For my 100th review I want to tell you about one of my favorite places ever. I am a little biased because I have been swimming in Big Cedar since I was a baby, but this place is the shit. 45 minutes north of Milwaukee, this isn’t a quiet Northern Wisconsin lake, this is a big, busy, loved lake. A few short weeks from now, the piers and boats will be out and fall colors will be in full swing. On a clear calm day the lake will reflect the tree’s colors and the water will be smooth, this is the perfect time for a canoe ride. You could come out here on a frigid January day when the trees are bare and the lake is frozen. The ice fishers will be out with their trucks and shanties huddled around the good spots, fishing their hearts out. Months later spring’s progress will be obvious by the slowly melting ice and the buds on the trees. Piers will go in but the lake will still be quiet until Memorial Day when summer at the lake officially starts. Then the water will be choppy with boat wakes and the smell of bbq will be in the air. The CL Yacht has fireworks on the 4th of July and the that night the bay is full of boats of spectators, on the boat ride home the firework fans on the lake shoot off aftershows from their piers. Most busy weekend afternoons in the summer the shallow sandy area on the east side of the lake is full of boats and swimmers playing frisbee, football, and soaking in the sun. Many of the cottage and lake home owners are from Milwaukee or Chicago but there are enough full time residents for you to notice their presence in the off-season. There are several boat ramps on both the east and west sides of the lake. At this point there are four restaurant/bars on the lake: Timmers, Padways, House of Heileman’s and Old Cedar Inn. Most days the best plan is a cocktail cruise on the lake and a grill out. In general people keep to themselves but we are Midwest friendly and if you boat runs out of gas(or you can’t figure out where neutral is) it isn’t hard to find someone to tow you and your boat home. Stop by Big Cedar for a swim, a boat ride, a sunset, or a drink and fish fry at Timmers; chances are you’ll come back again soon.
