"Through the land of the Swiss"

Northern terminus: Dane County, at U.S. Highway 18/151 in Verona

Southern terminus: At the Illinois State Line (continues as Illinois Highway 26), 7 miles south of Monroe

Mileage: about 41 miles

Counties along the way: Dane, Green

Sample towns along the way: Verona, Belleville, New Glarus, Monroe

Bypass alternates at: Verona

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 69 winds through a beautiful section of southern Wisconsin, from just outside Verona through "Cheese Country" toward "Flatlander Country" (Illinois). Along the way, you get to visit the incredible charm of "America's Little Switzerland" (New Glarus) and the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA" (Monroe) and connect to some other great routes in this part of the state. There's only a little over 40 miles on the whole route, but there's plenty to stop and see.

The Drive (North to South): ** NOTE: Highway 69 was "toured" in full this past weekend. Watch for updated info on this page shortly! ** Highway 69 begins at the U.S. 18/U.S. 151 freeway on the southwest side of Verona(pop. 7,052), a fast-growing community that's taking in a lot of Madison commuters. Verona is named after the famous Italian city whose history includes being Julius Caesar's favorite vacation getaway spot and, of course, the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. They don't have a "sister city" relationship, though; Verona, Italy is hooked up with Albany, New York and Fresno, California instead. Who knows, maybe that will change. Verona lies along the Military Ridge Trail, which runs right through its downtown before heading west. Verona takes its hockey seriously: the Eagles Nest Ice Arena holds the Verona Wildcats High School home hockey rink, but is an Olympic-sized rink. They have open skating Sundays after 4pm. Goin' my way? Highway 69 starts heading south from U.S. 18/151 around Verona. Breweries, cheese factories, rolling hills, bike trails and sprawling farms await.

Verona to Monroe, including Paoli and New Glarus, is coming shortly! We're also planning a little tour of the New Glarus Brewery.

Monroe (pop. 10,843) is the hub of Green County and the "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA." Monroe High School's team nickname is the Cheesemakers, after all. The Swiss influence is everywhere, from the flags dotting the surrounding landscape to the architecture downtown to the fact that The Swiss Colony is headquartered here. Downtown Monroe offers a charming and rather bustling downtown square. Surrounding the impressive, Romanesque Green County Courthouse, are shops offering everything from boutique clothing to electronics. A stop in Baumgartner's on the square (1023 16th Ave., 608-325-6157) lets you sample more cheese and beer products made in the area, including a Limburger with mustard and onion served on rye bread. In the name of humanity, the dish is served with a mint on the side.

The Green County Courthouse in Monroe, surrounded by a bustling town square. Highway 69 used to come straight through town; it now angles around on the freeway bypass and skims the west side.

Another good stop is the Minhas Craft Brewery, (1208 14th Ave., 608-325-3191), located just south and west of the town center. Recently converted from the Huber Brewery, it is the second oldest continuously operating brewery in the U.S, brewing beer in one form or another since 1845 - three years before Wisconsin entered statehood. They were recently purchased by Mountain Crest Brewing Company, a Canadian outfit planning to expand the Monroe facility (read about it in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here). As it stands now, the brewery continues to brew Huber's traditional beers: Premium (which won the Bronze in the 2002 World Beer Championships) Bock and Light, as well as a great old non-Huber-but-totally-Wisconsin throwback: Rhinelander Beer. Although Rhinelander's original brewery shut down in 1967, Minhas has continued its recipe and now brews the beer in Monroe. The popular Canadian beer Mountain Creek is now brewed here - a result of the Mountain Crest investment - as are a few malt liquors. Tours are available at 11am, 1pm and 3pm Thursday through Saturday. The State Trunk Tour has yet to tour the new facility since their new tap room, the Lazy Mutt Lounge (formerly the Founder's Tap Room) opened. There will, however, be descriptions and pictures soon! However, there is a gift shop and they've kept histroical pictures to browse, along with other memorabilia highlighting the area's brewing history.

Highway 69 skims the western end of Monroe and makes a beeline south to Illinois, where it connects to IL Highway 26 on its way to Freeport.

CONNECTIONS:
North Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: U.S. Highway 18, U.S. Highway 151
Can connect nearby to: U.S. Highway 12, about 5 miles northeast; U.S. Highway 14, about 5 miles northeast; Highway 78, about 6 miles west

South Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Illinois Highway 26
Can connect nearby to: Highway 11, about 7 miles north; Highway 59, about 8 miles northeast; Highway 81, about 7 miles north

Upcoming events in places along Highway 69:
Cheese Days, Monroe, September 19-21, 2008
Chilbifest (Swiss Fall Festival), Monroe, Oct. 14-15, 2008

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The State Trunk Tour visited Baumgartner's in Monroe this past weekend. Check out a piece from the video!