Exploring Southern Wisconsin

Like many other people, our travel plans have been interrupted by COVID. We were supposed to go to Italy as a family in early May. Obviously that didn’t happen. We were trying to get a cabin in northern Minnesota or Wisconsin but everything was pretty booked up. My mom happened upon the cutest farmhouse on airbnb that had two nights available, so we booked it and got to planning! And guess what, we had the most amazing time exploring what’s in our own (almost) backyard!

Where We Stayed:

The farmhouse was located in the countryside between the towns of Arena and Mazomanie. It was a HUGE old farmhouse from the 1850’s that was beautiful restored with tons of historical charm. The house sits on 80 acres and includes a large barn venue and a smaller guest cottage that shares a driveway with the main house. We didn't spend much time in the house but the large dining table was great for our nightly card game. The only complaint I can come up with is the lack of wifi but when you’re not spending time in the house it’s not a huge deal. The owner also has a restaurant, the Old Feed Mill, in Mazomanie and left us a basket of sweet breads for breakfast and carrot cake for dessert.

What We Did:

Devil’s Lake

We hiked the East Bluff trail at Devil’s Lake. We wanted a trail with moderate terrain- some of the more difficult trails here are giant boulders that you’re climbing up- and great views. This trail certainly didn’t disappoint! We started at the north end of Devil’s Lake and worked our way south along the lake’s edge. The main points of attraction were Elephant Cave, Elephant Rock, Balanced Rock, and Devil’s Doorway. We decided against adding the Balanced Rock trail as it was an additional half mile loop down some pretty steep terrain. I’m so glad we did the short loop down to Devil’s Doorway though, the views were absolutely spectacular. We took the East Bluff Woods trail back which ran north through the woods. It was a much easier trail and was pretty much downhill the entire way- although it didn’t have any views of the lake it was nice to have a more simple way back to the trail head. The hike took us just over 3 hours with a lot of stops at overlooks and was about 4 miles in total. After the hike we had our pre-packed lunch at a picnic table and took a quick dip in the water to cool off.

Note: The park office is currently closed and stickers/passes must be purchased online prior to arrival. The park was also pretty busy for a weekday. I wouldn’t suggest going on a weekend to avoid any more crowds. That being said, everyone was very respectful of social distancing on the trails.

Taliesin

I went to Taliesin once before, I think I was 10 or 12 years old. We just did the house tour, which was fantastic, but this time we decided to do the estate tour and see it all. If you don’t know, Frank Lloyd Wright was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin and would work at his uncle’s farm around Spring Green in the summers of his youth. He designed and built his first building ever- a schoolhouse for his aunts- on the grounds where Taliesin stands in 1902. While that building no longer exists, we were able to see the further iterations of the schoolhouse, his sister’s house, several outbuildings, and, of course, Taliesin itself. The tour lasted four hours and involved walking up a couple of hills around the property.

Note: Tour groups are limited to 15 and masks are required. Because of this, I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time.

What We Ate & Drank:

Wollersheim Winery

Prairie du Sak

Wollersheim Winery was first established in the 1840s and is one of the best in Wisconsin- the sheer number of awards speak for themselves. They also added a distillery to their repertoire 5 years ago. The estate and grounds are beautiful. While tours aren’t currently available, you can see a lot on your own. They have individual mini bottles of wine available for purchase and plenty of distanced outdoor seating. The Prairie Fume is my personal favorite wine they offer.

Note: Tastings are not currently offered.

Vintage Brewing Company

Sauk Prairie

Located on the banks of Wisconsin river, Vintage Brewing Company is a huge institution with local, hand-crafted, award winning beer. We sat on their outdoor deck, which had great views of the river, and ate some amazing food. Seriously, my salmon salad with beets was probably my food highlight of the trip.

Driftless Glen

Baraboo

Truly the BEST regional distillery and spirits I’ve tried. Driftless Glen sits on the outskirts of the town of Baraboo, down the road from Circus World, and on the Baraboo River. It was a 5 minute drive from the north side of Devil’s Lake. In addition to the variety of spirits they have vinegars and olive oils available for sample and purchase. In fact, the cocktail that I had (and loved), the 608, contains white lemon vinegar. Needless to say, I purchased their lemon drop cocktail kit so I could try to recreate it for myself.

The General Store

Spring Green

An employee at the Taliesin Visitor’s Center suggested The General Store in Spring Green for lunch. It was the perfect stop on our way out of town. A well stocked general store with cute gifts and novelty items, as well as the necessities, and a tasty cafe. Prices are more than fair and they have a great selection of vegetarian and gluten-free options.

If you have any questions about anything, please let me know in the comments below or send me an email or DM! We left from La Crosse, so there are a couple of great places I’d recommend to stop between here and there.