To celebrate both my birthday and our wedding anniversary, Tony and I took a weekend trip to New Glarus, Wisconsin. Known as “Swiss Town” or the “Little Switzerland of America”, New Glarus was founded in 1845 by 108 Swiss immigrants. Coming from the Swiss canton of Glarus, they founded this small Wisconsin village which has been kept alive and well by its residents.
Tony and I fell in love with this town immediately. We felt transported back to our second home. All of the buildings are reminiscent of Switzerland. The Swiss flag is flying everywhere, and many of the signs and labels throughout the town are in German.
The town is very tiny so we found two days to be a perfect amount of time. A few of the key things to do is eat and drink (obviously), shop the cute local stores, and go on a cow scavenger hunt. This is also known as the cow parade and there are 14 painted cows to be found throughout the city. All come directly from Switzerland and are uniquely designed and painted.
As for the eating and drinking, we ventured to a few different places. We wanted a taste of “home”, so we started with Glarner Stube. The inside was designed like so many of the places we had experienced during our time abroad, inclusive of large cow bells and dark wooden interior.
Naturally we ordered both fondue and rosti, along with a few other dishes. Something we found both hysterical and endearing was the addition of cheese onto items that were not traditionally made with cheese. For example, the rosti. As I dug my fork into the deliciously crisp potato dish, stringy melted cheese followed. God love Wisconsin.
As far as drinks? We didn’t have to look far. New Glarus brewery is famous in Illinois for its delicious beer that is NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE OUTSIDE OF WISCONSIN. Wikipedia claims this is because the brewery could not fulfill both the Illinois and Wisconsin markets. I think it’s because of the long-standing Bears/Packers rivalry. I mean, you see the Packer shirt in the background, and it’s not even football season yet. 🙁
Even with this rivalry, there is nothing like this beer fresh on tap. Every bar and restaurant had plenty of New Glarus beer available. Our first night was spent at Puemple’s, where we sampled both Spotted Cow and Moon Man.
On my actual birthday, we headed to Dirty Dog, which had live music and a self-serve system similar to a bar we visited in Denver. We spent the day at this place given the music and gorgeous weather. Plus, there were multiple kinds of New Glarus beers available, and I fell in love with their Strawberry Rhubarb.
While quick, we really loved our time in this adorable town. It was the perfect reminder of our second home, and it was a nice way to pay homage to a place that is so special in our hearts. Until next time…
Love them Alps!
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