With its wide, tree-lined streets, rambling Victorian homes and 19th-Century business district, Mt. Horeb is typical of the rural communities that dot southern Wisconsin.
Except for the trolls.
You know, trolls. Those creatures from Norwegian folklore. Strong, but not very bright. In Norse folk tales, they’re the guys wearing black hats.
Look closely and you’ll spot several trolls lurking along Main Street. Carved from wood, and usually standing atop an old tree stump, the trolls are the work of local artist, Mike Feeney. Five more of Feeney’s creations watch over traffic from a farm yard 2 miles west of town on County Highway ID. The mythical creatures serve as proud, if somewhat whimsical, reminders of the rich Norwegian heritage found in the community of 4,500.
There’s another troll, along with examples of Norwegian and other colorful folk art, at the Wisconsin Folk Museum. The small, but highly acclaimed museum has a large collection of Midwestern rosemaling (a form of graceful floral painting with Norse roots), along with a growing collection of traditional Wisconsin Native American crafts.
The museum, 100 S. 2nd St., is open noon-5 p.m. daily (including holidays) May 1 through Oct. 31; noon-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays Nov. 5 through Dec. 18; then closed until May 1, 1995. Free admission. Call 608-437-4742.
Just west of town, in a beautiful wooded valley called Nissedahle-The Valley of the Elves-is Little Norway, a farmstead built by Norwegian settlers in 1856. The farmstead has a dozen original log buildings of traditional Norse design, trimmed in the blue that is typically Norwegian, and housing a collection of some 6,000 Norse furnishings and artifacts, including exquisite examples of hardanger embroidery and other Scandinavian arts and crafts.
Little Norway’s showpiece is a replica of a 12th-Century stavekirke, or stave church. Built in Norway a century ago, the elaborately-carved building was the Norwegian Pavilion at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and was moved to Little Norway in 1935. With ominous carved dragon heads at the roof peaks to ward off evil spirits, the stavekirke houses beautiful Norwegian glassware, tapestries and artifacts, including an original manuscript written in 1873 by noted Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Guides dressed in authentic Norwegian costumes conduct tours of the farmstead.
The museum, 3576 County Highway JG North (3 miles west of Mt. Horeb on County Highway ID and 1 mile north on Highway JG), is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily May 1 through Oct. 31 (until 7 p.m. in July and August); then closed until May 1, 1995. Admission: $6 per adult, $5 age 62 and up, $2 ages 6-12, free ages 5 and under. Call 608-437-8211.
Cave of the Mounds, near the village of Blue Mounds, is a registered National Landmark located on a farm settled in 1828. The subterranean caverns are filled with brilliantly colored stalactites, stalagmites and underground pools-all enhanced by theatrical lighting. Easy-walking guided tours along concrete walkways take about an hour.
The cave, 2975 Cave of the Mounds Rd. (4 miles west of Mt. Horeb on County Highway ID, then 1/2-mile north), is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends year-round (to 6 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day); 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily March 15 to Memorial Day; closed during the week from Nov. 15 to March 15. Tours are guided and last one hour. Admission: $8 per adult, $4 ages 5-12, free ages 4 and under. Call 608-437-3038.
Also featured this summer at Cave of the Mounds will be the musical “Brigadoon,” with a cast of area dancers, singers and musicians, at an outdoor amphitheater on July 15, 16, 22 and 23. Show time: 8 p.m., with pre-performance activities at 7:15 p.m. Seating is on the grass, so bring lawn chairs or blankets. Admission: $8 per adult, $4 ages 6-15, free ages 5 and under. Call 608-437-4600.
The village of Blue Mounds is named for the gray-blue hills standing nearby. With an elevation of 1,716 feet, Blue Mound is the highest point in southern Wisconsin. Sitting astride its top is Blue Mound State Park, which features picnic areas, hiking trails and wooded campsites. The only Wisconsin state park with a swimming pool, the park is noted for its spectacular views of the distant Wisconsin River Valley. Admission: $4 daily for state residents, $6 for non-residents. Call 608-437-5711.
Nearby Brigham County Park (1 mile north of Cave of the Mounds on County Highway F), also offers picnic areas, camping ($9 per night, May 1 through mid-October) and more great scenery. Call 608-246-3896.
Back in Mt. Horeb, you’ll find several shops offering imported Scandinavian items, rosemaling, quilts and other local crafts.The community has four antiques malls.-a bonanza for bargain hunters.
One more thing. Please don’t feed the trolls. They’re on a strict diet of lefse and lutefisk. Uff da!
CHECK OUT MALT SHOP, SAMPLE VARIETY OF MUSTARDS
Mt. Horeb is 20 miles west of Madison, Wis., on U.S. Highway 18-151, about 150 miles northwest of Chicago. The 40-mile Military Ridge bicycle trail runs along the edge of town.
The offbeat Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum boasts a collection of about 1,700 different mustards. You can sample mustards, purchase mustard and learn as much about the herb as you want to know. The museum, 109 E. Main St., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; free admission. Call 608-437-3986.
Fans of the 1950s and ’60s will want to check out RPM’s, a malt and burger shop. You can eat, gawk or browse the gift shop, which offers scads of ’50s and ’60s memorabilia. RPM’s, 1225 Business Highway 18-151 E, is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; call 608-437-5500.
Where to eat: Schubert’s Old Fashioned Cafe-Bakery, 128 E. Main St., offers home-cooked specials for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours: 6 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, 6 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday; call 608-437-3393.
Moen Creek Homestead Restaurant, 3223 County Highway JG North, serves lunch and dinner in a century-old farmhouse. Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday. Reservations requested; call 608-437-4141.
Where to stay: Karakahl Inn, 1405 Business Highway 18-151 E., offers a double room for $65 per night, plus tax. Rooms are ground level and wheelchair accessible. Call 608-437-5545.
Village Inn Motel, 701 Springdale St., offers a double room for $40 per night, plus tax. Rooms are reachable only by stairs. Call 608-437-3350.
For more information: Mt. Horeb Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 84, Mt. Horeb, Wis. 53572; 608-437-5914.
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Most ground-level museums, restaurants and attractions in the Mt. Horeb area are wheelchair accessible, including Blue Mound State Park, which has wheelchair accessible campsites and picnic facilities, and a swimming pool chair lift. Little Norway has wheelchair accessible pathways on the grounds; the farmstead buildings are reachable only by stairway. Cave of the Mounds is reachable only by stairway.
