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The Southwest Region
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You'll feel as though you've stepped into an impressionist painting when you set foot in southwest Wisconsin. The majestic Mississippi River, winding coulees, scenic overlooks with eagles soaring overhead, and emerald green valleys define the landscape. It is so different from any other part of the state, as an afternoon drive on the Great River Road will attest.

The Prairie du Chien area is rich with historic sites. Take Villa Louis, for example. This Victorian estate, built in the 1840s with fur trading money, was named Wisconsin's first state historic site.

History buffs, art lovers, and antique enthusiasts will surely find themselves drawn to Mineral Point, the first city in Wisconsin to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In La Crosse, its nine-day Oktoberfest draws thousands for authentic German foods, brew, music and, of course, “gemutlichkeit.” It's an ideal time to visit, with the leaves changing from summer green to brilliant fall gem tones. Farther north, the city of Sparta is recognized as the juncture of the Elroy-Sparta and La Crosse River bike trails.

In Muscoda the Morel Mushroom Festival is held annually the weekend after Mother's Day.

At the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers in the Chippewa Valley, a beautiful site first seen by French fur traders in the late 1700s, sits the city of Eau Claire. Visitors are treated to that same scenic beauty, now from the vantage point of winding bike trails and area golf courses.

The locals in River Falls call it a “Dream Town” and why not -- after all, it's been rated one of the best small cities in the United States. On any given summer evening, trout anglers can be spotted wading in the nearby Kinnickinnic River, one of the Midwest's few naturally sustaining trout fisheries. Farther north is Osceola, a quaint historic town on the beautiful St. Croix River, offering railway tours from spring through autumn.

In Neillsville's historic downtown, you'll find 21 buildings listed on the state and national historic registers. On the community's outskirts, visitors are also drawn to the solemnity of The Highground Veterans Memorial Park, a 140-acre park that is a place of healing and hope, with views from the plaza to a half-million acres of woodlands and glacial moraines.

We asked our innkeepers to update you on 'what's to do' in their area:

Canoeing, Mississippi Riverboat tours, winery and brewery tours.  Hike in state parks and wildlife refuge, bike on state trails: all are open.