Located downtown near the heart of Baraboo's square is the amazing library for adults, teens &…read morechildren. They recently did a complete renovation of the building, adding on a modern addition to the historical library, which they did a fantastic job preserving the integrity of the wood shelves & classic elements. This side has turned into the adult section with multiple levels, accessible by stairs or elevator. The new addition has an incredible bright children's section on the second floor; complete with floor to ceiling windows & a modern feel. Great play area includes a lego table, lighted table for colorful tiles, puppet area, play kitchen, dolls as well as computers & tables available. Comfy seating for adults. Fantastic programs going on weekly for kids, some daytime & some evening. The staff are lovely & fun. The new building has a great, large room that has been used for community meeting & events, as well as smaller study rooms that you can reserve throughout. Nice little teen area on the first floor too. Great self checkout area or front desk staff available. The new parking lot is great & has plenty of spaces. Keep yourself up-to-date on library events for kids as young as babies, teens & adults just by visiting the website. Books can be reserved online for pickup as well. Baraboo library has knocked them all out of the park! Come see for yourself.

An outstanding small town library in an historic building. When "tear it down" is the operative in…read morethe discussion of aging historic structures in the "Frank Lloyd Wright myopic Midwest," Baraboo dodges the wrecking ball in it's commitment to preserving and expanding their neo-classical Carnegie Free Library. Keeping in step with the visionary planning of the library board is a dedicated staff that knows patrons by name, works many more hours than is asked of them, and provides an expanding breadth of uncensored circulation. Sadly, there is the passing of CFL-Baraboo as a "quiet library" due to the increased patron count. This translates to an absence of "shushing" from the pursed lips of the library director...it'll never be the same, but a great library no less.

This marker is located in the Mauston rest area on I-90/94 which is near mile marker 75. The rest…read morearea has parking and restrooms so please take the time to review the marker while you're here. It reads, ""There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot." For those who cannot, Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac helps reveal the unsuspected natural riches hidden in these sand counties of Wisconsin." Continuing, "At the core of Aldo Leopold's writing is the concept of a land ethic in which love and respect for the land are the guiding principles. He believed that public conservation efforts had little chance of success unless private individuals felt a strong personal responsibility for the health of the land." And finally, "In 1935, driven to action by this philosophy, Leopold purchased a Sand County farm "worn out and then abandoned by our bigger-and-better society" and "selected for its lack of goodness and its lack of highway." There the Leopold family spent twelve years of time and effort changing their 80 acres of desolation into a showpiece of native Wisconsin habitat complete with abundant wildlife and restored natural landscape. In so doing, Aldo Leopold left us an inspiring example of the land ethic in action." This is marker number 270. It was erected in 1983 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. [Review 21142 overall - 283 in Wisconsin - 105 of 2024.]

Ableman's Gorge State Natural Area is a lot of fun to explore. I did a small amount of research…read morebefore going the first time, and I wasn't really prepared for the hike I found myself on. A few tips for anyone going here who hasn't been... 1 - there is a parking location around the bend that takes you to some muddy trailheads (this is where we started, and this is where GPS took us). We quickly found ourselves off-trail and climbing some very challenging terrain. If a heart-pounding, out of breath hike isn't for you - avoid this entrance. 2 - there is a free spring located on the closer side of the bend. If you park near here and look across the street you will see another trailhead leading into the gorge. This is a much more maintained and level trail. I didn't get to hike this one, but as we were getting water from the spring, I saw parent's taking children this way so it can't be too challenging. 3 - Van Hise rock is located between these two entrance's on the opposite of the street. Don't miss it. It's very cool. 4 - The water at the spring is DELICIOUS. Definitely definitely try it. We all filled our water bottles but witnessed several others brining gallon and 5-gallon jugs to fill up. This is a popular spot. *this is not part of the gorge, it is privately owned* I can't wait to go back and the parts I wasn't able to the first time!

