Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
erty, and blue herons frolic on the marshy backwater islands. There is only one short (1.4
mile) hiking trail.
Here,boatingisking,withboatmooringsrightatthecampsites,someofwhicharehike-
in only island sites. Reservations are a good idea.
Fountain City's
Eagle Bluff
commands the highest point on the Upper Mississippi River
at 550 feet. (Another bluff nearby is claimed by locals to resemble an Indian chief's head.)
Andthecity(nay,village)seemscarvedrightoutofthesteep-walledcliffs,descendinginto
the postcard-quality town. The squat bungalows and their lawns, the tiniest pea patches of
verdance imaginable, back into the windward side of the big bluff as it curves along the
river. Smacking a bit of the European feel of New Glarus or Mount Horeb in southwestern
Wisconsin, Fountain City has more of a Mediterranean island fishing village atmosphere,
though there are more than a few pockets of Bern-style Swiss architecture. The town was
named for rivulets of spring water cascading out of the “hard heads,” or sandstone bluffs.
The waters at one time ran off the bluffs and through the streets—no longer, however, as
the springs were capped and turned into fountains—but you can still have a drink.
Mostjustgoonto
Lock and Dam 5A,
whichformsanotherpoolnorthoftown.Aview-
ing platform available to the public nearby has the honor of being the only floating bar on
the Mississippi, the
Dam Saloon
(WIS 35, 608/687-8286).
If more cultured imbibing is required, a visit to one of the largest vineyards in the state
is in order.
Seven Hawks Vineyards
(17 North St., 608/687-9463,
www.sevenhawksvineyards.com
)
totals nearly 20,000 vines.
Handfuls of crafts, antiques, and “used” detritus can be found in Fountain City. Keep an
eye out for works by
Leo Smith,
a local folk art wood carver of national repute.
The most unusual tourist attraction in Fountain City, the
house with a rock in it
(hours
vary Mar.-Nov., $2), is north along WIS 35. In 1995, a 50-ton boulder fell off the majestic
bluff line and smashed into a house at the base. A shrewd investor turned it into a bizarre
tourist attraction. Another unique sight is
Elmer's Auto and Toy Museum
(Hwy. G, 608/
687-7221,
www.elmersautoandtoymuseum.com
, 9am-5pm weekends early May-late Oct.,
$8), purportedly one of the largest collections of pedal cars in the world.
