The Sheboygan Urban Rec Trail provides a west-east link between the Old Plank Road Trail and Sheboygan’s Harbor Centre and lakefront. It traverses parks and green spaces, winds through historic residential and commercial districts, and provides access to Sheboygan’s Central Business District, as well as numerous scenic, historical, cultural and recreational sites. Designated as a bicycle trail, it is also suitable for walkers and in-line skaters.

The 4.25 mile long trail extends from the west side of Sheboygan, beginning at the eastern trailhead of the popular multi-use Old Plan Road Trail, to Lake Michigan. (The Old Plank Road trailhead and parking lot are located at the west end of Erie Avenue near Highway I-43.)

The bikeway follows clearly marked routes, which incorporate bike paths, common usage trails, bike lanes, and wide curb lanes.

The trail completes a twenty mile long regional bike trail which connects the Kettle Moraine State Forest and the Ice Age Trail, and the communities of Greenbush, Plymouth, Sheboygan Falls and Kohler, with Sheboygan and the Sheboygan lakefront.

POINTS OF INTERESTS ALONG THE TRAIL

1.  Memorial Mall  -  3347 Kohler Memorial Drive

Sheboygan’s only indoor shopping mall, located adjacent to the bike trail, houses department stores, specialty stores, and restaurants. Bike parking is available at the mall.

2.  Sheboygan County Historical Museum  -  3110 Erie Avenue

A stately brick house, built in the 1850’s on its present site, houses the museum collection. One of the last remaining log cabins in the county, a barn which houses antique farm machinery and large implements, and an 1867 cheese factory which displays dairy-related items have been relocated to the site.

3. Taylor Park  -  3014 Erie Avenue

This small park, located at one of the highest points in Sheboygan, has restrooms and playground equipment and provides a close-up view of Sheboygan’s unique three million gallon water tower.

4. Sheboygan County Veterans Memorial

Located in Taylor Park, the Veterans Memorial features seven 30-foot high concrete pillars set in a semi-circle, with black granite inscription stones at the base. The memorial honors nearly 800 Sheboygan County men and women who died in the Country’s six major wars.

5. Taylor Heights/Taylor Drive

Restaurants, department stores, and special interest stores, and a grocery store, are available along Taylor Drive just south of Erie Avenue.

6. Kiwanis Park  -  North 16^th Street

Kiwanis Park, stretching along the bank of the Sheboygan River, provides picnic, playground, and restroom facilities, a shelter house, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and horseshoe pits, a boat launch, and peaceful river views.

7. Workers’ Water Street Park  -  Water Street

This riverfront park provides wonderful views of the river and a tribute to Sheboygan’s workforce, as well as picnic and playground facilities and a directory of points of interest and destinations in Sheboygan’s Harbor Center.

8. Mead Public Library  -  710 North Eighth Street

Mead Public Library, enlarged and remodeled in 1997, is a hub of activity for all ages. It records nearly 900,000 visits annually, and houses 275,000 books plus videos, CDs, and audiotapes. Inside the library’s Quiet Study Room is two newly restored 1910 Cameron murals, the first public pictorial works of art in Sheboygan County. North of the building is the Halprin Water Feature installed in 1976, and the Weill Charitable Fund Clock Tower featuring four brass reliefs, installed in 1997.

9. Harbor Centre Downtown  -  Eighth Street and Environs, Downtown

Sheboygan’s Harbor Centre Downtown District offers a full array of shopping, dining, overnight accommodations, and other services, and has several beautifully restored historic buildings.

10. John Michael Kohler Arts Center  -  North 6^th Street at New York Avenue

Ranked in the top five percent of the nation’s art centers and museums, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center features five galleries of contemporary American art and hosts theatrical performances year ‘round. The complex incorporates the original home of J.M. Kohler; an elegant Italianate villa built in 1882 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

11. Harbor Centre Riverfront  -  Riverfront Drive

Sheboygan’s picturesque Harbor Centre Riverfront includes a boardwalk with a scenic overlook and superb views of the river and harbor. Restored fishing shanties, a converted warehouse, and maritime theme contemporary structures house unique shops and restaurants, charter fishing services, a motel and other amenities along Sheboygan’s riverfront. (Please walk bicycles on the boardwalk.)

12. Rotary Riverview Park  -  401 Pennsylvania Avenue and Riverfront Drive

The terraced Rotary Riverview Park overlooks the river and the riverfront boardwalk, and provides picnic areas and restroom facilities.

13. Lakefront Trail

The Lakefront Trail is a beautiful multi-use route, over a mile long, which follows the shoreline of Lake Michigan from Pennsylvania Avenue to Northpoint.

14. Lottie Cooper Shipwreck Exhibit  -  821 Broughton Drive

The unique exhibit of the remains of the historic three-masted lumber schooner, the Lottie Cooper, provides an informative self-guided tour through the remains of the ship. The Lottie Cooper capsized in 1894 and sank in gale force winds just off the Sheboygan Harbor.