Agricultural Heritage Bus Tours

Heritage Bus Tours

Posted on November 30, 2009

Kewaunee County sits on top of a limestone rock layer called the Niagara Escarpment. Glaciers pushed out rolling hills that slope down to Lake Michigan on one side and the bay of Green Bay on the other. Indians came with trading posts before the lumber industry boomed. Fertile soil became home to prolific farms settled by mostly German, Czechoslovakian and Belgian immigrants.

Agricultural Heritage & Resources offers 5 tours to give you a true flavor of our “Little Europe”. A step on guide will accompany your coach.

The Ag Heritage Tour begins in an 1876 Czech farmstead for a bite to eat. The largest family owned dairy farm in the state is Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy that uses G.P.S., computer chips, an anaerobic digester and the cows are milked while riding a rotating carousel. Depending upon the season, you may tour LaCrosse Maple Syrup, Kraynik berries, Hillside apples or Aissen Christmas tree farm. A farm lunch will be served. Organic farming is growing in popularity; we’ll see how it’s done at Wavrunek Organic Farm. Along the route you’ll see many farms from European settlers.

The Czech Tour starts with a kolache and coffee and an 1876 Czech farmstead tour. Step back in time at Tom’s Bakery for fresh Belgian pies. Kele Alpaca’s utilizes an original Czech homestead complete with a square silo. For lunch, a Czech roast pork tenderloin, sour kraut, potato dumplings, dessert and Czech music. Watch a methunky demonstration and take some home. In Stangelville, tour a church on the register of historic places, shop at Konop’s, home to traditional sultz and stop at the last cheese factory in Kewaunee County; a world champion in mozzarella. We’ll tour a vineyard and sample award winning wines from the 44th parallel.

The Belgian Tour is hosted by Belgian Walloon and local historian Clete Bellin. Start with a Belgian breakfast. Learn about Belgians settlers, the oldest church on the peninsula and chapels that dot the countryside. Travel through Frog Station and hear about miracles of Robinsonville. Ride on top of the Niagara escarpment ledge to see the bay of Green Bay at the same place where Jean Nicolet did at Red Banks. Brussels Countryside Café will serve Belgian trippe, sweet and sour red cabbage, potatoes and Belgian pie. Next stop is Marchants to purchase Belgian goodies then to the cheese store. See a windmill farm, outdoor ovens, dolomite stone homes and karsts. Cross paths with the Green Bay Packers and Baby Face Nelson on this tour.

The Kewaunee Tour begins at Ag Heritage Farm with Czech kolache. Kewaunee is a harbor town on Lake Michigan that has served military, commercial and passenger ships and now great lakes anglers. The Marquette Historical District is full of extravagant homes from local dignitaries. The Jail Museum brings the colorful past to life as does the Tug Ludington that was active in World War II. The Kewaunee Inn is where we will stop for lunch and a tour. Hopefully we’ll be joined by some of the spirits that are said to still make their presence known. Shop at the fresh fish market or Tom’s Bakery. Ride through the Kewaunee River Valley to Buzz Besadny Fish Hatchery and Bruemmer Park lime quarry and zoo.

Algoma is a harbor town on Lake Michigan. The Algoma tour begins at the Farm Market Kitchen for a bite to eat. It’s a food related business incubator where some famous products got their start. Ride the coach for the Walldog tour and then to Algoma’s most delightful little bakery. Rabas Steam Engine Museum is the home to Big Jim. The grand Hotel Stebbins is our lunch stop. After lunch we’ll catch a quick tour of the Algoma marina and lighthouse and then see one of the last remaining 1920’s fish shanties on the lakeshore. Shop at Bearcats for fresh smoked fish and at Wisconsin’s oldest winery, Von Stiehl. Our last stop is the Flying Pig where you can walk through whimsical gardens.

Agricultural Heritage & Resources, Inc. is a 501 C3 Not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to preserving agricultural heritage past, present and future.

Contact the AHR tour coordinator for more inforamtion:

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Sherry Zuege
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N3897 Cedar Lane
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Kewaunee, WI 54216
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(920) 255-5141
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sherryandfamily@gmail.com