Travel

Find a Taste of New England in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin

But with Mississippi River beaches, Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, and goat butter.

Unsplash/Ethan Walsweer
Unsplash/Ethan Walsweer
Unsplash/Ethan Walsweer

I’d wanted to visit the Driftless Area since I first heard of it about a year ago. COVID and its residual fallout limited my wife and I to road trip travel throughout most of the past two years, and that meant researching all the amazing places within driving distance of our Chicago home. We did the Upper Peninsula, dipped our toes into every Great Lake, spent weekends exploring Indianapolis, Louisville, and Nashville, and pitched a tent everywhere from Starved Rock to the Indiana Dunes.

But the Driftless? That remained uncharted territory-at least until we booked an Airbnb, loaded up the Jeep, and set our sights on western Wisconsin, the promise of rolling hills and farm-fresh cheese beckoning us all the way up I-90.

To put it simply, the Driftless Area is a topographical and ecological anomaly, stretching 24,000 square miles along the Mississippi River from southwestern Wisconsin and Minnesota down to northeastern Iowa and the northwest corner of Illinois. For reasons best left to the scientists to explain, the Ice Age spared this region from a prolonged frosty covering, in turn preventing widespread glacial deposits-or “drift”-from killing off the existing environmental features and levelling the earth.

Driftless Wisconsin
Driftless Wisconsin
Driftless Wisconsin

Dramatic bluffs, lush forests, and steep gorges with sweeping vistas abound in these parts, as do incredible views of the Mississippi and its many tributaries. Elevations can soar up to 1,720 feet at points, and thanks to its distinct natural makeup, local wildlife, agriculture, and land patterns mirror those found in New England-a sharp contrast from the flat prairieland that dominates so much of the Midwest.

Local geology made the Driftless rich in natural resources like lead and zinc. Thousands of miners, many of them immigrants, flocked to the region back when Wisconsin was merely a territory, making it the most populous area for miles. The tiny 19th century hamlet of Belmont in Lafayette County, home to the state’s First Capitol Historic Site, proudly showcases this history, as does the University of Wisconsin’s mascot-many of those early transplants lived full-time inside their mines, earning them the nickname “badgers.”

Throughout the years, the land has given rise to other industries, from award-winning cheesemaking to world-renowned artistic endeavours. It’s here that you’ll find Uplands Cheese, the family-owned creamery behind the highly coveted Rush Creek Reserve (basically the Pappy Van Winkle of the cheese world). Iconoclastic architect Frank Lloyd Wright settled in the Driftless for decades, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape the area via his 800-acre Taliesin Estate, proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 2019.

Buffalo County, Wisconsin
Buffalo County, Wisconsin
Buffalo County, Wisconsin

But back to 2022. We picked out an Airbnb in Fountain City, a small town near the area’s far northwest edge just across the Mississippi from Winona, Minnesota. Home to a quaint Main Street, a few interesting bars, and a roadside curiosity called “Rock in the House,” Fountain City’s population taps out at around 810. The house we rented didn’t even have a street number-instead, the GPS led us down a dusty dirt road that dumped us right in front of the driveway. The dog, happily unleashed, started chasing rabbits into a wooded patch above the rental, and we got to work on our own Driftless itinerary.

From quirky attractions and pristine hikes to world-class dining and a whole lot of warm hospitality, Wisconsin’s Driftless Area is chock full of things to keep the average visitor good and busy. Here’s what you need to know.

Wisconsin Great River Road
Wisconsin Great River Road
Wisconsin Great River Road

Cruise one of America’s most scenic drives

No matter where you’re driving in from, make it a priority to spend at least part of the journey along the Great River Road-AKA Wisconsin State Highway 35. The 250-mile-long route twists and turns its way through 33 deeply historic towns and gorgeous foliage, all the while hugging the Mississippi River. Between colossal bridges, postcard-perfect vistas, ancient rock formations, and striking cliffsides, it’s no wonder it leads the charge as one of Wisconsin’s’ most popular scenic byways.

Driftless Wisconsin
Driftless Wisconsin
Driftless Wisconsin

Get the lay of the land on a leisurely hike

If you’re looking for prime access to the Great Outdoors, you’ve arrived. The Driftless is littered with parks, preserves, refuges, and natural areas, most of them clustered along the banks of the Mississippi and Kickapoo River Valleys. Diverse habitats attract hordes of rare migratory birds and other unusual wildlife, while manmade features like hiking and biking paths, scenic lookouts, fishing piers, and rustic campgrounds draw in the humans.

Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil

Up north, two state parks-Merrick and Perrot-are both excellent places to get your footing. At Merrick in Fountain City, you can follow three miles of well-trodden trails to catch a glimpse of the Mississippi-fed wetlands below, stopping to forage for mushrooms and other wild edibles as you go. Over at Perrot, 1,200 acres stretch out before you, broken up by soaring bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Trempealeau and Mississippi rivers. From there you can merge onto the Great River State Trail, a 24-mile expanse popular with cyclists looking to stretch their legs against a breathtaking backdrop.

Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge
Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

Elsewhere, a handful of State Natural Areas provide a slightly less rugged foray into nature. The 6,446-acre Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge has long been a hub for massive Bald Eagles and other critters, while Buffalo County’s Whitman Bottoms Floodplain Forest State Natural Area buzzes with majestic herons, laying claim to one of the state’s largest rookeries.

The Kickapoo Valley Reserve, lodged between La Farge and Ontario, has multiple dedicated and mixed-use trails throughout its 8,569 acres, each with ample opportunities to observe cohabitating species. And just north of Prairie du Chien lies the Limery Ridge Savannah, one of the last undeveloped bluffs perched above the Mississippi River, and the ideal setting for spotting colourful songbirds flitting amid the open oak woodland.

Prairie du Chien
Prairie du Chien
Prairie du Chien

Cool off in the mighty Mississippi

Raise your hand if you didn’t know the Mississippi River had beaches. Strange but true, a network of sandy shores welcomes swimmers, waders, and sunbathers every summer. Wyalusing Public Beach in Bagley holds it down as a family-friendly respite bordered by canoe trails. Over in La Crosse, Pettibone Beach is a sportier option, with impromptu games of catch and beach volleyball rounding out a disc golf area, fishing docks, and onsite kayak rentals. Go figure.

Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil

Pull over for oddball roadside attractions

Bring on the kitsch-this is the Midwest, after all. Starting in Fountain City, blink and you’ll miss the entrance to Rock in the House, a local landmark whose small hand painted sign has beckoned drivers along North Shore Drive since the mid-1990s. Pull into the curving driveway, however, and you’ll encounter something you won’t soon forget: a 55-ton boulder bisecting the rear of the modest single-story house, shards of siding and plaster crumbling around its craggy mass.

Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil

The mighty stone rolled down the hill and smashed into what once was Maxine and Dwight Anderson’s primary bedroom in April 1995. No one was hurt, thank goodness, and the house was subsequently purchased by an area real estate investor who turned the site into a museum. The new owner kept everything perfectly intact, from the ruinous rock to the kitchen’s cheery wallpaper and outdated appliances, adding only displays showcasing relevant newspaper clippings and a few pieces of geological information. Sadly, the museum closed in 2021, but visitors can still walk around the exterior of the house and peer into its windows for a closer look.

Kinstone Megalithic Garden is yet another Fountain City original. The sprawling open-air exhibit has been likened to Wisconsin’s Stonehenge, a mystical collection of rock formations spread out over 30 rolling acres. For $10, passersby can wander the grounds for as long as they like, checking out the dramatic installations, meandering through labyrinths, and pointing out one of the garden’s many resident cats. They also hold regular events on the property, including art shows, concerts, celebrations, and yoga classes.

Lamar Advertising of Central Wisconsin
Lamar Advertising of Central Wisconsin
Lamar Advertising of Central Wisconsin

A trip down to La Crosse brings you to the foot of the world’s largest six pack (no, you can’t drink it). City Brewery’s towering bright tanks stand 54 feet in the air, swathed in La Crosse Lager labels to make them resemble six enormous beer cans. Fun fact: They were originally the brainchild of G. Heileman Brewery, painted with Old Style Lager branding in 1969 as a successful marketing ploy. And if you do come away thirsty as all get-out, consider dropping by Bathtub Spring. The bubbling Star Valley beacon has been treating drivers to fresh, ice-cold spring water via a simple bare tap jutting out of a roadside creek for decades. Pull over when you see the porcelain bathtub (it acts as a collection reservoir) and help yourself to a drink courtesy of the tin cups chained to the pipe.

