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Experience Historic Hospitality from the Time of Horse-Drawn Carriages

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a couple dancing while a woman dressed in clothes from the time plays piano

Visiting Wade House takes you on a journey through Wisconsin’s past with tours of the Wade House Inn, as well as a blacksmith shop, sawmill, and the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum. Wade House is named for the stagecoach inn built by the first European settlers of the town, Sylvanus and Betsey Wade.

The inn, built between 1847 and 1851, was constructed conveniently between the cities of Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, along a well-used stagecoach trail. This made the 27-room Greek Revival inn a popular resting point for weary travelers.

You’ll explore the inn and grounds, taste food from the kitchens, belly up to the bar in the taproom, play period games, meet friendly farm animals, see sparks fly from the anvil, smell fresh sawdust, and enjoy interactive exhibits for all ages!

Things To Do

WESLEY W. JUNG CARRIAGE MUSEUM

OPEN YEAR ROUND!

The wonder of Wisconsin’s largest collection of carriages and wagons awaits each visitor to in this modern, state-of-the-art, 20,000 square-foot carriage museum. The collection features nearly 100 carriages and vehicles that span the from 1870 to 1915 and interactive exhibits highlighting their history.

Woman standing in front of Wade House in a dress

WADE HOUSE INN

See what a night on the stagecoach trail was like as you explore this expansive three-story, 27-room, Greek Revival inn built by the Wades between 1847 and 1851. Constructed from local timber, the inn was built in the style you would expect to see in the more affluent eastern part of the United States, highlighting the early prosperity of the village. Tour the living spaces, kitchens, bedrooms, taproom, and more.

GROUNDS AND OTHER BUILDINGS

Enjoy the Wade House grounds at your leisure. Hear the hammer and anvil in the blacksmith shop and smell the fresh wood shavings in the sawmill. Meet the farm animals that call Wade House Home. Your journey through time will help you experience the lives of pioneers in the Wisconsin frontier.

Winter Snowshoeing

During the colder months explore the grounds by snowshoe! Available for pick up from the Visitor Center ticket desk when there’s at least 4 inches of snow glittering on the ground.

We do ask for a valid driver’s license or other ID to hold until the snowshoes are returned.

Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibition

Wade House Historic Site is celebrating the 150th birthday of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright with displays of Wright carriages, exhibits, and speakers.

EXPLORE THE EXHIBIT