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Green
County Attractions
Green County
visitors enjoy the authenticity of real experiences - from small
town life, Old World charm, scenic backroads, museums, festivals,
peaceful trails and rolling landscape-all wrapped in Green County's
special brand of hospitality!
Settled in the
1830's, and populated since the 1840's by a steady stream of
Swiss immigrants, Green County is America's "Little Switzerland"
and the nation's "Swiss Cheese Capitol". In New Glarus
visitors will find a complete historical village, featuring live
demonstrations of pioneer life and colorful festivals that showcase
the area's Swiss heritage, clothing, customs, music, art and
cuisine. Outdoor enthusiasts can choose from a variety of activities
such as canoeing, boating and fishing along the Sugar River.
Bicyclists, hikers, snowmobilers, horseback riders, ATV's, cross-country
skiers will find one or more of the three trails to travel and
explore including the 23 mile Sugar River State Trail, the Cheese
Country Trail and the 21 mile Exeter Segment of the Ice Age Trail.
When visiting
Green County be sure to stay and sample the refreshing variety
of dining and lodging available including the many charming bed
and breakfast inns, and many new/old world
family-friendly dining and lodging establishments. Visit Green County -- it is sure to be a memorable experience!
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Museums and Historical
Sites
Swiss Historical
Village Museum
www.swisshistoricalvillage.com
Seventh
Avenue, New Glarus
608-527-2317 or
800-527-6838
Step back in time when you visit the 14 buildings in this village
museum which reveal many facets of daily life in the 19h Century
pioneering Midwest. The Hall of History displays pre-settlement
Native American history, the story of Swiss immigration, settlement,
and pioneering life in New Glarus. The 13 other buildings and
grounds include an authentic settler's log home, a traditional
Swiss bee house, a log community building, a replica cheese factory,
a blacksmith's shop, smoke hour, sausage shop, farm implement
building, fire house, general store, print shop, Swiss cemetery,
log church and an original school house used today to give local
students a one-day one-room schoolhouse class experience. Open
daily from 10am - 4pm May and October.
Chalet of the Golden Fleece Museum
618 Second Street, New Glarus
608-527-6838
Visitors to the Chalet of the Golden Fleece Museum marvel at
its unique collection of one-of-a-kind antiques and treasures
- three full floors of painted furniture, antique silver, paintings,
Swiss scissor cuttings, glassware, china, coins, stamps, Swiss
dolls and woodcarvings, a watch once owned by King Louis XVI,
2000 year-old Etruscan earrings and more. The chalet itself is
an authentic copy of a Swiss Bernese mountain chalet and the
interior feature intricately detailed woodworking that pay tribute
to old world Swiss craftsmanship. The Chalet of the Golden Fleece is
open by appointment for bus and group tours, April through October.
Turner Hall
www.turnerhallofmonroe.org
1217 17th Avenue, Monroe
608-325-3461
Visit Turner Hall for lunch, socializing or a Sunday dance, a
tradition for more than a century. Displays inside highlight the
building's rich history and importance as the Swiss social center of
Monroe.
Green County Historical Museum
1617 9th Avenue, Monroe
608-328-9440
The Green County Museum is housed in a former Universalist Church,
which was built in 1861 and used to store wheat and wool for
the Union Army during the Civil War. Artifacts on display, dating
back to the 1860's, include tools and utensils used by early
settlers, and military equipment and memorabilia of Green County
soldiers. Also on the grounds are buildings housing antique cheesemaking
equipment, a fully furnished 19th century schoolhouse, and the
Bethel Country School, constructed in 1868. The museum is open May through
October weekends 1pm - 4pm. Groups by appointment.
Monroe Depot/Historic Cheesemaking Center
Highway 69 South, Monroe
608-325-4636
Housed in a relocated and meticulously restored 1880's Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Depot, the Historic Cheesemaking
Center showcases the rich history of the cheese industry. Displays of cheesemakers'
tools and tales, a replica of the interior of a late 19th century
cheese factory and other artifacts of the area's cheese-making
history are sure to fascinate and entertain.
Hours: March through
November 22 - daily 9am - 4 pm; December - Friday 10 am - 4 pm.
Closed January and February, and major holidays.
Green County Courthouse and Historic Downtown Square
1016 16th Avenue, Monroe
608-328-9430
This Romanesque-style building, listed on the National Register
of Historic Places, anchors Monroe's Courthouse Square which
has served as the hub of trade and commerce since the courthouse
was constructed in 1891. The Courthouse Square and nearby residential
areas feature numerous reflections of Monroe's early 1830's beginnings
in the splendor and exquisite craftsmanship of its homes, churches
and commercial buildings, many of which are on the National Register
of Historic Places.
