Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Interurban Bridge

With the beginning of some warmer weather, it's nice to get out and about.  Last Saturday, we took a little day trip up to Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  We've passed through the area (about twenty miles north of Milwaukee) a number of times, but had never stopped in Cedarburg before.  What a charming little town!  It is filled with nineteenth century limestone and fieldstone buildings that now house shops and restaurants.  It is very pedestrian friendly.  There were lots of people milling about, many of them tourists like us, but also locals with their dogs who had walked into town for a cup of coffee or lunch.  We found a place to park out of the hubbub by the fire station on the non-shopping side of Cedar Creek.  We were able to cross the creek on the Interurban Bridge, a former train bridge, now open only to pedestrians and bikes.

Looking up Cedar Creek toward one of the dams.  Cedarburg Mill is on the left.

Cedarburg Mill

The creek is a natural centerpiece of the town, and it served as its economic engine in the 1800s.  At one time, five dams and five mills operated on the creek.  The largest of these, Cedarburg Mill, is five stories tall.  A plaque near the mill said it produced 120 barrels of flour during its heyday.  It currently serves as home to a feed and seed store, a design or architecture business, and a craft brewery. There was also at least one other grist mill and a woolen mill.  The woolen mill is part of what is called the Cedar Creek Settlement, now home to Cedar Creek Winery (where we bought a bottle of Settlement Gold, which we're told is a sweet wine with pineapple and golden apple flavors--haven't tried it yet) and lots of little shops and galleries.

Cedar Creek Settlement.  Amish-made plastic (!) furniture to the right, sold in one of the shops.  We wanted to eat at Anvil but couldn't find it before I dropped dead of starvation, so we ate at a very good place called Stilt House, where I had a Stiltburger which came on a pretzel roll with ale-braised onions.  Yummy!

After lunch and shopping (mostly looking), we nabbed some candy at one of the numerous chocolate shops -- dark chocolate almond bark for me. Then we headed just north of town to see the last remaining covered bridge in Wisconsin.  It was built in 1876 and was used until 1962.

One last scenic view before heading home.  The bridge trusses are held together with two-inch wooden pins, no nails or bolts.