Pepin

Wisconsin village on Lake Pepin, best known as Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthplace.

Pepin is a small village on the eastern shore of Lake Pepin, a 28-mile-long natural widening of the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin. It is best known as the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder — the cabin site is seven miles north of town, and September's Laura Ingalls Wilder Days draw fans of the books from across the country.

The village was settled in 1846, named after two French trappers, and grew as a steamboat stop on the Mississippi. Mark Twain knew it; wealthy Chicagoans summered on the lake. Today it is a quiet place with a handful of restaurants, shops, and a marina with transient docking for visitors arriving by water.

Lake Pepin itself, formed by the delta of the Chippewa River, is the real draw — sailing, fishing, kayaking in summer, ice boating and cross-country skiing in winter. The lake is also where Ralph Samuelson invented water skiing in 1922. The Harbor View Cafe has built a culinary reputation that reaches well beyond Wisconsin — a seasonal, cash-only operation that fills on weekends with visitors from the Twin Cities. Pepin is about 70 miles southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul on the Great River Road and makes a pleasant weekend escape.

Guide

Eating Out

Pepin's restaurant scene is dominated by one place — Harbor View Cafe — which has built a reputation that reaches well beyond Wisconsin. For a village of fewer than 1,000 people, this is remarkable. Beyond Harbor View, a handful of casual spots line the waterfront.

Guide

Getting There

Pepin sits on Wisconsin Highway 35 (the Great River Road), about 70 miles southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The drive from the Twin Cities takes roughly two hours via US-10 east to WI-35 south — the last stretch along Lake Pepin is the best part of the journey.

There is no train or bus service to Pepin. A car is essential. From Chicago, the drive is about four hours via I-90 west and then US-53 or WI-35 north.

Visitors arriving by boat can dock at the marina in the village, which has transient slips. The marina monitors VHF Channel 16.

Guide

Things to Do

Pepin's appeal is built on two things: the water and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Lake Pepin offers sailing, kayaking, and fishing in summer; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and the cabin site north of town draw literary pilgrims year-round. The Great River Road runs right through town, making Pepin a natural stop on a longer Mississippi River drive.