Travel & Tours
Watch Maple Syrup Being Made In Westby
 Tours
of maple syrup farm near Avalanche and factory in downtown
Westby, Wisconsin, USA (Note: This 3 hours tour is for groups
of 25 persons, reservations required.)
The maple trees are located 8 miles east of Westby on one of
the highest of the Ocooch Mountains, overlooking the Kickapoo
River Valley, near the trout fishing village of Avalanche. In
the Kickapoo Indian language Ocooch means "where one goes to
get food" and Kickapoo means "one who goes here, then there".
The farm was deeded from the US government to the first
European immigrant farmer, John Phillips, in May 1854. The
original log cabin home was located on the "back forty" of the
farm. Around 1900 a farm house and barn were constructed on
the front end of the farm. The 300 maple trees are in the
forests on steep hillsides that run the length of the farm.
Your tour will start at the corner of Bekkedal Avenue and
Second Street in Westby with a maple farmer joining you on
your tour bus. During the 15-minute bus ride to the farm you
will watch the first half of a video to learn about the
history of maple farming. (people in cars/on cycles will watch
the video at the factory before going out to see the maple
forest.) The bus or cycles/cars will drive past the maple
forest. You will be able to see the network of plastic tubing
that is stretched between the trees. Sap from the maple trees
runs down the hillside through the tubing and into a
collection tank at the bottom of the forest.
On the bus trip back to Westby you will watch the second half
of the video to learn about how the maple sap that is
collected from the trees is processed into maple syrup (people
in cars/on cycles will watch the video when they get back to
Westby). Upon arrival back in Westby you will tour the factory
and see the equipment that is used to make maple syrup, maple
cream, maple sugar, and maple candy. You may have the
opportunity to try your hand at bottling some freshly cooked
syrup, taste the rich candy, have a sample of maple cream on
ice cream, or eat some Norwegian flat bread (lefse), spread
with Westby Creamery butter and sprinkled with granulated
maple sugar.
Your tour will end with a visit to the "Sweet Dreams" vacation
rental guest house if it is not occupied. The focal point of
the 1500 square foot guest house is the original wooden
freight elevator that was used to haul bags of feed and seed
during the years this building was a feed mill.
We love having you visit so you can see the joy of the maple
industry, the uniqueness of the historic old mill/maple
factory, and the beauty of the maple farm.
The 3 hour tour is available for groups of 25, cost is $125
for up to 25 people.
 Motorcyclists
Ruth and Ken offer
Motorcycle tours of the Ocooch Mountains!
1/2 day tour for groups of motorcyclists complimentary renting
the guest house.
$50.00 per hour tour fee for others.
Tour Amish Homes & Businesses
Friend of the Amish, Larry Sebranek, will lead you on a tour
of Amish homes & businesses in Vernon & Monroe Counties,
$50.00 / hour tour fee.
Call 24 hours in advance for reservations, no Sunday tours.
Other Tours Available
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Guided Fishing Tours
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Winery Tours
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Round Barn Tours
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Bicycle Tours
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Canoe & Kayak Tours
-
Antique Store Tours
-
Historical Site Tours
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