SHULLSBURG VISITOR CENTER
An essential first stop when in Shullsburg. Self-guided information on city history with videos. Volunteer staff available on weekends. Brochures for area activities and art displays.
Whatever your pace, hobby, or interest, there’s plenty to pack into a daytrip or overnight getaway to Shullsburg. For starters, check out these IDEAS for your visit:
FAMILY FUN
• Learn about Shullsburg’s mining history through hands-on experiences at the Badger Mine and Museum, including their new children’s program, “Hats of Heritage Trail” (children’s program at 2:15 pm, Saturdays & Sundays only).
• Release some energy on the playground or go for a swim in the pool at Badger Park.
• Stop by the Shullsburg Creamery and watch master cheese makers create Wisconsin’s famous squeaky cheese curds and many more delicious varieties.
• Get your thrills at Shullsburg’s Gravity Hill, a stretch of road where vehicles appear to roll…uphill. Located a little over a mile south of town on Hwy U, just past Rennick Rd.
NATURE LOVERS
• Go modern-day treasure hunting! Grab your smart phone or GPS and discover the Geocache hidden in Badger Park.
• Jump on an ATV and explore the Cheese Country Recreation Trail (aka the Tri-County Trail). Just follow the ATV signs through town.
• Biking more your speed? Ride the Dunbarton Loop, Lead Mine Loop, or Prairie Loop.
• Float by the beauty of The Driftless Region and canoe or kayak down The Fever River, southwest of Shullsburg (aka The Galena River). A canoe launch is located on County Road W, just west of New Diggins, about 10 minute drive from Shullsburg.
• Get hooked on fishing in Lafayette County. For small-mouth bass, check out Horseshoe Bend, near Benton, WI (about 9 miles west of Shullsburg on WI-11). For lake fishing, explore popular Yellowstone Lake Park.
• Hop on a snowmobile to explore all the Shullsburg area has to offer every winter. Visit stepoutside.org for more information about winter motorsports.
HISTORY BUFFS
• Marvel at Mazzuchelli’s work. Dominican priest and architect, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, founded the picturesque Saint Matthew’s Catholic Church in 1855.
• Experience the daily routine of a miner at the only primitive lead mine open for public viewing in the U.S. Descend into a hand-dug mine at the Badger Mine and Museum.
• Pay homage to more than 1,200 names of Shullsburg veterans, from the Spanish American War to the present at the Shullsburg Area Veterans Memorial.
• Imagine stopping along your stagecoach journey at the Berry Tavern, opened in 1829 with a bar, dining room, dance hall and inn for weary travelers.
27 THINGS TO DO IN SHULLSBURG
Why 27? The first prospectors to enter Shullsburg during the Lead Rush of 1827 were called, “Twenty-Seveners.” Many of these same miners would head west to California in 1849, seeking their fortunes in gold.
1. STOP ONE: THE SHULLSBURG VISITOR’S CENTER AT 204 W. WATER STREET
2. VISIT THE BADGER MINE AND MUSEUM
3. DEFY GRAVITY BY ROLLING UPHILL AT “GRAVITY HILL”
4. RIDE YOUR ATV THROUGH TOWN INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE.
5. ENJOY AN OLD FASHIONED MALT AT WATER STREET MARKET & CAFE