Tasting Tour #2

We don't call this blog Cheese Country Realtors for nothing!

Green County is home to many dairy farms, and we make a great deal with the cow's milk produced here. Tasting Tour #2 will feature these dairy products.

Cheese is our most famous product, but we also are home to one of only three homestead, artisan yogurt companies in the state.

Begin your day in Monroe. The Historic Cheesemaking Center is located just off Hwy 69, and it is open from 9 am until 4 pm March through November. Learn about our dairy farming and cheesemking past, about how Green County came to have such a large concentration of cheese factories and master cheese makers.

From there, continue up Hwy 69 to Roth Kase for a self-guided tour of this active cheese factory. The large viewing windows make it easy to see what is happening in the factory, and be sure to pick up some samples in the attached retail space, Alp & Dell Cheese Store.

Grab some lunch at Baumgartner's on Monroe's Downtown Square. Baumgartner's is a famous cheese store and tavern has been on Monroe's Square since 1931. The menu features a variety of cheese sandwiches, hot sandwiches and cheese plates. Feeling adventurous? Go for the Limburger and Onion Sandwich! Wash it down with the local beverage of your choice.

From here, see where the cheese starts - at the farm. This one requires calling ahead for reservations, so plan accordingly. You can visit a Green County Dairy Farm, meet the cows and visit with the farmer. $5 per person. Contact Green County Tourism Office toll free 1.888.222.9111 or email tourism@greencounty.org.

Venture over to Albany next to see another great local dairy product - yogurt! Sugar River Dairy is an incredible local product, one that we have written about before. Learn about it first hand by taking a tour. This one also requires a little planning, so call ahead at 608-938-1218 to make sure they are available for tours as they do their own deliveries to local stores on some weekdays. On your way out of our area (or while you are grocery shopping if you live local), be sure to stop by Brennan's Market to pick up some of this great local product.

Finish your day with a dinner at New Glarus Hotel or Turner Hall (Monroe) for a Cheese Fondue dinner. Have this Swiss classic of cheese, wine and other delicious flavors as your main meal, or both restaurants offer it as an appetizer so that you have room for the other delicious entrees available.

We hope you have enjoyed this second tasting tour. If you are making a weekend of it, combine this with Tasting Tour #1 to explore our great local culinary traditions more fully. If you are coming from out of town, we have some great local lodging options available for you.

Have fun eating your way through Green County!

I am writing these Tasting Tours myself; they are not from any visitors guide book or tourism site. These are just fun ways to spend a day or two here in the Green County area.

Things to Do in Monroe, WI

So, what is happening in the Green County area in the upcoming days? Lots!

~ Go out to dinner and help the Albany Music Department raise money. Their annual Spaghetti Dinner happens on Thursday, February 19 from 4:30 pm until 7:30 pm in the school . Adults are $6, students and seniors are $5, and kids under 7 are $4. Students from the music department will be performing throughout the evening.

~ Turner Hall has their monthly Styles Ala Carte fashion show from noon until 1:30 pm on Thursday. The show is free, and fashions from area businesses are featured.

~ Also on Thursday from noon until 1:30 is the Revitalizing Wisconsin's Downtown Webinar series sponsored by UW Extension and Monroe Main Street. $12.50 includes lunch. Call Cara at 328-9441 to register.

~ Go Hog Wild with the Young Professionals of Green County! They are planning a trip to see the Rockford Ice Hogs on Friday, February 20. Meet in the Swiss Colony parking lot at 5 pm. Check their website for more information.

~ Monroe Theatre Guild has a members only concert event on Friday evening too. Little Big Band will be having a casual concert in an open rehearsal format. Not a member? Join! Membership is only $20 for a family for a year. Seating is limited, so contact MTG for reservations. $5 donation at the door.

~ On Saturday, come back to MTG's Stage Building for their Adult Improv Workshop. There is still time to register. Learn improv techniques under the guidance of Dave Bristow from 10 am until 2:30 pm (half hour lunch break). See MTG's website for a registration form and more information.

~ Rainbow Fleece Farm is running their Cabin Fever on the Farm open house again this weekend from 11 am until 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Come see newly born lambs, see the freshly shorn wool and check out their yarn and roving. Stop by W7181 Hustad Valley Rd. Call Patty at 608-527-5311 for more information or directions.

~ Are you ready for Mardi Gras? Area businesses are! Tofflers is having a party on Saturday evening with music by the Raindogs starting at 9 pm. Turner Hall has a Fasnacht masquerade dance on Sunday from 2 until 6 pm.

See you around town!

Young Professionals February gatherings

The Young Professionals of Green County are sponsoring two events in the month of February.

Their scheduled event is a trip to Rockford to watch the Icehogs play the Lake Erie Monsters on February 20. They will meet at the Swiss Colony parking lot at 5 pm, with a stop at the Culvers in Winnebago for dinner and to give any stragglers a chance to catch up with the rest of the group. Tickets are $18, and you can email ypofgc@yahoo.com to RVSP.

A bonus event was just added to the February line up as well. Come bowling with the group next Wednesday evening, February 10, if you are free. We will be meeting at Turner Hall at 6 pm. $10 per person will get you two games of bowling, pizza and soda. If you have never been bowling at Turner Hall, it is blast from the past. In an age of bigger is better, Turner Hall bowling is a reminder of the way things used to be, a comfortably sized, community bowling alley. An RSVP to ypofgc@yahoo.com are requested, but not required.

Young Professionals of Green County is a group with a mission: "Our mission lies within our motto of 'Connecting, Celebrating, and Developing Green County's Young Professionals.' Our purpose is to provide existing and future YPs who live or work in Green County with a means to network while having fun."