No one likes going to the DMV, but as far as DMVs go, the Baraboo location is very pleasant and the…read morestaff have always been friendly. The wait has never been very long and you don't have to drive to one of the larger, busy locations to get your license, pick up tags, make a purchase etc. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is that they are only open Monday and Wednesday from 7am-5pm, so that doesn't leave much flexibility for people.

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.

Gorgeous building! It has the classic look of a courthouse, and while it's obviously not as…read moreimpressive as our state capital, it's still beautiful and well kept, Most of all, the front lawn it the highlight of many of Baraboo's seasonal events, parades, concerts, vendors of all kinds, things for the kids or just relaxing. Cutting to some of the "official" things; the Sauk County Clerk's office is located inside and where my husband, myself and our daughter got our passports. Our child was only 9mo when we came in and the staff were fantastic getting her to sit up properly using a nursing pillow they had on site, as well as smile for the photo! The passports were done on rush order and they cam much faster than expected. Very respectful and upbeat staff. Small but clean office interior. It'll be a while until we need new passports but I can assure others that our experience was great.

Though not as eye catching as some of the courthouses in the southern half of the state, this…read morebuilding is still worth visiting to check out the historical monuments on the grounds and the impressive marble staircase. Built in 1906, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

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.

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. :)

We are in the Dells quite often and were looking for different things to do so we decided to check…read moreout Baraboo and came across the mansion and brewery. Walking into the brewery was awesome, such a cool place and quite large. The girl at the spot were I believe you can order food wasn't too friendly but the bartender was awesome! Bartender was super friendly, I wish I could remember his name. We told him how we were looking for things to do and he was more than happy to write down some recommendations for us. I thought that was super nice because I feel like sometimes, at least in the Dells area, it seems like they get tired of us tourists and aren't always as friendly as I feel they should be considering they know they're working in a tourist area. We happened to be sitting next to the lady that does the tours so we thought, awesome, we love seeing old buildings and hearing the history so we signed up! It's $20 per person and about 50-60 mins. It was super cool to see, informative, the lady was friendly, and answered any questions we had. It was pretty amazing to hear that people actually live on the 4th floor, I wasn't expecting that for some reason. After the tour was over she played the large organ for us which was great. We sat down for another beer, listened to the awesome music the bartender was playing and set up our next tour at the Driftless Glen distillery. This was on our list plus it was one of the recommendations from the bartender. If your in the area and looking for something different to do, I highly recommend checking this place out!

This was a beautiful history lesson. The tour guide, Kim was very knowledgeable. I appreciated that…read moreshe included my 3 children in the conversations by addressing them, talking with them, and answering their questions. The house is beautiful and has so many gorgeous rooms and architecture. The tour ends in the brewery where Kim plays the calliope. She also offered the adults a free sample of beer from the Ringling brewery. Tour took about an hour and was well worth the time and money. Highly recommend.

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.]

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.]