Digger's Sting Restaurant
Digger’s Sting Restaurant
Digger’s Sting Restaurant

Fuel up with some hearty home cooking

Beyond brandy-spiked Old Fashioneds and squeaky cheese curds, Wisconsin dining is synonymous with supper clubs, those lovable full-service restaurants that treat you like family whether it’s your very first fish fry or your 1,000th prime rib platter. The Driftless boasts its fair share of quality supper clubs, from the whimsical Golden Frog in Fountain City, established 1878, to classics like Westby’s Old Towne Inn Supper Club (order an Ice Cream Drink and thank us later), Sullivan’s Supper Club in Trempealeau with its riverfront views, and Digger’s Sting, a La Crosse fixture oozing with retro authenticity.

Monarch Public House
Monarch Public House
Monarch Public House

If a steak dinner with all the fixings isn’t in the cards, a host of laid-back bars and brewpubs have your back. Highlights include Monarch Public House in Fountain City, a friendly Irish pub that dates all the way back to 1894 (we figured the dragon-centric decor was a recent addition). The self-proclaimed oldest continually operating tavern in Wisconsin, it’s decked out in historic artifacts from the hand-carved oak backbar to the pressed tin ceilings and everything in between. Grab a pint of their proprietary Fountain City Brewing Company Fountain Brew, post up on the patio beneath the shade of a monstrous dogwood tree, and don’t sleep on the Irish Nachos.

If you’re in the mood for wood-fired artisan pies laced with locally sourced toppings, Suncrest Gardens Pizza Farm is another stellar option. Make sure to bring a picnic blanket so you can spread out and enjoy the bucolic surroundings while you feast.

Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil
Photo by Meredith Heil

Still hungry? Swing past Castlerock Sourdough’s Bread Hut in Fountain City. In late June 2020, accomplished sourdough master Britta McColl erected an orange storage unit at the edge of her driveway and began stocking it daily with her fresh-baked loaves. What started as a way to supplement income and use products during the pandemic turned into a hit. McColl, now back to her regular farmers market rounds, continues to fill the shelves with white, rye, cinnamon raisin, jalapeno cheddar, and more, all pulled right from the oven. Leave your payment in the lock box and help yourself.

Nordic Creamery
Nordic Creamery
Nordic Creamery

Stock up at a local creamery (or three)

What’s a trip to America’s Dairyland without stuffing yourself full of cheese? See if you can detect the Driftless’ particular terroir by sampling your way through award-winning small-batch cheeses, butters, ice cream, and other delicious dairy products. Family-owned and -operated since 1917, Nordic Creamery has picked up quite a few accolades over the years, hawking their wares from a gift shop just outside of Westby. Pick up a tub of goat butter-trust us on this one-and peruse the wide array of spreadable, hard, and soft cheeses on offer (the ice cream isn’t half bad, either).

Photo courtesy of Uplands Cheese Company
Photo courtesy of Uplands Cheese Company
Photo courtesy of Uplands Cheese Company

Elsewhere, Arena Cheese, birthplace of Wisconsin’s original Colby-Jack, is one of the oldest creameries in the state and definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in the Arena area. The same goes for Carr Valley Cheese in La Valle, a century-old cheese plant that strictly adheres to traditional processes.

And then there’s Uplands, the aforementioned Pappy Van Winkle of the curd-savvy, which perches atop Pleasant Ridge in Dodgeville. The farm (still family-run, of course) isn’t generally open for visitors, but you can pick up rounds of their nutty, Alpine-style Pleasant Ridge Reserve at nearby retailers like Spring Green General Store and Schurman’s Cheese in Dodgeville. One tiny nibble of the delicacy,-produced during the summer months from grass-fed milk and encased in an all-natural, washed rind-and you’ll realize why it’s literally America’s most-awarded cheese. Or bide your time until November, when they release their even-more-sought-after Rush Creek Reserve, a decadent, custard-like autumnal showstopper that sells out faster than you can say, “Pass the bread.”

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Meredith Heil is the Editorial Director of Travel at Thrillist. She lives in Chicago and enjoys all things cocktails, crosswords, and women’s soccer. Send good vibes to @mereditto.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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