Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Up the hillsides you'll find 13 buildings comprising the Swiss Village Museum (612
7thAve.,608/527-2317,10am-4pmdailyMay-mid-Oct.,$9adults),centeredaroundflower
gardens and an educational exhibit detailing the Swiss immigrant movement to New
Glarus; all have period demonstrations. Local schoolchildren sometimes attend class in the
old schoolhouse. A display on the Glarner industries of Sap Sago cheese, slate, and fabrics
was donated from Glarus, Switzerland.
The Chalet of the Golden Fleece (618 2nd St., 608/527-6838, 10am-4pm daily May-
mid-Oct., free) is a Bernese mountain-style chalet built in 1938 by the founder of the vil-
lage'sWilhelmTelltradition.Threecreakinglyfullfloorshaveahugeassortmentofimmig-
rant everything-but-the-kitchen-sink—artifacts such as Gregorian chants written on parch-
ment from the 15th century, Etruscan earrings, and a host of folk art.
New Glarus has, in this, my humble opinion, the best of the state's small-town brewer-
ies, the eponymous New Glarus Brewing Company (Hwy. W at WIS 69, 608/527-5850,
www.newglarusbrewing.com , tours and tastings 10am-4pm daily). The braumeister,
trainedinEurope,reapsaccoladesandribbonsateveryWorldBeerChampionship.Dostop
by the brewery's Hilltop site south of town (the original is north of town) for its tasting
room and views of the brewery process; self-guided tours (free, but $3.50 for the tasting
room) leave daily.
Once a dense wood impeding travel to and from Milwaukee, New Glarus Woods State
Park (608/527-2335) has 11 excellent hiking miles through forest and deep valleys. This is
the western endpoint of the Sugar River State Trail, a 23-mile path from New Glarus to
Brodhead along the Sugar River ravine. (In Monticello it will link up to the Badger State
Trail.) The whole shooting match is part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. In Brodhead,
lots of secondary trails branch off, including one to the popular “Half-Way Tree”—a spot
used as a landmark by the Winnebago, who knew this point was equidistant between the
MississippiRiverandLakeMichigan.BicyclesareavailableforrentattherefurbishedNew
Glarus depot, the trail headquarters.
Off Highway H on the way to Blanchardville is a gorgeous official state Rustic Road,
great for a Saturday drive.
Shouldyouwishtogetsomenon-Swisshistory,continuetoBlanchardville,onceaMor-
mon settlement called Zaramhemba, or “City of God.” (The Latter-day Saints had fled
Illinois after the killing of Joseph Smith.) The only things left are the gravestones in the
cemetery at the Highway F and WIS 78 junction.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search