New Glarus, Wisconsin features regular Swiss heritage, meals, all on 1 tank of gas

NEW GLARUS, Wis. (WLS) — Roz Varon continues a unique collection on close by driving places – a mini-vacation you can get to on a tank of gas. This week’s select for “1-tank Trips” is New Glarus, Wisconsin, a town with a ton of Swiss heritage.

The charming southern Wisconsin city has stored a great deal of its Swiss heritage and traditions. In simple fact, they are celebrating the town’s 175th anniversary this weekend!

If you cannot make it to the celebration this weekend, there are lots of factors to make this one particular tank excursion any time of the year!

As you enter the city of New Glarus, Wisconsin, you can expect to immediately have an understanding of why it truly is called America’s Little Switzerland! From the chalet-style architecture to the loaded Swiss cuisine, outdated-environment traditions have been saved alive due to the fact the initial team of settlers founded the town in 1845. We started off at an authentic 1887 prepare depot.

“The practice stopped functioning listed here in 1972, but a group of locals who ended up definitely dedicated to restoring it came,” explained Bekah Stauffacher, government director of the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce. “I the 90s and place it back again to its previous glory and now it houses the chamber of commerce.”

It also is the beginning of the 24-mile Sugar River Trail, a fantastic bicycle path which operates along the previous railroad tracks. You can rent bikes and helmets at the depot.

To get a further dive on the colourful city heritage, we frequented the Swiss Historic Village and Museum. It has 14 primary and duplicate structures supplying a glimpse into the previous of the Swiss settlers – what it was like for them to are living and get the job done in this article. Each individual constructing has furnishings, applications, guides and garments that ended up employed in each day Swiss-settlement life. Even though the graves are not genuine, the gravestones are, belonging to some of the colony’s founding users.

We bought a taste, practically, of Swiss traditions all through our lunch at the Chalet Landhaus Inn and Restaurant. Chef Mike Nevil gave us a tasty fondue demonstration!

“We have Gruyere, we have Emmentaler, which is Swiss Cheese and we also have a Gouda that’s designed regionally right here,” Nevil claimed.

Of training course the best section, sampling! As if that weren’t adequate, we had been addressed to a smorgasbord of Swiss specialties.

Next end, one of the oldest taverns in ton to sample locally brewed beer. Puempel’s Olde Tavern dates again to 1893! It is stuffed with charm, character, and beer!

“We offer you this all the time,” explained Deb Guyette, bartender at Puempel’s Bar. “It is a prospect to sample our four beers that we have on faucet and with this you get a complimentary pint glass.”

Ok, this a single wins, Noticed Cow! And then there is this quirky custom of throwing dollar bills on the ceiling!

“So our clients appear in and we acquire a greenback bill, put a thumb tack by way of it and we wrap it all-around the fifty percent greenback coin, will work as a minor little bit of a body weight,” Guyette reported. “You make it like a tiny dart, adhere it in between your two fingers, bend at the knees.”
When the ceiling is full, the funds is donated to charity. Our remaining cease – a new addition to this outdated-planet town – Bailey’s Operate vineyard, a family members operate organization that opened in 2018.

“We increase a quantity of chilly climate grapes, we have edelweiss, Frontenac and Itasca grapes on this assets,” said Janet Kuehl, operator of Bailey’s Run Vineyard. “The vines like to be dry and they like the roots to be dry and the much more they have to struggle, the superior the grapes are gonna be. We pick almost everything by hand, so we are going to get a modest group out below and have basically a harvest day and can ordinarily knock it out relatively speedily.”

They make about 30 wines from fruity to dry. They offer you wine tastings just about every working day, with a spectacular see of the vineyard. And if you truly feel a chilly nose nuzzling future to you, never be concerned! Which is their namesake Goldendoodle, Bailey. She’s sweeter than their sweetest wine!

Bailey’s also serves wooden-fired pizzas and has stay tunes on the weekends, and this weekend the entire city will have exclusive enjoyment celebrating the 175th anniversary with yodeling alphorn participating in and accordion tunes. And they will have a parade Saturday!