Small town spotlight: Mt. Horeb, WI
Milwaukee and Madison function as the marquee cities of Wisconsin boasting the largest populations, liveliest night scenes, and their respective roles as the state capitals of industry and government. However, much of the best that Wisconsin has to offer can be found outside of them in the many small towns that dot our fair state. Across America, many once-distinct small towns have begun to feel like Anywhere U.S.A. as their small businesses and city centers dry up to be replaced by the same handful of chain stores and fast food joints found in every other city. Mt. Horeb, 20 miles west of Madison on Hwy. 18, is one small town that has definitely maintained its one-of-kind identity. For a sleepy little town, Mt. Horeb’s Main St., also known as the “Trollway” for its many large carved wood trolls, is still bustling with business – that is before most of them close at 4 pm. Among its other quirks the town has a strong Norwegian heritage and a strange fetish for the trolls, here’s the highlights:
Schuberts Café & Bakery Grab a table for a cheap breakfast omelet or saddle-up next to a local at the counter under the frozen, semi-creepy gaze of the many troll and gnome figures placed around the restaurant. A mainstay on the Trollway, Schubert’s has been around since 1911. Evoking scenes from It’s a Wonderful Life, the old-fashioned lunch counter still serves ice cream and “phosphates,” effervescent water with flavored syrup, for 95 cents. The bakery serves traditional Norwegian lefse (like a potato pancake), Norweigen rosette pastries, about 7 kinds of delicious pies made from scratch, as well as Cornish pasties.
Mustard Museum Fun and amusing in an almost nauseating way, the Mustard Museum is a quintessential “World’s Largest Ball of Twine” styled roadside attraction, but at least they don’t charge admission. If there’s one thing that strikes awe into the hearts of visitors, it’s that someone actually built all this to honor a food condiment. The staff welcomes you to try any of the 400 mustards from around the world that they sell and flavors like key lime pie, honey ginger, apricot, and spicy Chilean lend an idea of the kind of mustard spectrum available. Taking the tour is probably not necessary, but if you do, word is the guide sings a spirited rendition of the “Mustard Fight Song.”
Stuart Lake Swimming Hole Madison might be wedged between two lakes, but only in the most desperate circumstances is it really much fun to swim in the green murkiness of either of them. Even at a half hour away by car, Stuart Lake, used to be such a good swim hole it practically made up for the nasty water in Madison. However, with its legendary rope swing still out of commission (due to serious injury, as rumor would have it) and the water beginning to look a bit more like Madison’s, time will tell if this will remain a destination. Whether they be floating on inner tubes, diving in off the big tree near the north end, or just sucking down cans of Bud Light in the picnic area, none of this seems to bother too many locals.
Grumpy Troll Brew Pub If a Wisconsin city is only as good as it’s brewery, then the Grumpy Troll Brew Pub speaks extremely well for Mt. Horeb. Just a few yards down 2nd St. off the Main St. Trollway (but apparently not far enough to shake free of the troll theme), this restaurant and pub brews eight different beers in-house. The menu looks standard for a nice pub, minus the troll references, that is.
Sugar River Café Located in a Victorian house with a big porch on Main St. is the nicely polished country home styled Sugar River Café. The café has a full espresso bar, teas, all-fruit smoothies, Chocolate Shop ice cream, a vast array of home-baked goods, and great sandwiches from the in-house deli.
Nearby notables: For winter sports Tyrol Basin, just outside of Mt. Horeb, is the closest ski/snowboard area to Madison. A bit further down Hwy 18 is Blue Mound State Forest with lookout towers, a public pool, camping, and mountain bike trails as well as Cave of the Mounds landmark with guided trips into extensive underground caverns.
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