2009 WBCCI International Rally Points of Interest

[overlander64]

Greetings All!

While it may seem early, I am sure others are thinking about side-trips during the 2009 WBCCI International Rally in Madison, Wisconsin. There are several of us on the Forums who have ties to the Southern region of Wisconsin, and I thought that we might post some of our suggestions for Madison area side-trips.

I lived in Grant County (far Southwestern corner of Wisconsin) for seven years, and my suggestions focus primarily on the four Southwestern-most counties.

Each of the counties maintain websites that include some information on local travel and tourism:

· Grant County, Wisconsin
o Grant County Visitors Bureau
o Grant County Calendar of Events and Festivals
o Nelson Dewey State Park and Stonefield Historic Site
o Wyalusing State Park
o Grant County History and Culture
o Dining in Grant County
o University of Wisconsin -- Platteville
o Villa Louis Historic Site – Prairie DuChien
o Rustic Barn RV Park -- Kieler
o Dickeyville Grotto, Dickeyville
· Iowa County, Wisconsin
o Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
§ Blue Mound State Park
§ Cave of the Mounds National Natural Monument
§ Little Norway
o Dodgeville, Wisconsin
§ Governor Dodge State Park
§ Lands End Headquarters
§ Tower Hill State Park
§ Military Ridge State Trail
o Highland, Wisconsin
§ Blackhawk Lake Recreation Area
o Mineral Point, Wisconsin
§ Shakerag Alley Center for the Arts
§ Pendarvis Historic Site
§ Mineral Point Opera House
§ Mineral Point Historical Society/Orchard Park
§ For bicycling enthusiasts, contact the Mineral Point Chamber of Commerce for a copy of the Southwest Wisconsin Bicycling Map (Iowa, Grant, and Lafayette Counties) – Recently updated!!
§ Also, check with the Mineral Point Chamber of Commerce for the Mineral Point City Band concert schedule – musical interludes offered periodically throughout the summer.
o Montfort, Wisconsin
§ Montfort Wind Farm
§ Rural Route 1 Pop Corn Retail Store & Gift Shop
o Spring Green, Wisconsin
§ River Valley Players
§ American Players Theater
§ Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin
§ The House on the Rock
§ Spring Green Summer Concerts
· Lafayette County, Wisconsin
o Lake Joy Campground, Belmont, Wisconsin
o Wisconsin’s First State Capitol, Belmont, Wisconsin
o Yellowstone Lake State Park, Blanchardville, Wisconsin
o Gravity Hill, Shullsburg, Wisconsin
· Regional Information Sites
o The Uplands
o Southwest Wisconsin Tourism
o The Hidden Valleys
o Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council

While in this area, a side trip to Galena, Illinois is worth considering as well:

• Galena Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Annie Wiggins Ghost Tours
• Galena Trolley Tours
• Vinegar Hill Historic Lead Mine and Museum
• Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site
• Elihu B. Washburne House - Galena, Illinois
• The Old Market House - Galena, Illinois

There is some hope that the tri-county Geo-Caching Initiative may be at a stage where there will be an opportunity for those interested in geo-caching to participate in a historically oriented/themed geo-cache. I will try to post further information on this initiative as I hear more from my contact.

Kevin

[aircooled4]

Its neat seeing all those links to things that are in the area I grew up in! Im looking forward to the WBCCI rally myself!

[aircooled4]

Say Kevin...where in grant county did you live? I grew up in Bloomington and went to college at UW Platteville back in the 80s...

[overlander64]

I lived in Livingston on County Highway E and taught Business and Computer Science at Iowa-Grant High School.

Kevin

[wheel interested]

Camping at Governor Dodge State Park with a side trip to Mineral Point for dinner was a favorite of ours when we lived in Illinois. I always wanted to go to the Wright House and House on the Rock is a huge complex with really interesting and odd curiosities but we haven't gotten there yet. We keep spending the time right at the park. There is great hiking and biking and water at Governor Dodge.

[ckeysor]

We are going to head to Madison for our first international along with going to Milwaukee for Summerfest. Since I have kids (2 and 5) and plan on only staying a day or two I would like to stay at another campground. Does any one have a recommendation.

Thanks.

[overlander64]

Greetings Chris!

Originally Posted by ckeysor

We are going to head to Madison for our first international along with going to Milwaukee for Summerfest. Since I have kids (2 and 5) and plan on only staying a day or two I would like to stay at another campground. Does any one have a recommendation.

