Manitowoc celebrates Sputnik Fest due to an out-of-this-world experience on September 5, 1962 when a piece of the Soviet satellite Sputnik IV crashed to earth, just north of downtown right in the middle of 8th Street/U.S. 10/Highway 42. It was still glowing from the heat of re-entry when it landed! A brass ring in the street notes the exact spot of impact. The city celebrates Sputnik Fest to commemorate the glowing visitor’s anniversary, where you’ll see some interesting costumes and space-related activities. Basically at Sputnik Fest, science fiction rules the day – even though Sputnik itself was very real. See 5 Things about Sputnikfest in Manitowoc (and why you should go) for more on that.
Circle marks the spot where a piece of Sputnik landed. It’s the whole reason for Sputnik Fest.
The landing site of that piece of Sputnikfest – which inspired this whole thing – is right in front of the Rahr-West Art Museum, which hosts the event and holds a cast from the original piece of the spacecraft – the original was returned to the Russians – that is available for viewing all year.
The festival draws plenty of space fans – with Star Wars and Star Trek characters well-represented – costume contests, music, go-kart racing down 8th Street (there’s a bit of a hill towards the heart of downtown), food, drinks, and even an “alien drop”, where hundreds of mini-alien figures are dropped from a cherry picker – some with prizes. Even the hosting group, the Rahr-West Art Museum, calls it a “wacky tacky” weekend. Music from bands like Bazooka Joe add to the fun! Family fun continues with the Cosmic Kids Creation Station, which offers tye-dye, clay painting, and rocket building, plus live statues, portrait paintings, and more.
Sputnikfest Schedule of Events:
11:00-2:00PM DJ
11:30AM Photo Op with Sputnikfest Police (courtesy of the Masquers theater company)
12:00-5:00PM Art Space and Children’s Games
12:00-Noon 5K Art Walk/Run https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Manitowoc/Sputnikfest5KWalkRun
1:00-3:00PM Meet and Greet with 501st Wisconsin Garrison
12:00PM Lakeshore 1st Robotics
2:00-6:00PM Musical entertainment by XPOSED 4 HEADS
Get more details here from the Manitowoc/Two Rivers Convention & Visitors Bureau!
Sputnikfest Address:
Rahr-West Art Museum
610 N. 8th Street (8th & Park, U.S. 10 & Business 42)
Manitowoc, WI 54220 Website
Norskedalen hosts Ghoulees in the Coulees events Thursday, October 28th through Saturday, October 30th, 2021 providing a fun, yet scary and haunting, experience for the whole family in this beautiful natural and cultural area near Coon Valley in southeastern La Crosse County.
At Ghoulees in the Coulees, you can take a half-mile walk through chilling and thrilling spook stations along one of their wooded trails lined by hundreds of carved, lit pumpkins. Once you navigate this, you’ll regain your wits and end up with a treat and hot apple cider at Bekkum Homestead, a historic homestead over 100 years old, illuminated only by the light of the moon and jack-‘o-lanterns.
Some of what awaits in the dark in Norskedalen during Ghoulees in the Coulees. Is this out of focus? Or are they ghosts??
Along with the hike, you can enjoy storytelling, fortune-telling, grabbing a snack around the roaring fireplace, and walking through the haunted barns and other buildings. While it can be fun for kids of all ages, you may want to plan earlier hikes while it’s still light out for the very young and “faint of heart.” Earlier hikes around 5-7pm, hikes are less scary (the spooks do not try to scare you, but may offer a high-five, handshake, or wave). Conversely, 7-10:30pm, hikes are SUPER SCARY. They mean it! Chilling ghost stories designed to give you goosebumps will also be told at the end of your hike, making regaining your wits tricky for some. Fortune tellers will also be there to peer into your future.
Family-friendly trick-or-treating takes place Thursday, October 28th. Norskedalen’s Ghoulees in the Coulees Haunted Hikes take place Friday and Saturday October 29th & 30th. Friday slot times range from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (note: most Friday slots are sold out already!); Saturday slot times run from 4:30 p.m. to just after 8:00 p.m.
Tickets for the hikes are $35 per person. Advance reservations are required.
Norsekdalen Ghoulees in the Coulees prepares for State Trunk Tour’s Eric Paulsen.
You’ll find Norskedalen (which means “Norwegian Valley”) along County PI between Highway 162 and U.S. 14/61 just north of Coon Valley in southern La Crosse County. It’s a beautiful drive through the Driftess Area, right as the trees drop the rest of their colorful leaves.
