Taking in the charms of Sheboygan

'Of all places for you to go on vacation, why Sheboygan?" my friend asked when I explained that I was planning to take my 5-year-old away for a weekend in Wisconsin. "What else do they have besides bratwurst?"

Apparently quite a bit. The goal for my getaway was to find somewhere that had activities for my son, decent food for me, an appealing atmosphere and a reasonable price tag.

To share expenses, I asked my friend Karen and her son to join us.

Priority No. 1 for the kiddos was the water park at the Blue Harbor Resort (1-866-701-2583; www.blueharborresort .com), where we booked a room. Knowing of its kid-magnet, 43,000-square-foot indoor water park, I was surprised to find that it's also a popular destination for business conferences. There are condos, villas, a spa and four restaurants.

Splish-splash

Our room could sleep six and had a view of Lake Michigan. At $230 a night, it was a little steep, but that's where teaming up with a friend came in handy. Plus, the price included passes for the water park, which had a wading pool for babies, simple slides for toddlers, and two giant water rides for adults and teens. There also was a snack bar serving food and adult beverages.

For our first meal, we decided to try the traditional Friday fish fry at the Duke of Devon (739 Riverfront Dr.; 1-920-458-7900; www.dukeofdevonpub. com), an English-style pub that sits on the riverfront harbor before the Sheboygan River snakes into Lake Michigan. Brew-loving parents will appreciate the large beer menu.

We hit downtown Sheboygan on Saturday morning. On 8th Street we found diversions to keep everyone happy, with a children's museum, several specialty shops and a sprawling farmers market on the town square. The market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday through October. Vendors offer organic food, fruits, vegetables, crafts and other local specialties, but prices don't have to break you; bunches of herbs go for $1, and brat lovers can get their fix while listening to live music, which changes weekly.

For our meal we went to Field to Fork at 511 S. 8th St. (1-920-694-0322; www.fieldtoforkcafe.com). The breakfast/lunch restaurant features natural and organic ingredients from local farms. The kids filled up on fruit smoothies and French toast with maple butter sauce. A highlight was "The Big John," an egg creation I'd ordered with chicken sausage, Swiss cheese and onions served on homemade toast.

As we ate, my son asked: "Why is there a hole in the floor?"

Looking through the hole, I noticed a cheese cave covered in glass. Next to the cave was the Field to Fork Grocery, with local cheeses, specialty meats and homemade pastries. Later I picked up fresh muffins to take with us.

Exploring the city

We had our next destination. "Will they have ponies there?" my son asked. We went to find out.

To his delight, we stumbled across some ponies carrying kids in monotonous circles at Harbor Fest, but they turned ot to be second best to the tour of the gigantic firetruck parked near the water. There were also two bouncy houses, a small petting zoo, a tattooed man making sculptures out of wood with a chain saw -- and plenty of ice cream.

After taking a two-minute drive north from Harbor Fest, we put a blanket down in General King Park. Here we found a mile of sandy white beach, a playground with slides, washrooms and a picturesque view of the lighthouse and South Pier. This was the perfect place to watch the kids work off their ice cream buzz as we relaxed on the beach.

While trying to find another place for lodging on our second night, we considered the Harbor Winds Hotel (1-920-452-9000). At only $45 per room and located near 8th Street, you couldn't beat the price. We stayed put at Blue Harbor and used the outdoor pool the next morning to take advantage of the sunny day.

On our way out of town, armed with pastries from the day before, we drove while licking rhubarb muffin off our fingers.