The Spookiest Abandoned Places in Wisconsin
From churches to mansions to trains to forests, there are loads of abandoned places in Wisconsin that will appeal to a broad range of interests.
Written by Natalie Todoroff
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
- Abandoned Buildings
- Abandoned Town
- Interesting Abandoned Places
- Tips for exploring Wisconsin’s abandoned places
- How to find cheap car insurance in Wisconsin
- FAQs
Load full table of contents
There’s more to
Wisconsin
than just cheese, football, cows, and heavy snowfalls.It is home to several abandoned buildings including a Gilded Age mansion, a Cold War-era missile tower, and even an operational ghost train! Whether you call it the Dairy state, the Badger state, or the Copper state, Wisconsin certainly has a reputation. It’s home to delicious cheese; some of the nicest people you can meet; and, believe it or not, tons of abandoned places. Off the well-worn track, you’ll find abandoned churches, mansions, taverns, and even entire towns scattered throughout America’s Dairyland.
Car insurance
broker Jerry
, the automotive super app
, is here to shepherd you around to the spookiest and coolest abandoned places in Wisconsin. Before you plan your visit to these historic—and potentially haunted—sites, take a look at this guide to see if you’re allowed inside, which times of year you should visit, and a little bit of a backstory on each place.If you’re ready for an eerie and mysterious tour through Wisconsin, read on!
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Abandoned Buildings
St. Ambrose Church
Location: St. Nazianz
Abandoned since: 1982
Is it legal to go in? Yes
Located just an hour south of
Green Bay
, St. Ambrose is a former Catholic church founded by German emigree Father Ambrose Oschwald way back in 1854. Since its founding date, the property has changed hands quite a few times. Following Father Oschwald’s death in 1873, his followers scattered and decamped. The church was purchased by the Salvatorian Fathers in 1896. Under their ownership, St. Ambrose flourished as a seminary for several decades. Due to a sharp decline in enrollment, the Church was converted to a high school that closed in 1982.
St. Ambrose became a hotbed for gang activity, and the once-holy walls were desecrated with graffiti. The church was bought again in 2008 by United Ministries with the intention to restore it and turn it into a summer camp. Today, the new owners run a thrift shop in the old gymnasium and visitors are welcome to climb the hill to visit the grave of the man who started it all—Father Oschwald.
Heritage House Inn
Abandoned since: Mid-2000s
Is it legal to go in? Yes
Not only can you visit the Heritage House Inn, but you can also actually book a room and stay there! Now called the
Stella Hotel & Ballroom
, they’re a fully operational boutique hotel—they even do weddings! Heritage House Inn was once the oldest malthouse in the state and was operational from 1857 to 1914 when a fire engulfed the entire building, scorching it for several days. It then was rebuilt as the fraternal club in 1919, and after some financial trouble, it was sold and rebranded as Heritage House Inn.
In the mid-2000s, Heritage House Inn was mysteriously and abruptly abandoned. To add insult to injury, the building suffered another fire in 2011.
MORE: How to check for Wisconsin road closures
Pabst Mansion
Location: Milwaukee
Abandoned since: 1975
Is it legal to go in? Yes
Completed in 1892,
Pabst Mansion
is a Flemish renaissance-style mansion nestled along Milwaukee
’s Grand Street. Once home to Captain Pabst, his wife, and their ten children, Pabst Mansion housed the beer brewing dynasty until 1908 when it was sold to the Roman Archdioceses of Milwaukee. The church sold and abandoned the mansion in 1975. To save it from a cruel end—getting turned into parking garages—Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. rescued the crumbling building in 1978 and began their mission of restoring it.
Pabst Mansion now offers tours seven days a week, with special Blue Ribbon happy hour tours on Fridays and Saturdays for guests 21 and over.
Sylvia’s Tavern
Location: Douglas County
Abandoned since: 1985
Is it legal to go in? No, but you can take a photo of the outside
At the edge of a sand road along the shores of a lake in northwestern Wisconsin, you’ll find Sylvia’s Tavern. A humble dwelling deep in the Wisconsin wilderness, this tavern once served a pint to President Calvin Coolidge back in the 1920s (if the rumors are to be believed).
Sylvia owned and operated the bar for her entire life. In 1985, the tavern was completely abandoned. To this day, no one knows why.