Thanks.

I am not terribly familiar with what is available East of Madison, but if you want to consider areas to the West of Madison, the following are no more than an hour commute to Madison:

• Rustic Barn Campground, Kieler, Wisconsin
• Lake Joy Campground, Belmont, Wisconsin
• Governor Dodge State Park, Dodgeville, Wisconsin
• Blue Mound State Park, Blue Mounds, Wisconsin (only 25 miles to Madison)
• BlackHawk Lake Recreation Area, Highland, Wisconsin

Of the places that I have listed above, Blue Mound State Park is the closest to Madison at 25 miles -- most of the others are between 45 and 60 miles -- the campgrounds are near four-lane highways that will take you to Madison. I have stayed at least one night in each of these campgrounds -- my favorite is Rustic Barn followed closely by Lake Joy. The one thing that I would mention about Rustic Barn is that there are limited features of interest to children -- the other four parks offer more of interest to children.

I don't know what route you are planning from Atlanta, but if you are planning to head Northwest to Interstate 57 in Illinois, I would suggest considering the routing below for an interesting and relaxing drive that avoids the aggravations of Chicago:

• I-57 North to I-74 East (Near Champaign, IL)
• I-74 East to I-80 West (Near Davenport, IA)
• I-80 West to US 61 North (Davenport, IA)
• US 61 North to US 151 North (Dubuque, IA)
• US 151 North -- to Madison, WI

This route is only a few miles further than taking I-39 and the tollway system, but it is so much more relaxing that it is the only route that I ever take when traveling to Southwest Wisconsin several times each year.

I am sure that you will enjoy your Wisconsin visit and the International!

Kevin

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by ckeysor

We are going to head to Madison for our first international along with going to Milwaukee for Summerfest. Since I have kids (2 and 5) and plan on only staying a day or two I would like to stay at another campground. Does any one have a recommendation.

Thanks.

Hi, Chris,

Depending on what you want or need in a campground for a couple of days, there are some places fairly close to the Alliant Energy Center (a.k.a fairgrounds) where the International will be this year.

Madison is laid out around two lakes, Mendota and Monona. The Alliant Energy Center is on the southeast end of town near Lake Monona. Several Dane County parks have modest sized campgrounds (30 - 50 sites). The closest looks to be Lake Farm County Park, only about 3 miles away.

Lake Farm Park - Parks Division - Government of Dane County, Wisconsin

We haven't stayed at Lake Farm but we have stayed at Mendota County Park on the north end of Lake Mendota and it was quite nice. Nothing fancy--just a nice spot in the trees with a 30 or 50 amp electric outlet, but they have nice facilities and a dump station. They do take reservations. Also be aware that if you have a dog or dogs there is an additional dog fee.

Lake Kegonsa State Park is not too far away, looks like about 15 miles from the International rally, and they also have camping, either dry or electric-only. Wisconsin state park campground fees are quite reasonable except for the fact that they charge a rather hefty admission fee for non-residents just to drive into the park; $10 a day or $35 a year if I remember correctly.

WDNR - Lake Kegonsa Camping

Hope this helps.

See you up the road,
Nuvi

[overlander64]

I am spending the weekend in Southwest Wisconsin, and have encountered a wonderful attraction that I hadn't heard too much about in the past. Today, we traveled to North Freedom, Wisconsin -- the attraction was the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. The museum organization also operates a scenic tourist train on weekends through June 1st when daily service will resume. There are several sightseeing trips each day plus one dinner train that departs at 6:30 p.m. most days. On the sightseeing trips, you have the choice of coach or first-class. We traveled first-class and had a wonderful trip -- we were treated to an array of German appetizers with a wide assortment of beverages (included in the first-class fare) with the wrap-up being home-made jelly-filled doughnuts. Reservations are "suggested" for the sightseeing excursions, and required for the dinner train -- the dinner train can fill-up quickly as the maximum seating is 38.

Just last year, the museum was flooded, but they have made an amazing recovery. Unfortunately, their steam locomotives haven't been returned to service, but they do have a diesel locomotive that pulls the vintage cars -- the car that we rode in was a 1929 Pullman -- very ellegant. There are also a number of cars and locomotives on-display in the museum and on the grounds.

I can certainly recommend this attraction -- excellent food, comparatively reasonable prices, and wonderful scenery abound on all approaches to the depot. This attraction is less than an hours scenic drive from Madison -- and worth every minute!

Kevin