Address for Ghoulees in the Coulees:
Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center
N455 O Ophus Road
Coon Valley, WI 54623
(608) 452-3424 Website
Old World Wisconsin, the 1870s-era crossroads village and ethnic farmsteads on 576 acres of wooded hills in the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest, has gone drive-thru with the Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive. This amazing Wisconsin State Historic Site is offering the opportunity for people and families to tour the grounds from the comfort and safety of their vehicles.
Enjoy the fall colors, historic sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Old World Wisconsin on this scenic, 45-minute drive tour of the grounds. This is designed to let you experience OWW differently than ever before; you can even cover routes that aren’t normally accessible during the regular season. The set route offers vignettes that capture the beauty of the landscapes and architecture on the grounds – especially in autumn.
Adding to the fun, an interactive Old World Wisconsin Bingo game will help guide the journey. You’re supposed to remain in your vehicle for most of the tour, but “Instagrammable” opportunities allow you to hop out for photos at select locations. You can also munch on “Fall Flavor Samplers,” filled with tastes of fall like apple cider donuts, landjaeger sausages, and pumpkin cookies, which are available for pre-order that you can then pick up at The Creamery to enjoy during the drive.
The cost for this drive-thru is $20 per vehicle; the optional Fall Flavor Samplers are also $20 and should feed two easily.
You can enjoy the Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive-Thru (yes, that’s a long title) on Saturdays and Sundays, October 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th, from 9am – 3pm. Advanced registration and payment is required; tickets are timed entry, giving guests a 15-minute window to enter the site. You can call 262-594-6311 to register, Shout-out to WaterStone Bank and the Old World Foundation for supporting this!
As part of the COVID-19 precautions, face masks are required for all guests upon entry.
Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive Address:
Old World Wisconsin
W372 S9727 Highway 67
Eagle, WI 53119-9503
(262) 594-6311 Website
Prairie du Chien is Wisconsin’s second oldest city, and history abounds. Home to Fort Crawford, the area became a prosperous trading center; it’s where Hercules Dousman built his mansion, Villa Louis. On Saturday, October 26th, Villa Louis After Dark will let you explore this history and get some spooky tales (and treats) just ahead of Halloween as you explore the grounds in this lamplight tour.
Picture this on the Saturday evening before Halloween: the sun sets west over the Mississippi River while the long shadows of autumn cross the lawns of Villa Louis, conjuring spirits of the 19th century. Where Villa Louis sits, on St. Feriole Island, plenty of spooky tales await. Costumed interpreters will hand out treats and spin spooky tales across the 26-acre site. The Villa Louis Visitor Center, easily identifiable since it sits on stilts, is where the tours begin and end. You can also enjoy a bonfire and S’mores (really, what’s a better fall treat than those??) This lamplight tour beckons visitors into close encounters with historic figures of long ago.
Villa Louis After Dark begins at 6pm on Saturday, October 26, and runs until 9pm. Tours will run continuously. Villa Louis itself has tours year ’round, as well as a number of events to celebrate history, seasons, and more. Tours offer a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion. You can plan your visit anytime, starting here.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there!
Villa Louis After Dark Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) Website
The lovely and fun city of Chippewa Falls turns 150 this year, and its Chippewa Falls Sesquicentennial Celebration Kickoff was Monday, March 25th. The celebration continues, especially into this weekend!
Okay, sesquicentennial (pronounced “sĕsˌkwĭ-sĕn-tĕnˈē-əl”) is a tricky word. But the events around it for the year will be fun! This first Chippewa Falls Sesquicentennial event to celebrate the city’s incorporation in 1869 is a musical.
You can experience it at the Heyde Center for the Arts and take a step back in time as the Wayward Players, dressed in period costume, sing songs from CHIPPEWA FALLS 1869: THE MUSICAL on the same date that the proclamation that founded the city was signed: March 25th. Browse through historic photographs, enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages, and talk with city officials and historians about the past, present and future of Chippewa Falls. The Chippewa County Historical Society will have books about Chippewa Falls on sale, a table and display of artifacts from the early 1800s, fur trade re-enactors from the Past Passed Here, and more. The Chippewa County Genealogy Society will be on hand with insights on many of the city’s founding families.
At 7:00 p.m. a formal program will be held in the Heyde Center auditorium starting with two songs by the Wayward Players. This will be followed by a brief speech by the Mayor of Chippewa Falls and finally the delivery of the proclamation to Doug Richter, the great-grandson of William Irvine (of Irvine Park fame). Richter will be the Grand Marshal of the August 10, 2019 Pure Water Days Parade in downtown Chippewa Falls. No cost for admission.
