LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

 

T

he Hartford and surround area has more than ample attractions for you to visit during your stay at the Westhphal Mansion Inn. The following is a sampling of some of the activities you can plan for within a short drive or walk from the Inn.

 

“There’s a wealth of history in this community and the charm of this mansion that
you’ve so lovingly restored has enriched the spirit here for generations to come.”
Tom and Donna, WI

 

Schauer Arts Center: This state-of-the-art intimate theater features top notch entertainment. Nationally recognized and regional artists, touring companies with plays, chamber music, dance and song.  Within walking distance!

 

Wisconsin Automotive Museum: Wisconsin’s largest auto museum, featuring a display of classic, vintage automobiles and artifacts! Included is the Hartford manufactured "Kissel" (1906—1931). Other exhibits are dedicated to the Nash and Hudson Esses Terraplane, in addition to over 90 other rare vehicles, such as Reos, Pierce-Arrows, Pontiacs, Studebakers, Chevies and Ford.

 

Chandelier Ballroom: Built in the 1920's, this architectural masterpiece is the largest freestanding facility of its kind in the state of Wisconsin and has been painstakingly renovated to restore its original grandeur. The Chandelier Ballroom continues to delight thousands, offering the most elegant surroundings for receptions, conventions and private parties. Throughout the year the grand ballroom hosts numerous events from big band swing to rock 'n roll to classical to polka.

 

Museum of Wisconsin Art : The Museum of Wisconsin Art (formerly the West Bend Art Museum) is the state’s primary venue for the exhibition of historic and contemporary Wisconsin art. It also includes the unequalled Wisconsin Art Archive which contains over 6000 files on Wisconsin art, artists and a significant library of research material on state art and history.

 

Northern Kettle Moraine State Park- Pike Lake Unit: The Pike Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest is in the middle of the Kettle Moraine, a strip of glacial landforms which extends through southeastern Wisconsin to Lake Winnebago. This provides for a beautiful glacial remnant landscape of kames, kettles, and eskers. The forest is named after the 446-acre, spring-fed kettle: Pike Lake. Powder Hill, a large glacial kame, provides the opportunity for a great hike and view. Visitors can enjoy camping, swimming, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and much more within the forest.

 

Ice Age Park & Trail: The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a thousand-mile footpath — entirely within Wisconsin — that celebrates the legacy of the Ice Age. Diverse geological features along the Trail rank among the finest examples of continental glaciation anywhere in the world. Beyond any textbook, the Ice Age Trail lets us see and touch glacial history.

 

Erin Hills Golf Course: Erin Hills Golf Course rests on a 652-acre site in the small town of Erin, just south of Hartford on Hwy 83. Regarded by enthusiasts as one of the best natural sites for a golf course in the United States, Erin Hills has received the unprecedented honor of being awarded a future USGA sanctioned event - the 2008 Women’s Amateur Public Links - before the course has even been seeded. Inspired by the classic Scottish and Irish courses that were once built by horse-drawn plows, Erin Hills is environmentally friendly, with very minimal land development aside from the course itself. The different strikingly different holes are also highlighted by the majestic contours of the land that was naturally shaped by the glaciers thousands of years before. Little dirt was moved. The fairways and green sites remain virtually untouched, and dirt only needing to be moved on four of the course’s nineteen holes.

 

Washington County Golf Course: Secluded in the heart of Wisconsin's picturesque Kettle Moraine Area lies Washington County Golf Course. Designed by the renowned Arthur Hills, WCGC has received a 4 1/2-star rating and is ranked SECOND IN THE NATION among municipal golf courses by Golf Digest, making it a course as challenging as it is beautiful. WCGC has been chosen to host the 1999-2006 USGA Regional Public Links Qualifiers, the 2000 Wisconsin PGA Championship, the 2001 Wisconsin State Junior Championship, the 2002 and 2006 Wisconsin PGA Match Play Championship, the annual Washington County Scratch Pro-Am, and the 2006 US Open Qualifying Round. We invite you to enjoy championship-level play in quiet and beautiful surroundings, without paying championship-level green fees.

 

Basilica of Holy Hill: Holy Hill is located in southeast Wisconsin, on the highest elevation in that part of the state. Situated on 435 acres of rural countryside, it provides the visitor with the opportunity for spiritual enrichment. We often hear visitors remark about the peace, beauty and serenity they find at Holy Hill. As early as 1903, Holy Hill was declared a Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians. In 2006, the Shrine was raised to the status of Minor Basilica. But as far back as the 1700s and perhaps earlier, the Americans Indians came to Holy Hill because they considered it a sacred place. Many come to Holy Hill as "tourists", only to find that they have been touched by something deeper than natural beauty or curiosity. We know that God is truly present on this Holy Hill, and we invite you to come and share with us this Presence!

