Monroe, Wisconsin

  Monroe, Wisconsin, home of beer, cheese, sausage, and everything else that your cardiovascular system loves.  Today I enjoyed a little of all of that.  From Chicago's northwest suburbs, Monroe is between an hour and a half to two hour drive.  We enjoy visiting Monroe before the holidays so we can do a little early Christmas shopping but Monroe is fun to visit any time of year.  Cheese Days in Monroe is every September.
   Both this year and last year we checked out the Swiss Colony Shop and Alp and Dell Cheese Store.  Both have a variety of meats, cheeses, and gifts.  Today we checked out Brennan's Market for the first time.  I tried samples of cheeses and spreads that I had never even known existed.  Have you ever tried Cranberry Cheese?  This is probably nothing new for Wisconsin residents.
   Last year we had a lot of fun at Minhas Brewery.  We tried a bunch of different samples and checked out the beer museum in their basement.  This year we discovered that they opened a distillery with tours.  We found the gift shop and tasting area over-run with people getting out of a tour.  We did another quick run through of the beer museum and then picked out a 8 pack of their Lazy Mutt and two large bottles of Mystical Jack beer and Imperial Jack beer.  They have a variety of beers that are new to most people and kids can enjoy the cream soda and root beer.
   Despite the rainy weather, I enjoyed our day trip to Wisconsin.  If you're looking for delicious gifts or just a day of dairy, beef, and brews, check out Monroe.
   Seize The Day and Travel!