The musical continues at the Heyde Center later Thursday, March 28th – Sunday, March 31st. More Sesquicentennial events will follow, and we’ll keep you up to date on them!
Heyde Center for the Arts
3 S. High Street
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
(715) 726-9000 Website
You’ll find the Heyde Center just east (and up the hill) from downtown Chippewa Falls. U.S. 53 and Highway 29 bring you there via freeway and local Business routes. Highways 124 and 178 bring you right in towards downtown!
Start:
March 28, 2019 5:30 pm
End:
March 31, 2019 9:00 pm
Venue:
Heyde Center for the Arts
Phone:
715-726-9000
Address:
3 S. High Street, Chippewa Falls, WI, 54729, United States
The Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top offers you a chance to climb to the top of the 108-foot lighthouse for spectacular views of Lake Michigan and a nice view towards downtown Racine.
Wind Point Lighthouse is one the tallest and oldest lighthouses on the Great Lakes, continuing to help ships navigate the coast since it opened on November 15, 1880. The original fog house, walkways to the water, and parkland surrounding the lighthouse itself are all accessible year ’round.
However, this is just one of just five days each year the lighthouse and museum are open for the Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top. Guides will be to answer questions and provide a little history.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, 6-12 years old. Children under six are not allowed in tower due to safety considerations. Reservations are required, so call (262) 639-3777. Closed toe – and preferably sturdy – shoes are required for the climb. No open-toed shoes or flip flops are allowed. You must be able to climb 144 steps each way, since the lighthouse does not have an elevator.
The Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top 2018 has its final day this year on Sunday, October 7.
The Wind Point Lighthouse is accessible via Lighthouse Road or 3 Mile Road, just east of Highway 32 north of Racine. You can also connect nearby from Highways 31 and 38.
Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top Address:
4725 Lighthouse Drive
Racine, WI 53400
(262) 639-3777 Website
See a video of the Wind Point Lighthouse below!
Start:
October 7, 2018 9:00 am
End:
October 7, 2018 3:30 pm
Venue:
Wind Point Lighthouse
Phone:
262-880-8266
Address:
4725 Lighthouse Drive, Racine, WI, 53400, United States
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes lets you check out the historic the Villa Louis National Historic Landmark, right on St. Feriole Island along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city of Prairie du Chien, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
The Villa Louis mansion itself is a Victorian Italianate style home, constructed of Cream City brick. It boasted modern indoor plumbing and central heating, quite a luxury for the early 1870s (Wi-fi wouldn’t come along for many years.) It was remodeled and restored in 1885 and again in the 1930s when family members used the mansion as a boarding house school.
Tours are April 27-28, 2018, as well as a Villa Louis Behind the Scenes event focusing on art October 19-20. You can also check out their War of 1812 re-enactment July 21-22, which recreates the Battle of Prairie du Chien – the only active battle in Wisconsin during that war. The Carriage Classic takes place September 7-9, bringing you back to the days of the Dousman family’s trotting horse operation, the Artesian Stock Farm. It’s always a fascinating look at history here.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. Wyalusing State Park is just to the south, and you’re right along the Great River Road. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there. Watch for some construction and detour work along Highway 35 heading into town, though!
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-2721 Website
Start:
April 27, 2018 10:30 am
End:
April 28, 2018 5:00 pm
Venue:
Villa Louis
Phone:
608-326-2721
Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Villa Louis Behind the Scenes” offers extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Start:
September 29, 2017 10:30 am
End:
September 30, 2017 5:00 pm
Venue:
Villa Louis
Phone:
608-326-2721
Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Start:
November 18, 2016 10:30 am
End:
November 19, 2016 5:00 pm
Venue:
Villa Louis
Phone:
608-326-2721
Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
The Annual Lorine Niedecker Wisconsin Poetry Festival in Fort Atkinson offers a weekend full of workshops, speakers, open mic poetry readings, round tables, landmark tours, and poetry café. The festival is in honor of local poet Lorine Niedecker (1903-1970), a twentieth-century, second-wave, Modern American poet often identified with the Objectivists. Living most of her life on the shores of the Rock River near Fort Atkinson, she is perhaps best known as a poet of place who wrote about the Blackhawk Island that she loved.
Social events, informal gatherings and workshops will begin Friday evening and continue through Saturday evening.
