"From the Rock to the Mississippi"

Western terminus: Grant County, at Highway 133 and the Cassville Ferry near the Mississippi River in Cassville

Eastern terminus: Rock County, at the I-90/I-43 interchange in Beloit

Mileage: about 125 miles

Counties along the way: Rock. Green, Lafayette, Grant

Sample towns along the way: Beloit, Monroe, Darlington, Platteville, Lancaster, Cassville

Bypass alternates at: Monroe

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 81 starts where I-43 ends at Beloit, heads west through the city over the Rock River, and hops around the southern edge of the state all the way to Cassville, where a ferry boat offers rides to Iowa on the Mississippi River. Passing through the county seat of each of the four counties it traverses, Highway 81 connects to a series of highways in one of the most beautiful sections of the state.

The Drive (East to West): Highway 81 begins at the interchange with I-43, which begins at this point and goes to Milwaukee, and I-90/39, which connects south to Rockford and Chicago and north to Madison. Highway 81 is the "Beloit connection", bringing you into the City of Beloit (pop. 35,775). And yes, right at the eastern terminus of Highway 81, at the Hormel plant, is the World's Largest Can of Chili. Beloit, considered a "gateway" to Wisconsin for I-90 travelers, hosts Beloit College, the Midwest League's Beloit Snappers baseball team, and a variety of companies that take advantage of Beloit's key location for transportation. Flanked by Janesville to the north and Rockford to the south, Beloit has had its share of rough days but has been bouncing back nicely over the last several years.

As Highway 81 heads west out of Beloit, it begins a journey through the farmlands of Rock County with little to see at first. Upon entering Green County and the junction with Highway 11, however, this changes. Upon crossing the Sugar River, the countryside begins to hint at the larger hills and valleys that lie ahead on the route. This stretch of Highway 11/81 is a major route across Wisconsin's southern tier, which is evident as you skim Juda and head towards Monroe.

*** BYPASS ALERT ***
At Monroe, Highways 81 & 11 bypass the city on a freeway stretch; but if you want this to be an actual fun experience, get off at the first exit (Highway 59) and follow it as 6th Street into downtown Monroe. You can then join Highway 69 northbound to re-join Highway 81 as it splits from 11 on the bypass.

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 11 used to come straight through town on 9th Street; today, it officially runs on a freeway bypass.

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.

From downtown Monroe, you can go west on 9th Street and then north on Highway 69 back to the Highway 11/81 bypass, where you can continue straight onto Highway 81 and it heads deeper into southwestern Wisconsin.

The topography the rest of the way is one reason tourism is becoming a booming business in this part of the state.

Argyle to Cassville will be posted shortly!

East Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Interstate 39, Interstate 90, Interstate 43
Can connect nearby to: Highway 67, about 2 miles south; U.S. Highway 51, about 4 miles west

West Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 133
Can connect nearby to: Highway 35, about 12 miles east

Upcoming events in places along Highway 81:
Darlington Canoe Fest, Darlington, June 12-15, 2008
Taste of Monroe, Monroe, June 14, 2008
Cheese Days, Monroe, September 19-21, 2008
Chilbifest (Swiss Fall Festival), Monroe, Oct. 14-15, 2008

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