Located just north of Rock Springs between Baraboo and Reedsburg, this natural phenomenon has been…read morea destination for geologists and students for more than a century. It's located in the middle of an area known as Ableman's Gorge, one of only two openings in the Baraboo Range. The Baraboo Range is a monadnock (a residual hill that consists of hard rock in an otherwise eroded area) located in Columbia and Sauk Counties, Wisconsin. This range of mountains is subterranean with only the peaks appearing above ground. The range consists of highly eroded Precambrian metamorphic rock, about 25 miles (40 km) long and varies from 5 to 10 miles (16 km) in width. The Wisconsin River, previously traveling in a north to south direction, turns to the east just north of the range before making its turn to the west towards the Upper Mississippi River. The eastern end of the range was glaciated during the Wisconsinian glaciation, while the western half was not, and consequently, marks the eastern boundary of Wisconsin's Driftless Area. There are only two openings in the Baraboo Range, in the east, where the Baraboo River exits the basin and in Ableman's Gorge, where the Baraboo River enters the basin. It is at this point where Van Hise Rock was pushed around, and upward, by geological forces. I can't even pretend to really understand it all (I'm not a geologist nor do I play one on TV) but I can see that what is usually a horizontal layering of rock is vertical in the Van Hise monolith. The result is that professionals and students from all over the world visit this monolith to see, and research, this unique example of earth forces over the millennia. And it's right here, on Wisconsin Highway 135, where anyone can stop and admire this geological marvel. PS - If you're a geologist and think I've mis-reported anything here, please send me a message and we'll see what we can do to fix it. :)

It is spectacular location to visit. There is no land access unless you drive through private…read moreproperty. The best way to get there is to join the upper river boat ride. The second stop is at the stand rock. Please make sure the ride takes you there before purchasing the ticket. There is a trail take you to the top of the stand rock pillar. It includes the rock gate and arch. The rock is naturally formed. There is many types of column and arch. It is beautiful. The overhang of the cap makes this unique.

I'm really only reviewing the stellar office of the County Clerk, but they were indeed fantastic…read moreabout getting things set-up for our marriage license. Really friendly and helpful office staff.

Located in a small highway pull-out, this marker points out the history of the geography of the…read morearea. The marker reads, "The rugged range of hills which can be seen to the north of here is among the oldest visible physical features on the earth. The hard quartzite rock that forms them was deposited as sand in a shallow sea which once covered this region. Although deposited horizontally, the layers were warped until they were tilted fifteen degrees at Devils Lake and vertically at Rock Springs. The gorges which may be seen at these places were eroded by rivers millions of years ago. The Wisconsin River once flowed through the Devils Lake Gorge. Glaciers brought debris which blocked the river, leaving the lake after melting. Exploration for iron ore began in 1887, and in 1900 ore was found and mining operations started. By 1925 the cost of mining had become too high to compete with other sources and mining in the district ceased after producing 643,030 tons of ore." This is marker number 89 and it was erected by the Wisconsin Historical Society. [Review 20697 overall - 267 in Wisconsin - 1678 of 2023.]

Got subpoenaed to a court hearing for an accident we came upon. Husband had to take off work. We…read moregot checked in and sat outside the courtroom but the case ended up getting rescheduled. Everyone was very friendly and Explained throughly what was going on. When coming into the courthouse you are checked thru like the airport. I had a metal thermos with water in it and was allowed to take it because it only had water. So note that drinks are not allowed unless they are water only. We were prepared with a kindle to keep us occupied for the short amount of time we were there. Next time we go back will also pack some snacks.

Looking for a super cool spot to hangout for a bit and watch the spillway then you've found it!…read more So one early morning adventure we found ourselves here to watch and listen to the spillway as we waited for our friends to go start our breakfast adventures with. The spot we were at was across from the spillway it had a good amount of parking places and a few benches even though we were here early morning there was still a handful of people here some fishing and some launching their boat off for a day of fun! We pretty much just chilled here for a bit because it was peaceful with the sound of the water crashing and just the beautiful scenery it was definitely an awesome way to start the day! Overall this is a dam so you know what to expect it's just a chill spot to pass the time or fish either way it was definitely cool finding this and I hope to be back again sometime!