LaValle, named from the French word for valley, grew up around the Big and Little Baraboo rivers, settled in the mid-1800s by Europeans who saw the potential for water power and built saw and flour mills. One of these historic mills still stands. While today’s LaValle upholds Wisconsin’s famous cheese-making traditions, it is also home to scenic trails and a thriving antiques and arts scene.
Take a Cheese Tour
- Wisconsin’s cheese-making history dates to the mid-1800s, and the state still leads the nation with the largest number of cheese plants and producing 600 varieties, more than another other state. See the tradition kept alive on a tour of the Carr Valley Cheese factory. Watch the artisans crafting large, rind-ripened wheels of cheddar and sample the morning’s curd production. The best time to visit is between 8 a.m. and noon, when the curd is freshly made. Carr Valley Cheese also hosts chef-taught cheese-oriented cooking classes in nearby Sauk City.
Walk or Ride the 400 State Trail
- Wisconsin’s 22-mile 400 State Trail passes through LaValle from northwest to southeast. The trail was developed on an abandoned railway line and named after the train that traveled the 400 miles from Chicago to Minneapolis-Saint Paul in 400 minutes. About a mile of the trail runs through LaValle, and as you walk or cycle, you can enjoy the woodland and river views as it hugs the Baraboo River. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, stop at the trailside Trail Break Pizza Pies and Trail Supplies. There is a fee for using the state trail, and you can buy passes at Trail Break. In winter you can snowmobile, cross-country ski or snowshoe the trail.
Shop for Antiques
- If you enjoy whiling away the hours browsing for bric-a-brac and unusual items to remind you of your travels, LaValle has several stores packed with antiques and curios. As well as antiques and furniture, the Cabin Shop at Hartje Farm showcases the work of local artists and woodworkers. You also can browse the collectibles and Amish-made goods at The Treasure Mill and take a tour of the 19th-century building, which houses one of the last turbine-run mills in the state. Country Rose Antiques has antiquities and local crafts as well as jewelry and painted glass made by owner Rose Doering. Meanwhile, coin collectors can hunt through the offerings at E & S Coins.
Hit the Rustic Road
- Wisconsin has more than 100 Rustic Roads, a designation system designed to preserve the state’s scenic country roads. Marked with brown and yellow signs and with speed limits of no more than 45 miles per hour, they provide bikers, hikers and motorists the opportunity to experience the state’s countryside at a leisurely pace. LaValle’s Bundy Hollow Road was designated a Rustic Road in 2012. Take a drive or bike up and down the hills of the almost 3-mile winding route that is home to several Amish families, enjoying views of woods, farms, creeks and wetlands. Keep a lookout for wildlife, including deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, foxes, badgers and bears.