Get all the event details on the Lorine Niedecker website; the main Schedule of Events is below.
You can reach Fort Atkinson via U.S. 12 or Highways 26, 89, or 106 in the heart of Jefferson County. Get poetic and check it out!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS at the LORINE NIEDECKER WISCONSIN POETRY FESTIVAL Friday, October 14, 2016
8:00 – 6:00 Dwight Foster Library is open, Library
Lorine Niedecker Room opens for reading, writing and quiet reflection
9:30 – 4:30 Hoard Historical Museum is open, Museum
Exhibits include the Lorine Niedecker Room and Native American and regional history.
Gallery Exhibit Along the River
Festival info, maps, information for self-guided tours of LN sites including her cabin on
Blackhawk Island and gravesite will be available at the Museum and Library.
5:00 Café Carpe opens for dinner Café Carpe
6:30 Open mic – Moderator Nick Demske of BONK!
7:30 After Party at Café Carpe coordinated by Dot Kent, group poetry and word games
Saturday, October 15, 2016
8:00 – 12:00 Poetry at the Farmers Market with Paul Wiegel Farmer’s Market
Fox River Poetry Company
8:30 Poetry Cafe and Poetry Store Open Fort Atkinson Club
Registration, freebies, exchanges, free Wi-Fi, light refreshment, Poet’s book shop
9:00 Festival Welcome and Niedecker News – Ann Engelman
9:10 David Wilk; Putting the Poet in Her Place
10:00 Dot Kent; Henry James letter to a friend and Lorine Niedecker’s
“Sorrow Moves in Wide Waves”
11:00 Norma Cole with Ronnie Hess and Paul Smyth; LN: Beyond English, beyond home
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Wisconsin Poetry Festival Open Mic — Moderator Angie Trudell Vasquez
(Sign up in the Poetry Café)
2:30 “Round Tables” These small groups encourage discussion with poets
Group A:
John Walser (Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award winner, 2015)
Brenda Cárdenas (Milwaukee poet laureate 2010-2012)
Group B:
Kathryn Gahl (Wisconsin People and Ideas fiction winner, 2015 and 2011)
Pat Moran (Winner of the Grayson Book Poetry Prize, 2015)
4:00 Oscar Mireles; Diversity of Wisconsin Poetry: Poet Laureate building community,
collaboration and audience through Latino eyes
5:15 Photo at poetry wall- Closing meal at Paddy’s
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Start:
August 26, 2016 10:30 am
End:
August 27, 2016 5:00 pm
Venue:
Villa Louis
Phone:
608-326-2721
Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
Heirloom Garden Weekend takes place the weekend of August 20-21, 2016 at Old World Wisconsin, a beautiful place that documents the settlement of 19th- and early 20th-century Wisconsin. It comprises an 1870s crossroads village and 10 ethnic farmsteads located on 576 acres of wooded hills in the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest in the southwestern corner of Waukesha County.
Throughout Heirloom Garden Weekend you can participate in special programs, walking tours, mini-workshops, family activities and sampling of heirloom plants in and about Old World Wisconsin’s historic gardens. Learn about the gardening practices of early immigrant settlers and get tips for growing and enjoying plants in your garden. Feel free to contact them at 262-594-6301 for more information and times.
Highlights include:
Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall enjoy a talk by Jennifer Jordan, UWM Professor and author of “Edible Memory: The Lure of Heirloom Tomatoes and Other Forgotten Foods.” She will discuss “How Tomotoes Became Heirlooms and Apples became Antiques.” Ms. Jordan will be available to sign books following her talk. Books will be available for sale.
Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall hear Ellen Penwell, former curator of Collections at Old World Wisconsin, talk about “Dig In! The History of Garden Tools.”
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall Bill Stone of Brightonwoods Orchard will present, “Heirloom Apple Tees in WI” with a tree grafting demo.
For Heirloom Garden Weekend, the cost for adults (18-64) is $19; children (5-17) are $10; children 4 and under are free; Senior citizens (65 and over) are $16. Fees include an all-day tram transportation pass. Parking is free.
You’ll find Old World Wisconsin along Highway 67 on its beautiful drive through Kettle Moraine near Eagle, just south of the junction with Highway 59. U.S. 12 and Highway 20 meet Highway 67 about seven miles to the south.
