The lake is 136 acres and about 40 feet deep. There are public boat landings for launching boats (sailboats, fishing boats, etc.). Fishermen report catching Largemouth Bass and Walleye.

I say inaugural sail because he had just pathed up a bunch of holes in the bottom of the boat, and we wanted to see if it would leak.

Thankfully, the boat didn’t sink and we had a tremendous day on the lake.

The lake features a two-lane boat ramp and the lake is suitable for both fishing and sailboats. Powerboats are not advisable on this lake due to the size.

The lake features ample parking (a small fee applies) as well as a beach on the opposit shore.

Enjoy your day at the lake!

For driving directions to the lake, just type in Dutch Hollow Lake Wisconsin 53941 in Google Maps.

The Madison Zoo has a large portion of their area dedicated to a children’s zoo, with goat feeding, an animal exhibit with porcupines, red pandas, meerkats, cockatoo, and more. In the children’s area there is also a carousel, electric train ride, and a tree house playground.

The zoo’s animal exhibits range from prairie dogs to rhinoceros, ostriches to poison arrow frogs, and orangutans to polar bears. And of course we can’t forget the captive lion. One of the most interesting parts of the zoo is the Discovery Center, where you can watch honeybees build a hive or look at a python’s skin under a microscope. This is also where you’ll get a chance to see tarantulas, cockroaches, giant centipedes, and other terrifying little creatures. At the Herpetarium in the same building, you’ll find giant tortoises, alligators, a huge Burmese python, and a variety of other reptiles. A map of the zoo’s exhibits and attractions can be found here.

The Henry Vilas Zoo has a number of events throughout the year, which you can find on their calendar here.

The Madison Zoo is open 9:30 am–5 pm every day of the year with the exception of certain holidays. The zoo buildings are open 10 am–4 pm. Admission is free, but carousel & train rides cost $1.50 each.

Address:
702 South Randall Avenue
Madison, WI 53715
Phone: (608)258-9490

Official Website

One of those that I’ve visited recently is The Cheese Store, in the Hillsboro, Wisconsin area.

The Cheese Store is run by a mother-daughter team that has been in business for quite a while. They operate a sort of micro-grocery store in addition to selling cheeses. I’ve stopped in there for lunch on occasion because they serve sandwiches and other snacks.

There’s nothing quite like good cheese curds, however, and that’s what I always get at The Cheese Store. They almost always have super-fresh cheese curds that are tasty, and squeek when you chew on them. That’s the best, and is why I love The Cheese Store.

The Cheese Store
186 Madison St.
Hillsboro, WI  54634
Phone: (608) 489-2651

My experience has been positive, and I do recommend their bus service.

You can pay for a bus fare either online prior to your trip, or pay the bus driver directly. If you pay online, you’ll need to bring a printout of your confirmation. That’s what I’ve done in most cases, however I’ve also simply walked up to the counter, paid the fare, and boarded.

If I could improve one thing about the ticket buying process, it would be to have a more mobile-friendly web site. My wife was recently buying tickets for us, and the site was slow, and not particularly optimized for iPhone.

To buy tickets, you can go up to CoachUSA.com.

Van Galding and Coach USA provide trips throughout the midwest. You can take a bus from any of their cities for a relatively good price. In my experience, the busses are on time, and follow their schedule to the minute.

The trips to Chicago have recently been slightly behind schedule because of the enormous construction along the toll roads. Not really anything they can do about that, though. I’ve noticed the bus drivers are compensating by having shorter stops (even asking the passengers to not exit the bus at stops, like they used to).

On recent trips, the buses are usually not even half-filled to capacity, meaning you can spread out and take up the extra seat next to you (which is awesome). Also, on every trip I’ve taken they’ve provide free wireless internet. You don’t even have to enter a password — it just works! Although, it’s a bit slow. I did a speed test, and got 12kbps. It works great for casual surfing, and basic work.

There are definitely alternatives, the Megabus comes to mind, which is a newer bus service with doubledeckers. If you schedule way ahead of schedule with them you can often get good deals. You might want to do a comparison.

Most of the time, we’ll buy two adult-passenger tickets for $30/each (one way) and one ticket for our 2-year old daughter (it was $10, they do charge for kids, but we’ve taken a lap baby on for free before).

The buses are comfortable, have soft cushioned seats, and a restroom on board. Highly recommended!

The radio station was founded by my father-in-law, and he manages all of the day-to-day operations as a non-profit (based in Reedsburg, WI). You can learn more at wcnpfm.org.

We had our wedding in Reedsburg, and there were so many people that had travelled to attend our wedding that we ended up inviting them all to our rehearsal dinner. Over 100 people, including children.

The food? Amazing… and this is coming from a guy who loves excellent food. The variety of dishes they provided was impressive and our guests were raving about how much fun they had. I even wrote a special review on Yelp about my experience.

One cool thing about this location, is that they have a Norman Rockwell display in the front corridor by the ballroom. It’s awesome to get a bit of history while you are there. We had a great time, and are glad to recommend Voyageur Inn for dinner or a special event.

Voyageur Inn & Conference Center
200 Viking Drive (County Hwy H)
Reedsburg, WI 53959
Phone: (608) 524-6431