Autumn Vacation, Part 3

Viroqua, Wisconsin

(The Harvest Parade was the weekend before we arrived.)

Our first morning in Viroqua, we wanted to check out downtown. Also, we were colder than we expected and we were hoping to find an extra layer or two at one of the thrift stores. One of the first stops we made was at Ewetopia Fiber Shop, which had this fabulous and intriguing display in the window (above). I'm not a yarn person, but I do admire those who are and the lovely things they make with yarn. The store was quite large with lots of yarn and notions and books and kits, and more. There was also a nice cozy area with couches and children's toys. I imagine that knitting groups or classes meet there. Charles enjoyed the toys very much and did not want to leave. I did make a purchase--darning thread, because I intend to learn to fix my socks.

One of the many finished projects on display at Ewetopia.

We also stopped in the Conservation Connections storefront, which is home to the offices of The Prairie Enthusiasts, Valley Stewardship Network, and Kickapoo Woods Cooperative. They are three conservation organizations that share this space and we kind of (not kind of--literally) just walked in and asked what they were about. 😆 They're all doing great things. Check them out:
The Prairie Enthusiasts

Valley Stewardship Network
Kickapoo Woods Cooperative

We visited several shops including a couple of thrift shops and the Viroqua Public Market which is host to many vendors of art, crafts, and antiques. We had lunch at Kickapoo Coffee, which has a great atmosphere and delicious food.

Driftless Books and Music

(Not downtown) Driftless Books and Music is housed in a giant old tobacco building. Inside you can find tons of used books for sale, and all kinds of random sculptures and retro furniture scattered about, and posters, art, and ephemera covering every inch of the walls. It is also a music venue! We saw a couple dogs while we browsed. Several customers came in to buy and sell books. From conversations we overheard, it sounded like the owner was only going to stay open for a few more days and then close for the winter because there is no heat in the building. I loved visiting Driftless Books! So many interesting things to look at.

Other places we visited in Viroqua included the Viroqua Food Co-Op, which we frequented for food to eat at the cabin; the library, where we went to use the wi-fi and Charles played (very nice library!); Cakery & Bake Shop for treats; and Dave's Pizza on our last night! (With Spotted Cow!)

Viroqua has some other very fine looking eateries, like the farm to table Driftless Café, we just didn't get there. Maybe we'll get back someday to try them!

Our overall impressions of the town was that it was a pleasant small town that seems like a nice place for families (we saw lots of families and passed by a Waldorf school on the way to and from downtown, plus that library!), where people seem to have interests in the arts, nature, conservation, culture, and local food, and a great setting in the Driftless Area. It's hard to know what it's really like from just a handful of hours but it was a fun visit!

Dave's Pizza

 We also made trips to La Crosse and Madison, so those blog posts are coming up!