Address:
Old World Wisconsin
W372 S9727 Wisconsin Highway 67
Eagle, WI 53119
(262) 594-6301 Website
Email: oww@wisconsinhistory.org
Start:
August 20, 2016
End:
August 21, 2016
Venue:
Old World Wisconsin
Phone:
262-594-6301
Address:
W372 S9727 Wisconsin Highway 67, Eagle, WI, 53119, United States
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Start:
June 24, 2016 10:30 am
End:
June 25, 2016 5:00 pm
Venue:
Villa Louis
Phone:
608-326-2721
Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Start:
May 20, 2016 10:30 am
End:
May 21, 2016 5:00 pm
Venue:
Villa Louis
Phone:
608-326-2721
Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events › Historic Site
September 9, 2023
Sputnik Fest
The festival draws plenty of space fans – with Star Wars and Star Trek characters well-represented – costume contests, music, go-kart racing down 8th Street (there’s a bit of a hill towards the heart of downtown), food, drinks, and even an “alien drop”, where hundreds of mini-alien figures are dropped from a cherry picker – some with prizes. Even the hosting group, the Rahr-West Art Museum, calls it a “wacky tacky” weekend. Music from bands like Bazooka Joe add to the fun! Family fun continues with the Cosmic Kids Creation Station, which offers tye-dye, clay painting, and rocket building, plus live statues, portrait paintings, and more.
Sputnikfest Schedule of Events:
11:00-2:00PM DJ
11:30AM Photo Op with Sputnikfest Police (courtesy of the Masquers theater company)
12:00-5:00PM Art Space and Children’s Games
12:00-Noon 5K Art Walk/Run https://runsignup.com/Race/WI/Manitowoc/Sputnikfest5KWalkRun
1:00-3:00PM Meet and Greet with 501st Wisconsin Garrison
12:00PM Lakeshore 1st Robotics
2:00-6:00PM Musical entertainment by XPOSED 4 HEADS
Get more details here from the Manitowoc/Two Rivers Convention & Visitors Bureau!
Sputnikfest Address:
Rahr-West Art Museum
610 N. 8th Street (8th & Park, U.S. 10 & Business 42)
Manitowoc, WI 54220
Website
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
October 30, 2021
Ghoulees in the Coulees
Norskedalen hosts Ghoulees in the Coulees events Thursday, October 28th through Saturday, October 30th, 2021 providing a fun, yet scary and haunting, experience for the whole family in this beautiful natural and cultural area near Coon Valley in southeastern La Crosse County.
At Ghoulees in the Coulees, you can take a half-mile walk through chilling and thrilling spook stations along one of their wooded trails lined by hundreds of carved, lit pumpkins. Once you navigate this, you’ll regain your wits and end up with a treat and hot apple cider at Bekkum Homestead, a historic homestead over 100 years old, illuminated only by the light of the moon and jack-‘o-lanterns.
Along with the hike, you can enjoy storytelling, fortune-telling, grabbing a snack around the roaring fireplace, and walking through the haunted barns and other buildings. While it can be fun for kids of all ages, you may want to plan earlier hikes while it’s still light out for the very young and “faint of heart.” Earlier hikes around 5-7pm, hikes are less scary (the spooks do not try to scare you, but may offer a high-five, handshake, or wave). Conversely, 7-10:30pm, hikes are SUPER SCARY. They mean it! Chilling ghost stories designed to give you goosebumps will also be told at the end of your hike, making regaining your wits tricky for some. Fortune tellers will also be there to peer into your future.
Family-friendly trick-or-treating takes place Thursday, October 28th. Norskedalen’s Ghoulees in the Coulees Haunted Hikes take place Friday and Saturday October 29th & 30th. Friday slot times range from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. (note: most Friday slots are sold out already!); Saturday slot times run from 4:30 p.m. to just after 8:00 p.m.
Tickets for the hikes are $35 per person. Advance reservations are required.
You’ll find Norskedalen (which means “Norwegian Valley”) along County PI between Highway 162 and U.S. 14/61 just north of Coon Valley in southern La Crosse County. It’s a beautiful drive through the Driftess Area, right as the trees drop the rest of their colorful leaves.
Address for Ghoulees in the Coulees:
Norskedalen Nature & Heritage Center
N455 O Ophus Road
Coon Valley, WI 54623
(608) 452-3424
Website
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
October 17, 2020 – October 18, 2020
Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive
Old World Wisconsin, the 1870s-era crossroads village and ethnic farmsteads on 576 acres of wooded hills in the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest, has gone drive-thru with the Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive. This amazing Wisconsin State Historic Site is offering the opportunity for people and families to tour the grounds from the comfort and safety of their vehicles.