Historic Monroe Walking Tour
Monroe
608-325-7648
The Historic Monroe Walking Tour features the Courthouse Square
and nearby residential areas. Visitors will find many exquisitely
crafted and maintained 19th century homes, churches and commercial
buildings, many of which are on the National Register of Historic
Places, all within a short strolling distance of the Courthouse.
Tour guidebooks are available at the Monroe Area Chamber of Commerce,
1505 9th Street.
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Parks and Nature
Centers
New Glarus
Woods State Park
County Highway N, New Glarus
608-527-2335
For excellent camping and hiking, take a hike through the wooded
valleys of the New Glarus Woods State Park and then enjoy camping
for the day or night.
Browntown Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area
Browntown
608-966-3777
Sugar River State Trail
New Glarus - Brodhead
800-527-6838
Meandering 23 scenic miles along the old Milwaukee Road rail bed
from Brodhead to New Glarus, and following and crossing the Little
Sugar and Sugar Rivers, this multi-use recreational trail hosts
hikers, bicyclists, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. Six
easy miles from the historic New Glarus Deport, where it begins,
the trail skirts the northern edge of Monticello. There the restored
railroad station provides restrooms, shelter and a youth hostel.
Several miles further, past old prairies and over bridges, lies
the "Pearl of the Sugar River", the town of Albany,
a major producer of pearl buttons more than a century ago. Ten
miles further, past Decatur Lake and through the restored, early
19th century Clarence Covered Bridge, the trail ends in the City
of Brodhead.
Cheese Country Trail
www.tricountytrails.com
Monroe - Mineral Point
608-776-5706
Winding its way from the railway depot on Highway 69 in Monroe,
through Browntown, and then to Mineral Point, the Cheese Country
Trail is designated as a multi-use trail for horseback riders, bicyclists, hikers, ATV's
and snowmobiles. The trail is heavily used by ATV traffic on
weekends during the warm weather season.
Sugar
River Recreation
1-888-222-9111
Enjoy a trip via tube, canoe or kayak down the Sugar River.
Outfitters in the area can provide everything you need for the trip,
including large tubes to convey your cooler. Stop for a picnic on a
sand bar, and keep an eye out for the eagles that nest near Albany.
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Special Things to
Do
Green
County Cheese Days
www.cheesedays.com
Monroe
800-307-7208
Experience Old World tradition at an out-of-this world celebration!
With a history dating back to 1914, Green County Cheese Days is the
oldest and largest food fest in the Midwest. The festival honors
Swiss heritage and the cheesemaking and dairy farming traditions of
the area. Monroe's Historic Courthouse Square serves as a scenic
backdrop to the festival grounds, and the celebration attracts
crowds of revelers ready to yodel, polka, and consume cheese by the
truckload.
Visitors enjoy cheese
tasting and cooking demonstrations, dairy farm and cheese factory
tours, live music, and plenty of authentic Swiss entertainment and
cuisine. Unique highlights include sampling Wisconsin's biggest
cheese fondue created by a local chef and a master cheesemaker, a
cow milking contest, and The Swiss Colony Cheese Days Parade.
Heidi Festival
New Glarus
800-527-6838
In mid-June, the villagers of New Glarus, "Wisconsin's Little
Switzerland", host a three day Heidi Festival, celebrating
their rich Swiss heritage with a craft and art fair, folk dancing,
polka music, yodeling, flag-throwing, and performances of Johanna
Spyri's classic. This festival has been entertaining for the
last 36 years! Call ahead for information.
Monroe/World
Honda Grand Prix Balloon Rally
www.monroechamber.org
Monroe
608-325-7648
Colorful balloons take to the skies on Father's Day weekend,
including ballooning competitions and exhibitions. The weekend also
features an arts and crafts fair, entertainment, and a variety of
food concessions. Events take place at the Green County Fairgrounds
and downtown on Monroe's historic courthouse square.
Wilhelm Tell Festival
www.WilhelmTell.org
New Glarus
800-527-6838
A Labor Day weekend tradition since 1938, more than 200 local
volunteers join to bring Friedrich Schiller's dramatic story
of Swiss independence to life. Staged in a beautiful outdoor
setting with intricate costumes and a lively cast that includes
goats, cows and horses, this production of Wilhelm Tell is performed
in English on Saturday and Monday and in German on Sunday. In
either language, Wilhelm Tell is sure to be a hit with the entire
family. In addition to the play, the Wilhelm Tell Festival weekend
features an Alpine Folk Festival with performers in ethnic costumes
who entertain with singing, yodeling, alphorn blowing, dancing
and Swiss instrumental music, a street dance, Yodel Club Concert
and Swiss Fashion Show. Call for more festival information.
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