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Country Towns of Wisconsin: Charming Small Towns and Villages to Explore

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COUNTRY TOWNS OF WISCONSIN: Charming Small Towns and Villages to Explore By Ann Hattes Reviewed by Marty Martindale, Largo, FL Hattes, a Wisconsin resident, still feels the state is full of surprises. With the towns she has chosen for the book, she makes each seem a bit like a trip to another land, and in some cases, it almost is. This is not a guidebook in the traditional sense with lots of restaurants, B & B's emboldened in most every paragraph. Instead, Hattes uses her gift to blend history with the curious. This is not to say she neglects information on some of Wisconsin's fascinating annual fairs, events, celebrations and their origins. Each destination chapter ends with phone numbers for "Places to See, Eat and Stay." The book is well indexed. Her opening chapter concerns the town of Spring Green where Frank Lloyd Wright was a large presence. She describes places a visitor would want to see and how he was invited to get involved in each project. We gain a little insight into his personal life, as well. The rails and trails of Elroy and Reedsburg, also Norman Rockwell territory, share another chapter. You'll learn Bicycling magazine ranked this area's bike trails in the top three in the nation. One of Rockwell's museums is in Reedsburg where all of his magazine covers from Saturday Evening Post, Literary Digest, Country Gentlemen and Life magazine covers are on display. Hattes' Lake Geneva and Delavan chapter, subtitled, Playboy Bunnies and Circus Capital, is a great glimpse into the history of this resort area. In the following chapter, she captures the flavor of Wisconsin's Road America area of Elkhart Lake and the history of being pampered by plumbing at Kohler Co.'s so-carefully planned employee community There's also a Celebration of Chocolate feast each year. In her chapter, Washington Island, Looms and a Stavkirke, Hattes tells of this 23-square-mile island of fields and forests which is the oldest Icelandic settlement in the U.S. It's also home of the Sievers School of Fiber Arts where 600 students come each summer to nurture their craft. From the drumbeats and moccasins of the Ojibwe Indians of Lac du Flambeau, Hattes takes you to the lumber, iron ore and snow country of Hurley and Montreal, Wisconsin. In Trempealeau County the Trempealeau Hotel still stands. This Mississippi River town is the originator of walnut burgers. In the chapter, Maiden Rock, Stockholm and Prescott: River Country Sampler -- Birds, Art and Antiques, Hattes says of the guests at the Harrisburg Inn B&B, "They awaken to the sound of train whistles and migrating, trumpeting swans. In summer they breakfast on the porch watching the antics of hummingbirds and pelicans while bald eagles and turkey vultures soar overhead." Hattes ends the book with her chapter, Madeline Island, Bayfield and the Apostle Islands. Here the reader can pretty well think a week in Bayfield at the "Carnegie Hall of Tent Shows," otherwise known as the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, might well be the be-all and end-all escape from the workaday world. Wisconsin's senator Gaylord Nelson tabbed the Apostle Islands, as "emeralds scattered in a sapphire sea." Unlike most books for travelers, Country Towns of Wisconsin is a good cover-to-cover read, even if you plan no visit to Wisconsin in the near future. ###

I was surprised to learn how much Wisconsin has to offer. Everything from outdoor sports and recreation to antiques, chocolate, festivals, and so much more. Organized as a guidebook to facilitate easy reference, with a comprehensive index and chapter by chapter lists of names and phone numbers, Country Towns of Wisconsin, in addition to being informative, has the engaging readability of a novel. Avoiding the dry, pedantic nature of some travel guides, Ann Hattes's writing style is reminiscent of a conversation with a good friend as she invites the reader along on her journey. Historical anecdotes and modern-day perspectives intertwine to provide a reading and travel experience as unique and delightful as the people and places of Wisconsin themselves. This book will appeal to travelers and Wisconsin residents alike... as well as those just looking for a sampling of Americana.