Chalet Landhaus Inn_ 801 Highway 69_New Glarus_ 800-944-1716_ www.chaletlandhaus.com_ Rooms from $89

We’ve planned ahead and have an extra
cooler for cheese and other snacks we
plan to accumulate along the way.

cheesemaking process and Green County’s place in cheese history.

Our last stop in Monroe is the Alp Dell Cheese Store, home of Roth Kase USA, Ltd., award-winning cheese-makers for over 140 years. We sample a variety of cheeses and take a quick tour through the plant. The best hours to view the cheesemaking operation are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We pick up some more cheese and head out for New Glarus where we’ll spend our first night.

Before checking in to the hotel, we stop at

New Glarus Brewing Company on the edge of town. The tasting room is packed with a group of bikers dressed in leather chaps and other tourists sipping small glasses of beer. Their famous “Spotted Cow” is described as “fun, fruity and satisfying”. All the ales are made with all-natural ingredients and have quirky names like “Fat Squirrel” or “Totally Naked Pale Ale”. We take the self-guided audio tour through the brewery, finish our samples and pick up a variety six-pack of ale.

It happens to be our

FOOD

Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern_1023 16th Ave._ Monroe_608-325-6157_ www.baumgartnercheese.com Flannery Wilhelm Tell_ 114 Second St._New Glarus_ 608-527-2618_ www.flannerysnewglarus.com

ACTIVITIES The Historic Cheesemaking Center_2108 6th Ave._ Monroe_608-325-4636_ www.nationalhistoriccheesemak ingcenter.org Alp Dell Cheese Store_657 2nd St._Monroe_608-328-3355_ alpanddell@tds.net New Glarus Brewing Company_ Cty Trk W & Hwy. 69_ New Glarus_608-527-5850_ www.newglarusbrewing.com

anniversary, so we splurge for a Jacuzzi suite at the Chalet Landhaus Inn. After a game of miniature golf, we ask the front desk attendant where she suggests for an anniversary dinner. Although the hotel has it’s own restaurant, she mentions

Flannery’s Wilhelm Tell, which is on my short list from pre-trip research.

Upon entering Flannery’s, we wonder if we’ve made the right choice. You enter through the bar before being seating in a dimly lit dining room, however, there are flowers and candles on the table.

I order prime rib and lobster and Eric tries the prime rib with shrimp scampi, both of which we agree are fabulous.

continental breakfast. We both order the Landhaus Special, which comes with Roesti Potatoes, a traditional Swiss dish, that are amazing.

Our next stop is Madison, the state’s capitol. Home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and situated between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, Madison has more than 6,000 acres of parklands. The area has numerous eco-friendly attractions,

restaurants and accommodations and has earned a reputation as a “green” destination.

We stop for lunch at Café Soleil, located in downtown, which serves locally and sustainably raised products. All of the menu items are homemade with Wisconsin ingredients. Eric is a bit hesitant about eating “green”, but is pleasantly surprised by his Reuben sandwich. I try a turkey and cheese sandwich

TRAVEL RESOURCES Green County Wisconsin_ N3150 B_Hwy. 81_Monroe, WI_ 888-222-9111_ www.greencounty.org Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry_505 9th St._ Monroe, WI_608-325-7648_ www.monroechamber.org New Glarus Chamber of Commerce_418 Railroad Street_ New Glarus, WI_800-527- 6838_www.swisstown.com

Day 2

We start the day with breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant and opt to order off the menu rather than have the