The Official Site for the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association

Cedar Ridge Bed and Breakfast

Cedar Ridge is a historic family homestead dating back to the early 1800's when Wisconsin was part of the Northwest Territory and Portage was home to Fort Winnebago, a remote military frontier outpost. Our inn, located six miles east of the City of Portage, is surrounded by rugged natural beauty and rich American history.  In keeping with Cedar Ridge's family heritage, our inn features English and French County decor. Come, enjoy the solitude of rural life reflecting times past.  Amenities include a private entrance and parking area; full bath with shower; private washer/dryer; kitchen with stove, refrigerator and microwave; dining area and living room overlooking a private garden with a picnic table; large master bedroom and more!

Enjoy long nature walking paths on our 80-acre rural property through a country meadow,restored oak savanna, and beautiful forests bordering open areas scattered with native prairie wildflowers.  

Are there recreational opportunities nearby?  OF COURSE!  Two miles from Cedar Ridge you can dine and play golf adjacent to Swan Lake at either the Portage Country Club or Saddle Ridge Golf Course.  Portage Country Club is a well-groomed 18-hole golf course where the public is always welcome! Play golf, then dine at an adjacent restaurant which specializes in steak and seafood. Ask for a table by the window while you dine so you can watch the sail boats on beautiful Swan Lake!

Five minutes in any direction are more fun-filled activities - fishing, boating, canoeing, swimming, secluded picnic areas; Wisconsin's second largest Old Order Amish community with quaint country stores; serene walking paths on the National Scenic Ice Age Trail and many Northwest Territorial historical sites.

Seven miles from Cedar Ridge is Cascade Mountain Ski Resort and Devils Head Ski Resort. Both ski areas offer biking, snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding. If you are an equestrian, check out our beautiful horseback riding trails.  If hunting and fishing is your passion, Cedar Ridge is located next to both private and public (State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) hunting preserves.

Okay, so you prefer indoor sports! Minutes away is Ho-Chuck Casino; Portage Center for the Arts, a popular roller skating rink, and the Crystal Grand Music Theatre.

Are you a history buff? Then Cedar Ridge should be your home port! Highway 33 is an old stage coach route formally known as the Fox Lake Wagon Road.  At the rear of Cedar Ridge's rural property is the Military Road, Wisconsin's first paved highway constructed to link Northwest Territorial Fort Howard (in Green Bay) with Fort Winnebago (in Portage)with Fort Crawford (in Prairie du Chien). While at Cedar Ridge be sure to enjoy history at the Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters, a fascinating log structure, museum, and the original 1-room Garrison School maintained by the Daughters of the Revolutionary War (DAR) and the Indian Agency House, a State of Wisconsin Historical Site.

Within ten minutes drive from Cedar Ridge is John Muir's boyhood home.  John Muir, a Scottish immigrant, was an early American naturalist now known as the Father of the American National Park System and founder of California's Sierra Club.

And... don't miss the history in Portage, Wisconsin, our State's third oldest settlement. Visit the home of 1921 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Literature, Zona Gale. Donated to the City of Portage, it is now known as The Museum at the Portage. This historical city is also the birthplace of Frederick Jackson Turner, early 20th Century American historian and 1933 Pulitzer Prize Winner for History. Portage is also the home of Wisconsin's American Legion State Headquarters and Museum.

Other nearby recommended activities to consider are: Baraboo's Circus World Museum, Wisconsin Dells' tourist activities, Devil's Lake State Park, the International Crane Foundation, the Merrimac Ferry Colsac III, a free State of Wisconsin car and passenger ferry, the MacKenzie Environmental Center, Durward's Glen, and the Village of Pardeeville Columbia County Historical Museum.