4-16-16, 5-27-17, 7-22-17, 12-22-17, 4-5-18 + other visits

Baraboo is the county seat of Sauk County with a population of over 12,000. A city with a rich history in the circus, the Ringling family’s influence is woven into the city’s fabric and has been for over a century. Also Delavan, where we also have visited. You can also fly into the Baraboo Airport.

Before you come into the city proper, be sure to stop at Man Mound Park on the outskirts of town.It was a little hard to find, the coordinates are N43°29.309’W089°40.278′   Man Mound Road.  On YouTube a short video about the mound.

 

Legs and feet that are missing are marked with white paint on the road.

There is also a small playground and a picnic bench at the park.

 

Baraboo has been a special place for Al and I since we met in 1997. We scuba dived at Devil’s Lake State Park and we were married there in 1999.

There is so much to see and do here in all seasons of the year.  Summer and fall are the busiest seasons. Come in April or May or after Labor Day for smaller crowds.  However, some attractions are only open during the summer season. For example, Circus World Museum.  The circus performances are from late May to late August.  We enjoyed a visit there in late August 2013, they have a free admission day at the end of the season. We returned 5-27-17 for Military Service Appreciation Day, also free.

Baraboo is also home to the International Crane Foundation, which we joined and visited 6-3-15.

 

As charming as these places are, you should see the historic downtown, looking much like it did when the original Ringling family were alive.  Downtown Baraboo has its own website to keep us informed of all the great happenings there all year round. The Courthouse Square and nearby has many great businesses to patronize for shopping and dining. The Courthouse is beautiful and it’s chime at 12:00 noon echoed around the square.

This plaque is on a rock outside of the Courthouse.

Enjoy the Baraboo Farmers Market too from May through October.

For even more fresh produce in the fall, stop by Ski-Hi Fruit Farm. The fall colors in October are beautiful too.

Baraboo also has its own radio station that we enjoy even in Madison, WRPQ.  You can even download their app to listen to it anywhere.

2017-The station is now known as MAX FM.

The Corner Drug‘s distinctive red front makes it easy to find on the square.

Also on this street is the beautiful Al. Ringling Theatre which was restored and still a work in progress. We took the tour on 7-22-17, but it is not permitted to post my photos of the inside.  You are allowed to take them during the tour only for your own enjoyment.

Here is what the theatre looks like in December at night.

On the corner of the square left of here is the Little Village Café, a historic building in journalism. You can just see the AL. Ringling mansion to the left down the street.

A block or so from the square is the AL. Ringling Mansion, a beautiful red stone building you can’t miss seeing! Also, we highly recommend taking their tour to see the inside.  It’s open daily 11-4, tours every hour on the hour, the last tour starts at 3PM.  Cost is $20 Adults
$5 for children 5-11
Free 4 & under
Group rates available.

Photos of the inside are permitted inside but not allowed to be posted on Facebook or other social media. The owners Joe and Carmen Colossa and family also live there and are working hard to transform this beautiful home into a Bed and Breakfast.   They purchased the home only in 2013, it seems longer though! The Elks Lodge used to own the mansion, but now just lease out parts of the space.

Joe also gave us an additional tour around town in the afternoon, showing us the cemetery, houses members of the Ringling family owned, and other circus lore.

Meanwhile,  the Charles Ringling mansion already is a Bed and Breakfast, called the Ringling House. Such a cheerful yellow in the spring sunshine!

Directly across the street from the AL. Ringling Mansion is another historic site, the first church in Baraboo, long gone.

Baraboo likes visitors and offers plenty of free parking.  In this parking lot you can see a new set of mural panels painted by local citizens in 2015. Also another one across from WRPQ. Also an older one from 2013.

As you can imagine, Baraboo citizens have preserved a great many historic buildings and homes.  We did our own tour to see them after lunch on our April visit.  This city is one of the lucky ones, it has a Carnegie Library. We have seen those in some of the other places we have visited over the years. Visit the Baraboo Public Library to find books on Baraboo’s rich history.

Badgerland Financial sits on the historic site where the Ringling Brothers put on their very first circus show on May 19, 1884.

The Jacob Van Orden House is now the Sauk County Historical Museum, one owned by the Sauk County Historical Society.

The House of 7 Gables owners used to give a tour but doesn’t at the present time. They have lived they for 50 years, moved in as newlyweds. Owners Ralph and Pamela Krainik have put a lot of pride into restoring their home for the last 50 years. It was built in 1860. Read more about heir home here.

The Baraboo School Administration building.

All this exploring can make a person hungry, never fear though, there are a great many restaurants in Baraboo to choose from. Around the corner and to the left of the building above is the Broadway Diner. FANTASTIC food, they also are the official caterer to functions of the AL. Ringling Mansion.

Another favorite is the Baraboo Pizza Ranch across from Menards.

The Log Cabin Restaurant and Bakery, we have been there a couple times, they celebrate 20 years in 2016!

The Farm Kitchen on the outskirts of town by Devil’s Lake has been a favorite place of ours since were dating in 1997 to 1999.  We often ate there after scuba diving.  We had our wedding rehearsal dinner there. This is how it looked in 2009, it has been under new ownership since 2015.

Baraboo offers a wide range of shopping, including the essentials. For groceries, the Viking Express Market has a lot of variety, great store! Even a red pig for the kids to ride!

Another favorite place we like shopping is at St. Vincent de Paul‘s, or Vinnies, just down the hill on  100 South Blvd. within sight of the Broadway Diner. They also have a food pantry.  Our tour that Joe Colossa took us on included some Circus Museum train cars and the longest train car building in the USA. They are located BEHIND Vinnies.

If you are tired from walking around downtown, let someone else do the walking, er, pedaling. We spotted a rickshaw parked, make an appointment for a relaxing tour of downtown Baraboo, $20 for 20 minutes.

Baraboo is host to many parks, Nanny Park even has a Little Free Library that looks like a circus wagon, cute!

Also Devil’s Lake State Park, where we honed our scuba diving skills and got married there underwater on July 24, 1999.

Climb the East Bluff Trail for beautiful fall color views of the Baraboo Hills below. This was October 9, 2010. Watch the turkey vultures soar above the lake, especially in summer. Sometimes we walked around the whole lake if we had an early start.

Enjoy Ochsner Park and Zoo near downtown. The zoo opened in 1926 and has a great many visitors.   The adjacent park is alongside the Baraboo River and has two pavilions for large groups to gather.  We found a plaque at the park by the pavilion closest to the zoo, the first home in Baraboo was built on this site.

We always have a great visit to Baraboo.  There is always something new to see here and everyone is so friendly! Our parting shot is the swiftly running river going under the Manchester Street Bridge in this park.