The Wisconsin Cheese Trail: a self-guided creamery tour

Wisconsin is too big and too cheese-dense for one trail. Pick a region, pick a few creameries, drive slowly.

About "the" trail. Wisconsin has multiple cheese trails, not one. Most are conceptual routes promoted by regional tourism organizations rather than physical signed trails. Always check a destination's current hours and tour availability before driving — small creameries' visiting hours change seasonally and some require advance arrangement.

The five regional routes worth knowing

1. The Travel Wisconsin Epicurean Cheese Tour (Green County)

Southern Wisconsin · 1-2 day route

The most polished route. Travel Wisconsin (the state's official tourism office) maps a multi-day cheese-and-Swiss-heritage tour through Green County, including:

• Emmi Roth Factory at Alp & Dell (Monroe). Self-guided tours with a viewing hall observing the cheesemaking process. Best viewing times: weekdays 9am-1pm. Emmi Roth has Swiss roots dating back over a century.
• Baumgartner's Cheese Store & Tavern (Monroe). Combination cheese store and traditional Swiss-American tavern. Wisconsin specialty cheeses, imports, specialty foods.
• New Glarus Brewing Co. (New Glarus). The Swiss-heritage "America's Little Switzerland" town. Free self-guided weekday tours of the brewery. Spotted Cow and Uff-da are local must-tries.
• Chalet Landhaus Inn & Restaurant (New Glarus). Swiss-and-American lodging option to anchor an overnight.

Best for: travelers who want Swiss-heritage atmosphere alongside cheese, with structured tour stops.

View the Travel Wisconsin cheese tour →

2. The Driftless Wisconsin Wine & Cheese Trail

Madison to La Crosse · ~14 businesses · Launched 2017

A collaboration between Wisconsin's dairy industry and its growing wine industry, launched in 2017 with a matching Buy Local Buy Wisconsin grant from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (WI-DATCP). The trail features roughly 14 estate wineries and local creameries roughly between Madison and La Crosse, all in southwestern Wisconsin's Driftless Area — the unique pre-glacial landscape of steep hills, river valleys, and hardwood forests that the last ice age never flattened.

Member businesses are open year-round; the trail holds a Spring Event weekend annually (typically in April) where every business runs tasting specials, discounts, tours, or educational programs simultaneously. Trail director Therese Bergholz (owner, Branches Winery) developed the concept.

Best for: visitors who want to pair the cheese tour with wine tasting, or who appreciate the agritourism / farm-to-table angle. Drive time end-to-end is several hours; plan 2-3 days.

View the Driftless Wine & Cheese Trail →

3. Roadtrippers "8 Stops Along the Wisconsin Cheese Trail"

Milwaukee to La Crosse · 8 stops · ~250 miles

Roadtrippers' published itinerary covers a longer east-to-west route from Milwaukee to La Crosse, hitting urban specialty cheese shops, factory-attached retail stores, and working creameries. Two anchor stops worth noting:

• The Village Cheese Shop (Milwaukee area). Cut-to-order cheese from Midwest and European producers, paired with wine selections.
• Clock Shadow Creamery (Walker's Point, Milwaukee). Urban creamery with glass windows letting visitors watch cheesemakers at work. Founded by Bob Wills (Cedar Grove Cheese).

Best for: travelers starting in Milwaukee who want a 3-4 day driving itinerary with a defined ending point.

Read the Roadtrippers itinerary →

4. Scenic Pathways "SW Wisconsin Cheese Country"

Driftless region · Multi-day scenic drive

Scenic Pathways publishes an annotated travel map and directory of southwestern Wisconsin's "Cheese Country" — the heart of the Driftless region. Stops include cheese factories, scenic byways, golf courses, RV camping, and historic towns. Mineral Point (home of Hook's Cheese) anchors the route. Hook's aging caves are built into limestone hillsides dug during the area's 19th-century lead and zinc mining era.

Notable stops along this route: Hook’s cheese curds's Cheese in Mineral Point, Shullsburg Creamery Cheese Shop, and various small-town cheese shops in the historic Cornish mining towns. The Pendarvis historic site in Mineral Point (open June-October) gives context on the Cornish mining heritage that shaped the region.

Best for: travelers who want cheese plus scenic-drive plus historic-town experience. The Driftless landscape itself is a draw.

View the Scenic Pathways drives →

5. Driftless Wisconsin One-Day Creamery Tour

Vernon & Crawford counties · 4 creameries · Single day

A tightly focused single-day route through the heart of Wisconsin's Amish dairy country. Driftless Wisconsin's published itinerary starts in Cashton, Wisconsin at Pasture Pride Cheese (open from 9am), in Amish country. The cheese here is crafted from milk supplied by local Amish dairies. The itinerary continues through four more creameries throughout Vernon and Crawford counties.

Best for: travelers with one day to spend, who want depth in a small region rather than range across the state.

Download the Driftless Wisconsin map (PDF) →

Beyond the published trails: Door County and the north

Most published cheese trails focus on southwestern Wisconsin (the Driftless region) or Green County. But several major Wisconsin creameries sit outside those routes and deserve their own destination trip:

Building your own Wisconsin cheese trip

A few practical principles for planning:

• Pick a region, not a state. Trying to hit the Driftless AND Door County AND Sheboygan AND Stanley in one trip means a lot of driving and not much tasting. One region, 3-5 stops, leisurely pace.
• Check hours before you drive. Most small creameries are closed Sundays and Mondays. Some operate by appointment only. Open hours change seasonally. Always confirm.
• Pair with festivals if your timing works. The Ellsworth Cheese Curd Festival (June), Wisconsin State Fair (August), and various harvest events overlap with cheese trips well.
• Bring a cooler. Most creameries sell fresh products you'll want to take home. A cooler with ice in your car protects them between stops.
• Sample, don't gorge. Cheese fatigue is real. Three or four creamery stops in a day is plenty; budget time to actually taste rather than rushing.
• Combine cheese with other Wisconsin experiences. Wisconsin's supper clubs, breweries (New Glarus Brewing, Lakefront, Central Waters), and Wisconsin Bloody Mary culture all complement cheese touring. The full Wisconsin experience is bigger than just creameries.

Frequently asked questions