan beaches. You can also stop to grab a bite or beverage at many cafes, bars, and restaurants that you'll see along the way before heading off to your next destination.