Seniors Stop In West Bend

Senior travelers will find West Bend 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee. The population runs right at 32,000. Before the arrival of European settlers in southeastern Wisconsin, the Potawatomi and Menominee Indians inhabited the land now occupied by the city of West Bend.

In 1845 early settler Barton Salisbury, while on a surveying trip up the Milwaukee River, found a rapids that he believed would be a good source of power for a sawmill. He built a log hut on the west side of the river and the village of Barton was born. On November 1, 1961, the city of West Bend annexed the Village of Barton.

The Milwaukee River played a pivotal role in the history of the city. It was named West Bend because of the western bend in the river. In 1873, the first railroad tracks were laid through West Bend, paving the way for population growth and industrialization.

Seniors Find City Of Parks And Green Space

TripAdvisor suggests senior visitors check out  Shalom Wildlife and the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

The local Chamber of Commerce notes that “West Bend is situated in one of Wisconsin’s most scenic areas, is conveniently near Milwaukee, and combines the best of small town and big city living…”

West Bend has a paved river walk that snakes through the city along the banks of the Milwaukee River. The Eisenbahn State Trail, a Rails to Trails project, has added another trail for walking, running, biking, and roller skating.

The 1,000-mile National Ice Age Trail crosses through West Bend, a city that has over 1,200 acres of parks and green space.

In addition to numerous parks and bike/pedestrian trails, Lac Lawrann Conservancy, offers a 137-acre nature preserve and 5 miles of trails, so toss in your hiking boots.

Seniors Enjoy Cache Ba$h

Seniors can have a sample of Lithia Beer that is brewed at the West Bend Brewing Co. Entertainment on Thursday nights in the summer is provided by Music on Main. The street in downtown West Bend is closed to traffic and a different band takes the stage at Old Settler’s Park each week.

Maxwell Street Days features more than 700 spaces filled with antiques and collectibles and German Fest are two summer events held in the downtown area. Riverfest (formerly Seafood Fest) is West Bend’s Premier Food and Music Festival and a more recent annual event in Riverside Park is JazzFest.

West Bend, Wisconsin has been branded the “Geocaching Capital of the Midwest,” boasting over 1,200 caches within a 10-mile radius of the city. An annual “Cache Ba$h” has been sponsored by the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce since 2008.

Geocaching is a recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. Sound like fun? It is. Seniors are invited to enjoy the many amenities of West Bend. -jeb