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Recreation in Fond du Lac

With Lake Winnebago to its north and open country, marshland and forested moraine surrounding the city, Fond du Lac is an American vacationland.

Lake Winnebago covers 215-square miles and holds title as Wisconsin’s largest inland lake and an angler’s paradise. Every species of fish (from sturgeon to crappies) are caught in the varied depths of the lake. Stretching from Fond du Lac to Appleton, a distance of about 30 miles, Lake Winnebago is also a boater’s joy. The marina in Fond du Lac’s Lakeside Park is a busy place throughout the summer, as are the 180 slips in the park.

The 400 acres of islands and lakefront that make up Lakeside Park are a focal point for outdoor activity throughout the summer. Created in the late 1800s, the park offers playgrounds, picnic sites, baseball fields, picturesque lagoons, boat ramps, shoreline fishing, a petting zoo, old fashioned children’s rides, canoe rentals, a snack shop and band concerts in a handsome gazebo. The Fond du Lac area hosts 14 additional parks that feature facilities for tennis, volleyball, baseball, picnicking, fishing and other family outdoor recreational activities.

The summer months are also a time for windsurfers, and Lake Winnebago is heralded as the best in the Midwest for this unique water sport. When the lake freezes over in mid-winter, telltale trails of snowmobiles are everywhere and ice-fishing shelters dot the white of the scene, especially during late February’s sturgeon season.

Ice hockey commands attention thanks to the efforts of the Blue Line Hockey Club, which organizes teams of youngsters who play on two indoor ice rinks at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds. Figure skating is also a primary recreational activity at the ice centers.

The city’s Community Aquatic Center, with two pools under roof, provides year-round swimming opportunities. In summer, families now have access to the new $2 million Fairgrounds Family Aquatic Center — which opened to rave reviews in 2002.

The new City of Fond du Lac Skate Park for in-line skating and skateboarding was designed with the help of local skaters and provides a safe place to enjoy this growing sport in a designated area.

Senior citizens also have a place to “hang out.” The Fond du Lac Senior Center provides opportunities for seniors to play and learn together. It offers peer counseling and a variety of support groups, as well as health and fitness services and activities.

The most avid golfers find all the challenge they need at 10 area public golf courses. Oakgreen Golf Course is unique among the courses available in the community. It consists of an 18-hole course, a 9-hole par-3 course and a 9-hole executive course. All fairways are watered and all greens are elevated. The 27-hole championship Rolling Meadows course is also unique in that it is owned by Fond du Lac County. Whispering Springs Golf Course offers 18 championship holes and five sets of tees. Thornbrook Golf Course is a 9-hole, par-3 course. It features a practice range and rental clubs. South Hills is a professional, private 18-hole golf course with a full service restaurant, pro shop and swimming pool. Other nearby courses include Badger Creek in New Holstein; The Golf Club at Camelot in Lomira; Far Vu, Westhaven and Utica in Oshkosh; Scenic Auburn Bluffs in Campbellsport; and Tuscumbia in Green Lake.

Family campers like to get away to nearby Kettle Moraine State Park — which offers hiking and cross-country skiing trails; lakes for swimming, boating and fishing; and plenty of natural beauty all around. Several private campgrounds can also be found throughout the Fond du Lac area.