This Top Authentic Midwest German Christmas Market Brims With Europe Vibes In Wisconsin

If you want to experience a European-style Christmas market but can't afford a plane ticket abroad just yet, consider one close to home — right in the Midwest. The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, becomes a winter wonderland each December with its Old World Christmas Market. For 10 days from December 5th to December 14th, the festival offers a chance to step into a festive, Old World atmosphere. In 2024, it was even voted #1 Best Holiday Market in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

Exhibitors and attendees from across Wisconsin, neighboring states, and beyond flock to the Old World Christmas Market, now in its 27th year. Honoring the essence of the spectacular German Christmas market, Christkindlesmarkt, in Nüremberg, Germany, it attracts up to 20,000 attendees each year. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily inside a football field-sized heated tent. Admission costs $8 for adults; children 14 and under are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

Inside, you can browse stalls selling hand-carved nutcrackers, Czech blown-glass ornaments, Russian nesting dolls, Turkish pashmina scarves, and more. When you get hungry, there are food vendors where you can fulfill your European cravings with traditional options, including glühwein (hot spiced red wine), schnitzel, and apple strudel. Between the Christmas market being one of the Midwest's most festive and fun Christmas markets that feel like Europe and the Osthoff Resort transforming itself to be one of the most enchanting holiday hotels, it is a spot many tourists want to make a destination for the holidays.

Elkhart Lake makes a great weekend holiday getaway because, even in summer, its natural beauty and quaint village feel often remind visitors of a Hallmark movie. Come winter, twinkling lights and horse-drawn wagon rides add festive charm.

Along with the large Christmas market, the Osthoff Resort offers several holiday activities you can sign up for. The night before the market starts, the hotel hosts a tree lighting to kick off the season. Throughout the holidays, you can join cookie-decorating workshops, brunch with reindeer, horse-drawn wagon rides, and other crafts. Depending on why you visit — whether for the market, the crafts, or just the holiday vibe — there are many festive options for a holiday stay at Osthoff.

In 2025, cookie decorating is scheduled for December 6 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at $15 per person. It is described as a "drop-in" workshop, so participants do not need to stay the full three hours. Horse-drawn wagon rides, which also cost $15 per person, run on December 6, 13, and 24, with rides beginning at 11 a.m. and leaving every 30 minutes, lasting 30 minutes each. Each wagon holds up to 18 guests at a time, and hot chocolate and cookies are offered during the ride. The time slots do seem to book up, with certain times already unavailable online as of this writing, so if you know you want a scenic horse-drawn wagon ride, it's a good idea to book ahead of time.