Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Accommodations
This is the town that time forgot, so take your pick from lodging in a baker's dozen—or
more—absolutelyauthentichistoricstructures.Acaveat:MineralPoint'shistoricdwellings
are legendary for having paranormal guests.
Laying your head on Mineral Point's Shake Rag Street, just a skip from Pendarvis,
would be the way to go. Choose between
The Mousehole,
an 1839 cottage, rooms/suites
in the
Coach House,
an 1840s structure, and much more. It doesn't get much more historic
than these—and for rates starting at $99, for not much moolah. For information, call 608/
987-3292, or log on to
www.shakeragalley.com
and start perusing.
$139-159) and you'd swear you were back in the old country, such is the architecture and
landscaping—which in fact was modeled on Redruth, Cornwall. Choose from a stone cot-
tage or rustic log cabin (both with two bedrooms) and relax in the secluded gardens. The
cabin, a pioneer dwelling from 1835, might be the most perfectly realized historic lodging
experience in southwestern Wisconsin.
The closest public campground is at
Governor Dodge State Park
(888/947-2257,
wis-
consinstateparks.reserveamerica.com
,
reservation $10, non-residents $14 and up/night, $10
daily admission) in Dodgeville. East and south along Highways D and F is
Yellowstone
Lake State Park
(888/947-2257,
wisconsinstateparks.reserveamerica.com
, reservation
$10, non-residents $14 and up/night, $10 daily admission), a modest state park with 128
campsites, showers, a good fishing lake, and eight miles of hiking trails. A wildlife reserve
is also part of this 2,600-acre park. Reservations are a good idea.
Food
Better get used to hearing
figgyhobbin
(or
figgihobbin
), because you'll see the word incess-
antly. Yes, it is of course a Cornish dish, and no, it isn't the roast beast the name connotes.
It's actually a pastry of raisins and walnuts, and it's quite rich. Other Cornish food might
include saffron cakes, Mawgan meatballs, and pasty.
Once a county bank, the
M
Red Rooster Cafe
(158 High St., 608/987-9936, 5am-5pm
daily, $2-7) is a one-of-a-kind road-food-quality eatery where diners sit at a horseshoe-
shaped counter on old red vinyl and chrome swivel chairs underneath a coffered ceiling.
The café serves pasty and figgyhobbin in a diner atmosphere—classic.
There's awesome Japanese ramen in Mineral Point. A wonderful Japanese woman and
her American partner relocated here from Japan and opened
Kusaka
(148 High St., 608/
