Staying in a Farmhouse in America's Dairyland

What I Wore

Blouse c/o: NewChic // Jacket: Sunshine boutique in Paris// Jeans: Top Shop // Glasses: Firmoo // Pin: Salad Days Pins

For our four year wedding anniversary/ten year dating anniversary, we decided we wanted to do a little weekend getaway. We didn't want to go anywhere too far, and we wanted to be able to bring our dog, Mort. I searched home rental websites for the perfect place in Wisconsin, settling on an 1800's restored farmhouse five minutes away from downtown New Glarus.

While the little downtown area was perfect for us to sight see some things and walk around during the day, as soon as we approached the dirt road of the farmhouse, we lost cell service and our quiet retreat awaited. There was no wifi either, so it made for incredibly quiet evenings on the rolling hills. At night we would stand in the fields, listening to how quiet it is. Having been in Chicago s o long, you forget what silence is like. No hum of distant trains and cars. You can actually hear the birds. You can see the sun creep up over the horizon. In Chicago, sleeping in is a weekend treat. Here, I want to see the sun climb. There are no buildings obstructing my view.

Staying on a dairy farm - the family owns 700 total acres. Their farm is a quick drive away (on the other side of the acres) where they have their own house and the working dairy farm. Sometime in the 90's they purchased this farmhouse from their neighbor and restored it for visitors. The old farmhouse has great bones and all of it's original charm such as the doors with flaking paint, wooden trim framing each doorway. The skinny wooden floor boards give way under our weight with the perfect amount of creaking. Some parts were modernized like the kitchen, bathroom, and the siding of the house. The light switches were the old, button-type, and some of the bedroom dressers and kitchen tables were older than the house itself, passed down from generations past. The family equipped the farmhouse with everything we needed. 

There was a grill for making dinners outside, a fire pit for the cool evenings, and there was even bug spray, but we didn't need it at the start of May. Being that there was no wifi, it was really nice to not have any distractions. In the mornings I wrote in my journal while drinking my coffee, Steven played the mandolin, and in the evenings we sat by the fire, sometimes chatting and sometimes enjoying the vast sound of silence. 

Feeding the baby cows at the working farm - the owner of the farmhouse was kind enough to schedule a time to show us their working farm! We went during milking and feeding, so we got to see them milking their Guernsey cows (they are the cows known to have the richest milk, and to be super docile). We then got to take the milk and bottle feed some of the baby cows that were born in the fall! They were so cute!

Antiquing in Downtown New Glarus - we perused a few shops in the downtown area. We found some lovely vintage lawn croquet sets, but sadly had to turn down the great price since we don't have a lawn. Oh, city living. I did find two of my favorite candles for a a great deal, hidden in the basement of one antique shop!

New Glarus Brewery - the whole weekend I lived comfortably in my NewChic flowy blouse and leggings. At the brewery, we lounged comfortably outside in the sun, enjoying samples of their beer and a pretzel from the food cart! The brewery is known for their Spotted Cow beer, but I also enjoyed their Two Women brew. The brewery is known for treating their employees really well, and they don't even distribute to Illinois, making the allure of their beers that much more enticing! The outside area overlooks New Glarus' rolling hills, it was the perfect afternoon outside. We also got to do a self-guided tour, seeing the workings of the brewery on the inside. We brought a few cases home, and when we got back to our apartment and unloaded the car, passerby's on our street were already making comments about our loot!

Sugar River State Trail - we took Mort in the car for the quick five minute drive to the town. At the end of town, there is a trail that we decided to walk the morning before we left. It went on for miles, but we opted to walk one mile. The town is so small, that as we crossed road on the trail, a car pulled up to wish us a happy walk - it was our farmhouse owner! It felt so nice to be recognized in a small town, like we were one of the locals. Along the path were tons of dandelions, all in bloom. Bikers road along side us, and Mort stared off at the cows, wondering what kind of dogs they were I'm sure.