 

Cedar Creek Winery: The Cedar Creek Winery is nestled in the wonderful old-world ambiance of the Cedar Creek Settlement, a restored 1860's woolen mill that was once the largest west of the Alleghenies . The mill was powered by the rushing waters of Cedar Creek, which were channeled down the mill race and through an open-flume water wheel. The 50-horsepower water wheel generated electricity and ran the mill's 21 looms and knitting machines, which converted heavy Wisconsin wool into yarns, blankets, flannels -- and even socks for the old Chicago White Sox! In 1972, the building was converted to a winery by Jim & Sandi Pape and became known as the Newberry and later the Stone Mill Winery. The upper floors of the mill were converted to shops. The winery in the 70's was famous for its cherry wines and the unique clay bottles they were bottled in. Traditional European casks were used for about ten years, and then replaced with stainless steel tanks and smaller barrels. In 1990, the winery was purchased by the Wollersheim family and became the Cedar Creek Winery. The wine style changed to focus on traditional style grape wines with a few grape-based fruit wines. The building's cool limestone underground cellars provide an ideal environment for fermenting and aging wines in oak barrels. Cedar Creek Winery shares the same winemaker as Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, winemaker Philippe Coquard, but the two brands remain distinct. Cedar Creek wines have received recognition in both national and international wine competitions.

 

Widmer's Cheese Cellar: Come and see Wisconsin's only cheese factory still using real bricks to press their brick cheese. The product is so authentic that we're still using the same bricks Gramps Widmer used in 1922. We also manufacture super- aged cheddars and an authentic colby cheese. Located in Theresa, WI, we take tours by appointment. Our hours are Mon-Sat from 6 am to 5 pm and Sun (June through October ) 10 am to 4 pm.

 

Honey Acres: Now in its 5th generation, Honey Acres began in 1852 when C.F. Diehnelt arrived in Milwaukee from his native Germany with his beekeeping talents. Today, Honey Acres is located on a 40-acre property in rural Ashippun, Wisconsin; midway between Milwaukee and Madison. Combining more than 150 years of beekeeping experience and our passion for honey, Honey Acres offers a complete variety of gourmet honey, honey cremes, honey mustards, honey confections and a variety of gift presentations, available for you to order online. We cordially invite you to tour our factory and our nationally-acclaimed, professionally designed "Honey of a Museum".

 

Hartford Area: The uniqueness of Hartford begins with the historic downtown area, the specialty shops, the enchanting Wisconsin Automotive Museum, The Mineshaft which is Wisconsin’s Largest Bar & Restaurant, and the turn-of-the-century Chandelier Ballroom. Hartford displays the rich flavors of the county, by the natural recreation assets of Pike Lake State Park and Wisconsin’s northern Kettle Moraine Forest area. Hartford has much to offer for the visitors or the residents. The tannery at WB Place, The Schauer Arts and Activates Center, Historic Downtown, and the Shrine at Holy Hill, are all points of interest visited annually by thousands.

 

Washington County: With everything from museums to symphony to gardens to an old Courthouse and Jailhouse, Washington County has something for everyone.

 

Horicon Marsh: The Horicon Marsh is one of North America’s most important wetland habitats and one of 22 “Wetlands of International Importance” recognized in the U.S. Year-round, the marsh teems with life.

Spring and fall bring massive migrations of waterfowl, with nearly 500,000 birds stopping at the marsh to feed and rest on their way to warmer climates. During the summer, many species of birds remain in the marsh to breed and raise their young. Throughout the summer, heron, egrets and other shorebirds can be seen stalking the margins of the cattails. Every corner of the marsh is home to some bird or animal. Even during the winter, when the wind howls and the landscape is blanketed in white, hawks soar over the frozen marsh and otters and muskrats swim under the ice.

The Horicon Marsh’s 32,000 acres of water, woods and prairie are currently home to one of the widest arrays of plants and wildlife in all the Midwest. But mankind nearly obliterated this natural treasure. Upon coming to the area in the mid- 1800s, white settlers commenced to alter the marsh, and in the 1900s, the marsh was even drained. The fact that the marsh exists today is a testament to the hard efforts of forward-thinking individuals and the adaptability of Mother Nature.

 

Wollersheim Winery : Located across from Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. The Wollersheim Winery sits on a scenic hillside overlooking the Wisconsin River. This national historic site was first selected for vineyards in the 1840’s by the Hungarian Count Agoston Haraszthy. Wollershiem wines continued to expand and the introduction of Prairie Fume in 1989 helped the Wollersheim brand gain respect. With 20 different grape wines from dry to sweet, annual production of Wollersheim and Cedar Creek wines has risen from 15,000 gallons in 1987 to now over 240,000 gallons. Most wines are marked in Wisconsin.