Although Sylvia’s Tavern is abandoned, it is on private property and you cannot go inside. But, you’re welcome to drive by and snap a photo.
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Abandoned Town
Pendarvis, Wisconsin
Location: Iowa County
Abandoned since: Late 1990s
Is it legal to go in? Yes
In the early 1930s, several optimistic miners and their families settled in Pendarvis in the hopes of finding stores of tin, lead, and zinc. At its peak, over 4,000 people called Pendarvis home.
Once the mines dried up around the turn of the century, the residents of Pendarvis abandoned the town in search of new places to mine.
The Pendarvis of today looks eerily similar to how it would have looked in the 1930s. No, there’s nothing supernatural afoot here—the town is registered on the National Registry of Historic places and was restored by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Pendarvis is now open to the public and all those who are keen to learn its history.
Interesting Abandoned Places
Lost City Forest
Location: Madison
Abandoned since: Early 1920s
Is it legal to go in? Yes
Lost City Forest is a town in lush woods near Lake Wingra that never came to be.
Madison
experienced a huge boom in the early 1920s that left building developers clambering to have enough beds for heads. There was enough space in the woods for plenty of houses, but the builders failed to consider how the marshy ground would impact their building plans. The ground proved too squishy to support any buildings, so the builders were forced to abandon their plans to develop the forest. Now an arboretum, Lost City Forest now offers tours only once a year, usually in October. But, it’s open all year round to visitors to wander its grounds.
Shorewood Ghost Train
Location: Shorewood
Abandoned since: 1963
Is it legal to go in? Yes
The
Shorewood Ghost Train
was originally built in the early twentieth century to connect Minneapolis St. Paul to Chicago. It was marketed that this 400-mile-long route could be completed in just around 400 minutes—a true feat of engineering for its time. The train route was done away within 1963, and the abandoned train car today is an art installation that reimagines the train’s original route. The train runs twice per night, beginning at 7 pm in the winter and 9 pm in the summer months.
Nike Missile Control Site
Abandoned since: Late 1980s
Is it legal to go in? No, but you can look outside
Last, but certainly not least, we have the Nike Missile Control Site, a leftover relic from the Cold War era. It’s been abandoned since the late 1980s and has experienced some damage from vandalism and those cold Wisconsin winters.
The thirty-foot-tall tower sits on the M74 Nike Missile Base, which once held radar equipment and weapons to protect the city from an attack. You can walk around the outside of the tower, but you are now allowed to climb up inside of it.
Tips for exploring Wisconsin’s abandoned places
When visiting Wisconsin’s abandoned places, you’ll want to be mindful and respectful of your surroundings. Whether a site has been abandoned for years or is back up and fully operational, you should consider these tips when planning your visit:
- Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. And even then, check whether you should use flash photography.
- Bring a friend or share your location. Although a lot of places on our list are in popular, more urban areas, you should be a little more cautious the farther you are from civilization.
- Check if you are allowed to visit and go inside. Many places allow you to drive by and look at the outside, but you should double-check beforehand whether or not you’re actually allowed inside. You want to go exploring, not trespassing.
- Wear sturdy walking shoes. While some of the locations on this list are in more developed, residential areas, others are in more rugged terrain. It’s probably wiser to opt for sneakers over stilettos!
How to find cheap car insurance in Wisconsin
Before you hop behind the wheel and chart your course to these abandoned places in Wisconsin, you may want to check up on your
car insurance
policy. If you’re planning a road trip, the last thing you want is to be worried about your car insurance. You want to know that you’re covered—whether you get a flat tire, need a tow, or find yourself in an accident.
Make sure you have the coverage to keep you safe on the road by shopping with
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FAQs
Is it illegal to visit abandoned places?
Many abandoned places are open to the public and even offer tours to those interested in their history. But if you’re wandering around private property without permission, you’re technically trespassing. So, before you strap on your walking shoes and visit an abandoned place, check who owns the building and comply with any and all visiting regulations.
Are there any abandoned cities in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin is home to quite a few abandoned towns. After minerals dried up, once-hopeful miners would pack up their belongings and set off in search of new places to mine, leaving a slew of abandoned cities and towns in their wake. Some towns, like Pendarvis, have been fully restored and are open to the public for tours.
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