Mmmm… Grilled Cheese. Can it get any better?? Dodgeville is “Grilled Cheese Central” on Saturday, April 25, 2026 as the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship takes place at the Leo Pavilion in Harris Park. Amateurs and professionals compete in 4 “heats” to determine the best grilled cheese sandwiches in Wisconsin and compete for fabulous prizes. Listen to live music, drink some beer and wine, sample outstanding grilled cheese sandwiches. Fun for all ages. Free admission! Get all the details at their website, grilledcheesewisconsin.com.
You can get to Dodgeville via U.S. 18 & 151 and Highway 23. Any trip is worth it for grilled cheese!
Our previous favorites have included the Gouda Girls (below); Tina and Katherine make grilled cheese sandwich combos that win all across the nation. They’re based in Milwaukee and do incredible things with taste buds. Our head State Trunk Tour guy Eric Paulsen got to experience their creations firsthand in this Discover Wisconsinepisode. We don’t have any vote, though, so we’ll see how this goes.
Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship Address:
Harris Park
600 Bennett Road
Dodgeville, WI 53533
(608) 935-9200 Website
The annual Between the Bluffs Beverages & Bites Festival returns Saturday, April 25th, 2026! Between the Bluffs brings together craft beverages, THC, and non-alcoholic/mocktail drinks, specialty meats, and artisan cheeses from the La Crosse Region, across Wisconsin, and throughout the Midwest. Don’t forget to sign-up for the Coulee Region Cornhole Tournament and play some Hammer-Schlagen.
It all begins Friday evening, April 24th, with Friday Night: Taster’s Eve. You can buy a wristband and ride the shuttles to various participating establishments for specials and tap take-overs by guest breweries attending the fest.
The main festival takes place at La Crosse’s Southside Oktoberfest Grounds on Saturday afternoon, April 25rd, with general admission ($50) from 2-6pm. VIP tickets ($90) allow for a noon entry. Details on what you get with each are below!
Here’s how it has looked in previous years!
Sunday, April 26th is the Bacon Bloody Brunch! Jump back on the horse or come out for a “Sunday Funday” at the Oktoberfest Grounds! Enjoy specialty breakfast drinks, yard games, live music, and of course BACON. Specialty drinks include beer bloodies, mimosas and breakfast beer served up by Del’s Bar, Pearl Street Brewery, and Surly Brewing Company. For eats, enjoy giant pancakes served up by Mindoro Lions Club, bacon provided by Bubba’s Meats and Premier Catering, cheesy potatoes, and eggs. Coffee will also be available.
For Sunday’s Bacon Bloody Brunch, tickets are available for $15, which are available online or at the gates. You must be 21 years or older and show ID at the gate.
I-90, U.S. 14/61, U.S. 53, and Highways 16, 33, and 35 all bring you to La Crosse, and they’re all beautiful drives as you head “Between the Bluffs”!
Between the Bluffs Beverages & Bites Festival Address:
Southside Oktoberfest Grounds
2nd & La Crosse Streets
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 782-2250 or (800) 658-9424 Website
The 18th Annual Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival returns to the legendary Brat Stop in Kenosha on Saturday, April 18th! This fun-filled event features a variety of Wisconsin cheeses, some of the most sought after beers from Wisconsin and beyond and awesome live music!. This is a “don’t miss event” for anybody who likes beer, cheese and music!
The festival typically draws over 900 attendees and features over 100 different styles of beer, a home brew competition, and local breweries with unlimited beer and cheese samples. Additionally, live music plays all afternoon with the Empty Bottle Boys and One Shot Jane performing. They play in the Parkway Chateau, adjacent to the Brat Stop.
Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival Tickets
The Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival has a rather extensive VIP ticket package. For $80 in advance or $85 at the door, VIP fest goers receive a lunch buffet courtesy of Festival Foods, specialty cheese and beers, a VIP beer stein and an extra hour of festing! The food buffet is available for the duration of the fest from noon until 5 p.m.