Enjoy the fall colors, historic sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Old World Wisconsin on this scenic, 45-minute drive tour of the grounds. This is designed to let you experience OWW differently than ever before; you can even cover routes that aren’t normally accessible during the regular season. The set route offers vignettes that capture the beauty of the landscapes and architecture on the grounds – especially in autumn.
Adding to the fun, an interactive Old World Wisconsin Bingo game will help guide the journey. You’re supposed to remain in your vehicle for most of the tour, but “Instagrammable” opportunities allow you to hop out for photos at select locations. You can also munch on “Fall Flavor Samplers,” filled with tastes of fall like apple cider donuts, landjaeger sausages, and pumpkin cookies, which are available for pre-order that you can then pick up at The Creamery to enjoy during the drive.
The cost for this drive-thru is $20 per vehicle; the optional Fall Flavor Samplers are also $20 and should feed two easily.
You can enjoy the Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive-Thru (yes, that’s a long title) on Saturdays and Sundays, October 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th, from 9am – 3pm. Advanced registration and payment is required; tickets are timed entry, giving guests a 15-minute window to enter the site. You can call 262-594-6311 to register, Shout-out to WaterStone Bank and the Old World Foundation for supporting this!
As part of the COVID-19 precautions, face masks are required for all guests upon entry.
Old World Wisconsin Fall Family Fun Drive Address:
Old World Wisconsin
W372 S9727 Highway 67
Eagle, WI 53119-9503
(262) 594-6311
Website
Back to StateTrunkTour.com
October 26, 2019
Villa Louis After Dark
Prairie du Chien is Wisconsin’s second oldest city, and history abounds. Home to Fort Crawford, the area became a prosperous trading center; it’s where Hercules Dousman built his mansion, Villa Louis. On Saturday, October 26th, Villa Louis After Dark will let you explore this history and get some spooky tales (and treats) just ahead of Halloween as you explore the grounds in this lamplight tour.
Picture this on the Saturday evening before Halloween: the sun sets west over the Mississippi River while the long shadows of autumn cross the lawns of Villa Louis, conjuring spirits of the 19th century. Where Villa Louis sits, on St. Feriole Island, plenty of spooky tales await. Costumed interpreters will hand out treats and spin spooky tales across the 26-acre site. The Villa Louis Visitor Center, easily identifiable since it sits on stilts, is where the tours begin and end. You can also enjoy a bonfire and S’mores (really, what’s a better fall treat than those??) This lamplight tour beckons visitors into close encounters with historic figures of long ago.
Villa Louis After Dark begins at 6pm on Saturday, October 26, and runs until 9pm. Tours will run continuously. Villa Louis itself has tours year ’round, as well as a number of events to celebrate history, seasons, and more. Tours offer a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion. You can plan your visit anytime, starting here.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there!
Villa Louis After Dark Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608)
Website
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March 28, 2019 – March 31, 2019
Chippewa Falls Sesquicentennial Celebration Kickoff
The lovely and fun city of Chippewa Falls turns 150 this year, and its Chippewa Falls Sesquicentennial Celebration Kickoff was Monday, March 25th. The celebration continues, especially into this weekend!
Okay, sesquicentennial (pronounced “sĕsˌkwĭ-sĕn-tĕnˈē-əl”) is a tricky word. But the events around it for the year will be fun! This first Chippewa Falls Sesquicentennial event to celebrate the city’s incorporation in 1869 is a musical.
You can experience it at the Heyde Center for the Arts and take a step back in time as the Wayward Players, dressed in period costume, sing songs from CHIPPEWA FALLS 1869: THE MUSICAL on the same date that the proclamation that founded the city was signed: March 25th. Browse through historic photographs, enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages, and talk with city officials and historians about the past, present and future of Chippewa Falls. The Chippewa County Historical Society will have books about Chippewa Falls on sale, a table and display of artifacts from the early 1800s, fur trade re-enactors from the Past Passed Here, and more. The Chippewa County Genealogy Society will be on hand with insights on many of the city’s founding families.
At 7:00 p.m. a formal program will be held in the Heyde Center auditorium starting with two songs by the Wayward Players. This will be followed by a brief speech by the Mayor of Chippewa Falls and finally the delivery of the proclamation to Doug Richter, the great-grandson of William Irvine (of Irvine Park fame). Richter will be the Grand Marshal of the August 10, 2019 Pure Water Days Parade in downtown Chippewa Falls. No cost for admission.
