Thusday, Aug. 18th, I left with Carol and Retta Sorenson for a "Foody" tour in Wisconsin. We headed south on Hwy 52. Crossed the Mississippi at Prairie du Chen. It was a beautiful, sunny day with low humidity. We had a tour map found in the magazine, Midwest Living. It had 19 stops listed on the tour. We headed south to a small town called Potosi.
#13 - Potosi Brewery - A spectacular restoration has made this small town brewpub a surprising destination. The restaurant serves tasty pub grub; the free museum is a treat. We had lunch and toured the museum.
We then headed north to Fennimore. #14 - Carr Valley Cheese - This highly respected company is our pick for high-end cheeses.
# 15 - Driftless Cafe - Viroqua's nisest restaurant serves local trout, piping-hot pizzas, homey pies and cakes.
# 17 - Trillium Cottage - You'll forgive the lumpy beds at this charming cottage on a family farm when you see fresh eggs in the fridge and twinkly stars in the night sky. All kinds of farm animals right outside your windows. This was our B&B for thursday night.
# 19 - Peck's Farmer's Market - One of the largest indoor open-air markets. Everything from fresh fruit and vegtables to dried fruit and every kind of candy, pickles, etc. And very, very clean.
# 1 & 2 - National Mustard Museum - Whether you like it stone-ground, spicy or sweet, you'll get a kick out of this good-humored shop and museum. Just don't say the "K" work here.
Over 5,000 jars of Mustard. Bloom Bake Shop - A stylish corner bakery sells clever treats like the Be Elvis whoopie pie with banana-chip cakes and peanut butter frosting. This was in a suburb of Madison called Middleton.
Not on the tour, we made a short side trip to Mt. Horeb. This small town has lots of gift shops with Norwegian and Swedish gifts. Lots of the homes and businesses have Trolls in the front yards.
# 8 - Albany House B&B - Breakfast might include Chocolate bumbles or rum cake, Friut Torte, muffins, Blueberry stuffed French Toast, Metwurst/Cheese Quiche, etc. We had breakfast here on both Sat and Sunday mornings. Best ever! We had the Eagles Nest which was the third floor. We had a sitting area with satelite TV, huge bathroom, two bedrooms. Carol and I both had a full size bed to ourselves and Retta had a Queen bed. Lots of windows to see the beautiful gardens and large trees, located along the sugar river. Wonderful place to stay. We met so many interesting guests and the owner had so many neat stories to tell.
# 7 - The Dining Room at 209 Main - (dinner on Friday night) Tiny town, Monticello, dining, dazzling menu. The sticky toffee pudding has quite a following.
# 9 - National Historic Cheesemaking Center - A small museum in Monroe has a fascinating collection of vintage dairy equipment and photo's. Also a large selection of Cheese and smoked meats.
Spent the entire day on Saturday in New Glarus. Absolutely love this town.
# 3 - New Glarus Bakery - We recommend trying the Swiss pastries you can't get at home: honey sticks and nut horns. # 4 - Ruef's Meat Market - What's the difference between schublig, cervlas and mettwurst? Just ask!! Bonus: Most cured meats travel well, even with no coolers. # 5 - New Glarus Brewing company - Beautiful location high on a hilltop over looking New Glarus. # 6 - Glarner Stube - The name means "the living room of New Glarus" and the homey Swiss fare fits the description.
Staying off the Interstates and Freeways, taking roads that follow the rivers, and seeing all of the barns with quilt squares on them was a wonderful trip.
2 comments:
Janet - your trip sounds like so much fun! What a great idea! I would love to see New Glarus sometime. I went there many years ago but don't remember too much about it. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
What a fun time with Carol and Retta. The B&Bs sounded special. That part of Wisconsin is really nice.
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