Our daily driving Tour chairs have been working on some great tours for you! Final details are still being ironed out but here is what our schedule looks like so far:
Tours / Activities
Saturday / Sunday
Tour Check-in will be from 12PM-5PM on Saturday at the hotel lobby, and again on Sunday from 8AM-5PM.
Saturday is a great time to visit some of the awesome sites that require more time than we could allot on one of our driving tour dates. We suggest looking into visiting the famous and weird House on the Rock museum and/or the Frank Lloyd Wright Studio/Estate, Taliesin, which in 2019 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The MTFCI Board of Directors will hold their meeting on Saturday at 7:30PM at the hotel board room.
On Sunday, the Tour Book will have an at-your-own-pace tour of the Baraboo area laid out for you. The tour will introduce you to many of the important businesses you may need during your visit. It will also stop at beautiful Devil’s Lake State Park, a scenic bit of the Badger state you won’t want to miss! The Park was founded in 1911 and at one point had 5 resort hotels. Park the T and walk one of the many trails – they range from novice to strenuous! Views from the rocky bluffs surrounding the lake are outstanding!
On Sunday evening we will have a kick-off gathering at the host hotel to welcome everyone and provide any last minute tour information.
Monday
Monday will begin with the car show and judging, to be held on the golf course of the host hotel. At 11:30AM we will start to roll out on the tour.
We will begin by touring to the Dorf Haus Supper Club, in the German-American town of Roxbury, for a button-busting buffet lunch. From there it is on to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, an outdoor living history museum with an operating railroad. Our last tour stop of the day will be at the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue, home to lions, tigers, leopards, lynx, and liligers (that’s not a typo)!
Monday evening, we will converse and laugh with friends old and new at our ice cream social in the parking lot of the host hotel while we watch the youth participate in a variety of T-related games!
Tuesday
Mostly a driving day, we will be traveling through the countryside of Sauk County. We will stop at the Museum of Badger Army Ammunition Museum. Then it’s off to the Cedar Grove Cheese Factory for Wisconsin cheese tasting. Next, on to the town of Lelend for a delicious box lunch. Country roads will take us back to Devil’s Head Resort.
Tuesday evening it’s time to get into your finest vintage clothes for the Fashion Show, back at the hotel ballroom.
Wednesday
Did you know that Wisconsin was the first State to officially mark and number its State Highways? While the State was busy doing that, the counties of Wisconsin chose letters to designate their own roads using an alphabet soup of single and double letters. Of course, each county used their own letters and so it’s not uncommon to cross a county border and have County B change to County MM below your feet! Our longest tour of the week will challenge your navigator as we travel through the largest Amish settlement in Wisconsin, the geographic population center of the State, and Portage – the third oldest settlement in Wisconsin – at the junction of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. Wisconsin bratwurst for lunch? You bet!
Back at the hotel, in the evening, we will have adult car games in the parking lot, along with a mini-"parts swap".
Thursday
This tour will take you through the rolling hills of the Wisconsin River Valley and Driftless areas of scenic Wisconsin. Make sure your brake bands are tight and stretch out your low pedal muscles – some of these roads will be steep (for the Midwest!). A box lunch will be served at the Wisconsin Riverside Resort, located on the beautiful banks of the Wisconsin River.
Car show awards will be presented that evening at the hotel, just before we start the Youth Foundation auction. Bring your cash and support the club youth!
Friday
Baraboo was the winter home for several circuses over the years and was also the home of the Ringling brothers when they began their circus in 1884. In the 1950’s, Circus World Museum was opened to acquire, preserve, and showcase the history of the circus. The Museum has grown from 1 acre and six old circus wagons to over 64 acres and 30 permanent structures! We will tour from the host hotel to the museum to see a number of exhibits as well as some circus shows. After that we’ll have lunch at the facility before closing out our week of touring with some easy country driving and a stop at the Badger Steam and Gas Club's grounds where we'll see their collections and enjoy some homemade ice cream!
Friday evening, we will cap off the 66th Annual Tour with our Closing Dinner and Tour Awards while the youth enjoy a pizza and pool party.
