What’s old is new again—just ask sisters Carey Sharpe and Jenna Golem, who lovingly restored The Howard, a 90-plus-year-old building in Oshkosh for use as a multiuse event space, concert hall, café and bowling alley, opening this fall.

Founded in 1847 with just a flour and feed mill, today Cambridge’s quaint downtown filled with brick buildings boasts a few pubs, a winery and little shops—like the Avid Gardener, a gift and gardening boutique on the main drag. 

Once upon a time, nearly a half-century ago, Lake Geneva was quietly hand-picked by Playboy Enterprises to be the site of a glamorous new resort – now known as Grand Geneva.

By Betty W. Stark This article originally appeared in the 2011 fall/winter issue of experience WISCONSIN. A few years…