The musical continues at the Heyde Center later Thursday, March 28th – Sunday, March 31st. More Sesquicentennial events will follow, and we’ll keep you up to date on them!
Chippewa Falls Sesquicentennial Celebration Kickoff Address:
Heyde Center for the Arts
3 S. High Street
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
(715) 726-9000
Website
You’ll find the Heyde Center just east (and up the hill) from downtown Chippewa Falls. U.S. 53 and Highway 29 bring you there via freeway and local Business routes. Highways 124 and 178 bring you right in towards downtown!
October 7, 2018
Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top
The Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top offers you a chance to climb to the top of the 108-foot lighthouse for spectacular views of Lake Michigan and a nice view towards downtown Racine.
Wind Point Lighthouse is one the tallest and oldest lighthouses on the Great Lakes, continuing to help ships navigate the coast since it opened on November 15, 1880. The original fog house, walkways to the water, and parkland surrounding the lighthouse itself are all accessible year ’round.
However, this is just one of just five days each year the lighthouse and museum are open for the Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top. Guides will be to answer questions and provide a little history.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, 6-12 years old. Children under six are not allowed in tower due to safety considerations. Reservations are required, so call (262) 639-3777. Closed toe – and preferably sturdy – shoes are required for the climb. No open-toed shoes or flip flops are allowed. You must be able to climb 144 steps each way, since the lighthouse does not have an elevator.
The Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top 2018 has its final day this year on Sunday, October 7.
The Wind Point Lighthouse is accessible via Lighthouse Road or 3 Mile Road, just east of Highway 32 north of Racine. You can also connect nearby from Highways 31 and 38.
Wind Point Lighthouse Tour to the Top Address:
4725 Lighthouse Drive
Racine, WI 53400
(262) 639-3777
Website
See a video of the Wind Point Lighthouse below!
April 27, 2018 – April 28, 2018
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes lets you check out the historic the Villa Louis National Historic Landmark, right on St. Feriole Island along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city of Prairie du Chien, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
The Villa Louis mansion itself is a Victorian Italianate style home, constructed of Cream City brick. It boasted modern indoor plumbing and central heating, quite a luxury for the early 1870s (Wi-fi wouldn’t come along for many years.) It was remodeled and restored in 1885 and again in the 1930s when family members used the mansion as a boarding house school.
Tours are April 27-28, 2018, as well as a Villa Louis Behind the Scenes event focusing on art October 19-20. You can also check out their War of 1812 re-enactment July 21-22, which recreates the Battle of Prairie du Chien – the only active battle in Wisconsin during that war. The Carriage Classic takes place September 7-9, bringing you back to the days of the Dousman family’s trotting horse operation, the Artesian Stock Farm. It’s always a fascinating look at history here.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. Wyalusing State Park is just to the south, and you’re right along the Great River Road. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there. Watch for some construction and detour work along Highway 35 heading into town, though!
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes Address:
521 N. Villa Louis Road
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-2721
Website
September 29, 2017 – September 30, 2017
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes – September
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Villa Louis Behind the Scenes” offers extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
November 18, 2016 – November 19, 2016
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes – November
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
October 14, 2016 – October 15, 2016
Lorine Niedecker Wisconsin Poetry Festival
The Annual Lorine Niedecker Wisconsin Poetry Festival in Fort Atkinson offers a weekend full of workshops, speakers, open mic poetry readings, round tables, landmark tours, and poetry café. The festival is in honor of local poet Lorine Niedecker (1903-1970), a twentieth-century, second-wave, Modern American poet often identified with the Objectivists. Living most of her life on the shores of the Rock River near Fort Atkinson, she is perhaps best known as a poet of place who wrote about the Blackhawk Island that she loved.
Social events, informal gatherings and workshops will begin Friday evening and continue through Saturday evening.
Get all the event details on the Lorine Niedecker website; the main Schedule of Events is below.
You can reach Fort Atkinson via U.S. 12 or Highways 26, 89, or 106 in the heart of Jefferson County. Get poetic and check it out!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS at the LORINE NIEDECKER WISCONSIN POETRY FESTIVAL
Friday, October 14, 2016
8:00 – 6:00 Dwight Foster Library is open, Library
Lorine Niedecker Room opens for reading, writing and quiet reflection
9:30 – 4:30 Hoard Historical Museum is open, Museum
Exhibits include the Lorine Niedecker Room and Native American and regional history.
Gallery Exhibit Along the River
Festival info, maps, information for self-guided tours of LN sites including her cabin on
Blackhawk Island and gravesite will be available at the Museum and Library.