General admission ticketsare $55 in advance and $60 at the door. All tickets include a commemorative glass, live music and four hours of unlimited beer and cheese samples. Designated driver tickets are $15. This is a 21+ only event.
Last time we checked over 50 different brewers will be there. They include large brewers like Miller and Coors to small craft brewers including Lakefront, Bell’s, Toppling Goliath, Bare Bones, Alaskan, and more. Local home brew societies also represent at the festival. All will be pouring samples and providing info about their beers and brewing processes. Also, great food – including brats – will be part of the sustenance as the bands serenade your eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying.
Madison’s Beer & Cheese Fest is back for year 16 in 2026 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on Saturday, January 17th, bringing a ton of brewers and cheesemakers from around Wisconsin and adjoining states to Madison. Meet and mingle with the brewers and cheesemakers while sampling hundreds of varieties at this warm, happy, and fun celebration right in the midst of winter.
80+ beer and beverage vendors slinging samples. More cheese than is doctor recommended. Stein holding competitions and “hammer nailing” competitions (they note that the other word for it is trademarked…seriously) so you can totally impress your friends. Beer will always be the foundation of the event, but if mead or cider is more your style, you’ll have plenty to sample. If THC infused refreshments are your jam, you’ll find a bunch. Spiked seltzer your elixir of choice? Yep, they got those too.
Tickets tend to sell out every year, so if you want to go, score them sooner rather than later. Of course, you must be 21 to attend. You can purchase tickets online here.
You’ll find the Alliant Energy Center on Madison’s south side, right off the Beltline (U.S. 12 & U.S. 18) near Rimrock Road and John Nolen Drive. U.S. 14, 51, and 151 and Highways 30 and 113 are all nearby.
Madison Beer & Cheese Fest Address:
Alliant Energy Center
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
Madison, WI 53713
(608) 251-5627 Website
Beaver Dam is home to one of the premiere Kraft Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese processing plants in the nation. Fittingly, the city annually plays host to the Midwest Cream Cheese Competition with Kraft products as preferred ingredients in any cream cheese recipe. This is one creamy, delicious competition!
Cream cheese is used in a huge variety of concoctions at this delicious competition!
This is the 14th annual festival and offers plenty of great dishes for sampling – although the judges get first dibs. It will take place Saturday, December 1st at the St. Katherine Drexel Parish Center on the south side of downtown Beaver Dam. Get the rest of the details (and mouth-watering photos) on their website!
Beaver Dam is easily reached via the U.S. 151 freeway or Highway 33. Highway 26 is also close by.
Midwest Cream Cheese Competition Address:
St. Katherine Drexel Parish Center
511 S. Spring Street
Beaver Dam, WI 53916
(920) 887-8879 (Beaver Dam Chamber office) Website
Date:
December 1, 2018
Venue:
St. Katherine Drexel Parish Center
Phone:
920-887-8879
Address:
511 S. Spring Street, Beaver Dam, WI, 53916, United States
Madison hosts the World Championship Cheese Contest again this year at the Monona Terrace and it will be a cheese lover’s paradise! Cheesemakers from all over the world descend on Wisconsin’s capital city for three days to judge over 3,000 cheeses, butters, and yogurts.
Preliminary judging rounds for the World Championship Cheese Contest are open to the public for FREE Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 7. Try some tasty samples as the judges do their thing and narrow it down to finalists and winners.
Then, Thursday night the 8th you can attend the Cheese Champion event. This ticketed event ($25, in advance) lets you sample more than 50 of the best cheese from around the world. International cheese experts will be on hand to show you the intracicies of of cheese evaluation, and of course you can pair cheeses with other foods and craft beers that will be available. The event climaxes with the crowning of the World Champion Cheesemaker!
