Sauk City, village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States
Sauk City is a small village along the Wisconsin River in Sauk County, covering a modest area made up mainly of houses and simple shops. The streets are quiet and clean, many homes sit near the river, and the town preserves historic buildings, including a fire station built in 1854.
Sauk City was founded in the 1840s by Agoston Haraszthy, an entrepreneur from Hungary who chose the area for its scenery and first named it Széptáj, meaning "beautiful place" in Hungarian. The name was later changed to Westfield and then to Sauk City in 1852, making it the oldest settlement to gain official village status.
The name Sauk City comes from the Sauk Nation, a Native American people who lived in this region for generations. Today, this heritage appears in the stories residents share about the land and river, and in the local traditions that keep the community connected across generations.
The village sits on U.S. Route 12, not far from Madison, and is easy to reach by car. The Great Sauk State Trail, a flat and wide path for walking or biking, connects it to surrounding areas and offers a safe way to explore the region.
The first Culver's restaurant, known for butter burgers and frozen custard, opened in Sauk City in 1984 and made the town the birthplace of this regional restaurant chain. Additionally, the village was home to Cuca Records, a record label that produced music from polka to jazz starting in 1959, showing the town's creative diversity.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