5:00 Café Carpe opens for dinner Café Carpe
6:30 Open mic – Moderator Nick Demske of BONK!
7:30 After Party at Café Carpe coordinated by Dot Kent, group poetry and word games
Saturday, October 15, 2016
8:00 – 12:00 Poetry at the Farmers Market with Paul Wiegel Farmer’s Market
Fox River Poetry Company
8:30 Poetry Cafe and Poetry Store Open Fort Atkinson Club
Registration, freebies, exchanges, free Wi-Fi, light refreshment, Poet’s book shop
9:00 Festival Welcome and Niedecker News – Ann Engelman
9:10 David Wilk; Putting the Poet in Her Place
10:00 Dot Kent; Henry James letter to a friend and Lorine Niedecker’s
“Sorrow Moves in Wide Waves”
11:00 Norma Cole with Ronnie Hess and Paul Smyth; LN: Beyond English, beyond home
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Wisconsin Poetry Festival Open Mic — Moderator Angie Trudell Vasquez
(Sign up in the Poetry Café)
2:30 “Round Tables” These small groups encourage discussion with poets
Group A:
John Walser (Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award winner, 2015)
Brenda Cárdenas (Milwaukee poet laureate 2010-2012)
Group B:
Kathryn Gahl (Wisconsin People and Ideas fiction winner, 2015 and 2011)
Pat Moran (Winner of the Grayson Book Poetry Prize, 2015)
4:00 Oscar Mireles; Diversity of Wisconsin Poetry: Poet Laureate building community,
collaboration and audience through Latino eyes
5:15 Photo at poetry wall- Closing meal at Paddy’s
August 26, 2016 – August 27, 2016
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes – August
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
August 20, 2016 – August 21, 2016
Heirloom Garden Weekend
Heirloom Garden Weekend takes place the weekend of August 20-21, 2016 at Old World Wisconsin, a beautiful place that documents the settlement of 19th- and early 20th-century Wisconsin. It comprises an 1870s crossroads village and 10 ethnic farmsteads located on 576 acres of wooded hills in the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest in the southwestern corner of Waukesha County.
Throughout Heirloom Garden Weekend you can participate in special programs, walking tours, mini-workshops, family activities and sampling of heirloom plants in and about Old World Wisconsin’s historic gardens. Learn about the gardening practices of early immigrant settlers and get tips for growing and enjoying plants in your garden. Feel free to contact them at 262-594-6301 for more information and times.
Highlights include:
Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall enjoy a talk by Jennifer Jordan, UWM Professor and author of “Edible Memory: The Lure of Heirloom Tomatoes and Other Forgotten Foods.” She will discuss “How Tomotoes Became Heirlooms and Apples became Antiques.” Ms. Jordan will be available to sign books following her talk. Books will be available for sale.
Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall hear Ellen Penwell, former curator of Collections at Old World Wisconsin, talk about “Dig In! The History of Garden Tools.”
Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Caldwell Hall Bill Stone of Brightonwoods Orchard will present, “Heirloom Apple Tees in WI” with a tree grafting demo.
For Heirloom Garden Weekend, the cost for adults (18-64) is $19; children (5-17) are $10; children 4 and under are free; Senior citizens (65 and over) are $16. Fees include an all-day tram transportation pass. Parking is free.
You’ll find Old World Wisconsin along Highway 67 on its beautiful drive through Kettle Moraine near Eagle, just south of the junction with Highway 59. U.S. 12 and Highway 20 meet Highway 67 about seven miles to the south.
Address:
Old World Wisconsin
W372 S9727 Wisconsin Highway 67
Eagle, WI 53119
(262) 594-6301
Website
Email: oww@wisconsinhistory.org
June 24, 2016 – June 25, 2016
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes – June
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!
May 20, 2016 – May 21, 2016
Villa Louis Behind the Scenes – May
Check out historic Villa Louis, right along the Mississippi River in Wisconsin’s second oldest city, from top to bottom. “Behind the Scenes” at Villa Louis offer extended tours of the mansion, giving visitors a glimpse into the life of a historic house museum. Highlighting the care and upkeep of a unique object from the Dousman collection, tours include visits to the nooks and crannies of this historic and beautiful restored mansion.
Prairie du Chien lies just north of where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi in one of the most beautiful areas of Wisconsin. U.S. 18 and Highways 27, 35, and 60 all bring you there.
For full Villa Louis information, check out their website!