Monona Terrace is a crown jewel of a conference center, with the original design going back to Frank Lloyd Wright. Perched overlooking Lake Monona on one side with a beautiful view of the Wisconsin State Capitol just a few blocks away, it’s a fantastic place for an event – especially one filled with specialty cheeses! Monona Terrace actually covers U.S. 151/John Nolen Drive for several blocks; it’s mere moments from the Beltline (U.S. 12/18), Park Avenue (U.S. 14/151), East Washington Avenue (U.S. 151), Highway 113, or Highway 30 from I-39/90/94.
World Championship Cheese Contest/Monona Terrace Address:
1 John Nolen Drive (U.S. 151)
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 286-1001 Website
The World Champion Cheesemaker Award was bestowed on a U.S. cheesemaker for the first time since 1988 during the awards in 2016, to Emmi Roth of Monroe, Wisconsin.
Start:
March 6, 2018 10:00 am
End:
March 8, 2018 9:00 pm
Venue:
Monona Terrace
Phone:
608-286-1001
Address:
1 John Nolen Drive, Madison, WI, 53703, United States
Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events › Cheese
April 25, 2026
Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship
You can get to Dodgeville via U.S. 18 & 151 and Highway 23. Any trip is worth it for grilled cheese!
Our previous favorites have included the Gouda Girls (below); Tina and Katherine make grilled cheese sandwich combos that win all across the nation. They’re based in Milwaukee and do incredible things with taste buds. Our head State Trunk Tour guy Eric Paulsen got to experience their creations firsthand in this Discover Wisconsin episode. We don’t have any vote, though, so we’ll see how this goes.
Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship Address:
Harris Park
600 Bennett Road
Dodgeville, WI 53533
(608) 935-9200
Website
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
Between the Bluffs Beer Wine and Cheese Festival
The annual Between the Bluffs Beverages & Bites Festival returns Saturday, April 25th, 2026! Between the Bluffs brings together craft beverages, THC, and non-alcoholic/mocktail drinks, specialty meats, and artisan cheeses from the La Crosse Region, across Wisconsin, and throughout the Midwest. Don’t forget to sign-up for the Coulee Region Cornhole Tournament and play some Hammer-Schlagen.
It all begins Friday evening, April 24th, with Friday Night: Taster’s Eve. You can buy a wristband and ride the shuttles to various participating establishments for specials and tap take-overs by guest breweries attending the fest.
The main festival takes place at La Crosse’s Southside Oktoberfest Grounds on Saturday afternoon, April 25rd, with general admission ($50) from 2-6pm. VIP tickets ($90) allow for a noon entry. Details on what you get with each are below!
Here’s how it has looked in previous years!
Sunday, April 26th is the Bacon Bloody Brunch! Jump back on the horse or come out for a “Sunday Funday” at the Oktoberfest Grounds! Enjoy specialty breakfast drinks, yard games, live music, and of course BACON. Specialty drinks include beer bloodies, mimosas and breakfast beer served up by Del’s Bar, Pearl Street Brewery, and Surly Brewing Company. For eats, enjoy giant pancakes served up by Mindoro Lions Club, bacon provided by Bubba’s Meats and Premier Catering, cheesy potatoes, and eggs. Coffee will also be available.
For Sunday’s Bacon Bloody Brunch, tickets are available for $15, which are available online or at the gates. You must be 21 years or older and show ID at the gate.
I-90, U.S. 14/61, U.S. 53, and Highways 16, 33, and 35 all bring you to La Crosse, and they’re all beautiful drives as you head “Between the Bluffs”!
Between the Bluffs Beverages & Bites Festival Address:
Southside Oktoberfest Grounds
2nd & La Crosse Streets
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 782-2250 or (800) 658-9424
Website
Between the Bluffs Ticket ($65-70) Details:
General Admission Tickets include:
VIP Tickets ($110) Include:
Back to State Trunk Tour
April 18, 2026
Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival
The festival typically draws over 900 attendees and features over 100 different styles of beer, a home brew competition, and local breweries with unlimited beer and cheese samples. Additionally, live music plays all afternoon with the Empty Bottle Boys and One Shot Jane performing. They play in the Parkway Chateau, adjacent to the Brat Stop.
Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival Tickets
General admission tickets are $55 in advance and $60 at the door. All tickets include a commemorative glass, live music and four hours of unlimited beer and cheese samples. Designated driver tickets are $15. This is a 21+ only event.
Last time we checked over 50 different brewers will be there. They include large brewers like Miller and Coors to small craft brewers including Lakefront, Bell’s, Toppling Goliath, Bare Bones, Alaskan, and more. Local home brew societies also represent at the festival. All will be pouring samples and providing info about their beers and brewing processes. Also, great food – including brats – will be part of the sustenance as the bands serenade your eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying.
Proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Kenosha. Check the Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival Website for tickets, continued updates, and other details!
You’ll find the Brat Stop right along Highway 50, just west of the I-41/94 interchange. It’s a Wisconsin staple, after all.
Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival Address:
The Brat Stop
12304 75th Street (Highway 50)
Kenosha, WI 53140
(262) 653-7304
Website
Buy Tickets Here
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
January 17, 2026
Beer & Cheese Fest
Madison’s Beer & Cheese Fest is back for year 16 in 2026 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison on Saturday, January 17th, bringing a ton of brewers and cheesemakers from around Wisconsin and adjoining states to Madison. Meet and mingle with the brewers and cheesemakers while sampling hundreds of varieties at this warm, happy, and fun celebration right in the midst of winter.
80+ beer and beverage vendors slinging samples. More cheese than is doctor recommended. Stein holding competitions and “hammer nailing” competitions (they note that the other word for it is trademarked…seriously) so you can totally impress your friends. Beer will always be the foundation of the event, but if mead or cider is more your style, you’ll have plenty to sample. If THC infused refreshments are your jam, you’ll find a bunch. Spiked seltzer your elixir of choice? Yep, they got those too.
Tickets tend to sell out every year, so if you want to go, score them sooner rather than later. Of course, you must be 21 to attend. You can purchase tickets online here.
You’ll find the Alliant Energy Center on Madison’s south side, right off the Beltline (U.S. 12 & U.S. 18) near Rimrock Road and John Nolen Drive. U.S. 14, 51, and 151 and Highways 30 and 113 are all nearby.
Madison Beer & Cheese Fest Address:
Alliant Energy Center
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
Madison, WI 53713
(608) 251-5627
Website
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
December 1, 2018
Midwest Cream Cheese Competition
Beaver Dam is home to one of the premiere Kraft Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese processing plants in the nation. Fittingly, the city annually plays host to the Midwest Cream Cheese Competition with Kraft products as preferred ingredients in any cream cheese recipe. This is one creamy, delicious competition!
This is the 14th annual festival and offers plenty of great dishes for sampling – although the judges get first dibs. It will take place Saturday, December 1st at the St. Katherine Drexel Parish Center on the south side of downtown Beaver Dam. Get the rest of the details (and mouth-watering photos) on their website!
Beaver Dam is easily reached via the U.S. 151 freeway or Highway 33. Highway 26 is also close by.
Midwest Cream Cheese Competition Address:
St. Katherine Drexel Parish Center
511 S. Spring Street
Beaver Dam, WI 53916
(920) 887-8879 (Beaver Dam Chamber office)
Website
March 6, 2018 – March 8, 2018
World Championship Cheese Contest
Preliminary judging rounds for the World Championship Cheese Contest are open to the public for FREE Tuesday, March 6 and Wednesday, March 7. Try some tasty samples as the judges do their thing and narrow it down to finalists and winners.
Then, Thursday night the 8th you can attend the Cheese Champion event. This ticketed event ($25, in advance) lets you sample more than 50 of the best cheese from around the world. International cheese experts will be on hand to show you the intracicies of of cheese evaluation, and of course you can pair cheeses with other foods and craft beers that will be available. The event climaxes with the crowning of the World Champion Cheesemaker!
World Championship Cheese Contest/Monona Terrace Address:
1 John Nolen Drive (U.S. 151)
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 286-1001
Website