Just in time for the bustling summer season in Green Lake, a new shuttle service will add ease to private events like weddings and parties and offer a fun and safe way to tour area businesses, wineries, golf courses and even local Amish stores.
Co-owners Mark Wilton and Keith Kornburger are no strangers to the Green Lake community. As business owners and residents with family histories rooted in the area for more than 100 years combined, they knew there was a need for transportation around the more than 7-mile-long lake and popular tourism destination.
After discussions with members of the community, as well as the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., the business partners decided to purchase a shuttle and see where it could go.
“It’s definitely in its infancy, and there’s been a lot of good feedback,” Wilton explains. “It’s super exciting leading into this year’s tourism season.”
Wilton and Kornburger expect there will be an assessment period this summer so they can observe what works for the business and community, as well as what is financially feasible. They want to ensure they’re supporting Green Lake and its businesses while also getting visitors to and from lodging and into town and the surrounding area. Since the town has only about 1,000 full-time residents, Wilton says he hopes many of the small businesses will benefit from tourists getting the behind-the-scenes feeling that the shuttle and related tours can provide.
Likewise, they realize they can’t be everything to everyone. Though they say a car service would be something greatly appreciated by Green Lake visitors, Wilton and Kornburger plan to keep Green Lake Shuttle’s mission more refined.
“We’re not going to touch that at all,” Kornburger says. “We’re not an Uber.”
The shuttle began operations officially May 5, with Friday evening hours from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The loop includes more than a dozen stops at locations like Lawsonia Golf Course, Heidel House Resort and Conference Center and Norton’s of Green Lake. Individuals pay $5 per trip or $25 for a family of six.
Preliminary plans for this summer’s offerings include a wine tour on Saturday afternoons and a dinner loop on Saturday evenings, as well as opportunities for private bookings. The shuttle will also be providing services for the Green Lake 13dot1 Half Marathon Sept. 3.
“If it’s a service we can provide that ultimately increases sales and revenue for the businesses as a whole, for the town as a whole, then that’s a win,” Wilton says.
