The Wisconsin Winter Experience
Verona: the full Wisconsin winter experience in just 48 hours
Walker, Ben and Jake taking advantage of the downhills at University Ridge Golf Course.
Serious winter fun meets craft fare in Verona, Wisconsin. Located just 90 miles from Milwaukee and 150 miles from Chicago, Verona is the perfect homebase for a winter weekend getaway. It sits on the edge of the Driftless Region, allowing easy access to fat tire biking, world-class cross country skiing, snowshoeing, downhill skiing and snowboarding, ice skating, hockey and more. “Hometown, USA” offers all of the amenities of a city with the warmth of a small town.
Centrally located, Verona offers access to a full menu of winter adventure all within a 20 minute drive.
Day 1 - Hockey season
Settle into the weekend at the modern, well-situated Hyatt Place Madison/Verona. They’re a snowball’s throw away from great food, biking trails, and an iconic Wisconsin brewery. Hospitality abounds from the concierge to the bar staff and they offer a free electric vehicle charger (7kw) for those looking to juice up overnight.
Your nose will lead you to North and South Seafood & Smokehouse via the delicious smoky aroma in the parking lot. Service is quick if you’re looking for a light meal or stay a while to take in all the savory flavors. Try the Armadillo Eggs, burnt ends and catfish paired with a Hop Haus hazy ale.
Jake’s scoring percentage was 40%, without a goalie present.
The adventure starts in earnest with a winter classic: ice hockey. Elver Park is like a bbq combo platter of winter sports. They have a regular ice rink and a hockey rink, a massive sledding hill (that’s lit up at night), snowshoeing trails and cross-country ski trails. Lace up with skate rentals for just $6. Hockey sticks and pucks are available if you don’t have your own.
Follow it up with a Madison Capitols USHL game at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena. Expect a sold out stadium on special events (like $1 Beer Night)! The lively arena held over 2,600 energetic fans ranging from work groups and rowdy college students to children's birthday parties and diehard hockey fans. Try a Sondel Dawg, their taco-seasoned chili dog, followed by a Moon Man from New Glarus Brewing.
The Madison Capitols played the Green Bay Gamblers in front of a sold-out arena.
Goooooaaal!
Day 2 - Skiing two ways
The best part of waking up: chicken and waffles from Gus’s Diner.
Start your morning at Gus’s Diner, a dependable breakfast spot with good portions. Belly up to the counter to skip the wait before the short drive north to the University Ridge Golf Course. In the summer you’ll see collegiate golfers and local pros playing a round but in the winters, University Ridge turns into heaven for cross-country skiers with the championship Zimmer Cross Country course. Ski rentals and trail passes were surprisingly affordable in the premium clubhouse (just $10 per person and rentals are also just $10). Check the trail conditions here before you visit.
Ben and Walker taking one of the many trails at University Ridge.
Start by gliding your way through the trees, following the handmade trail signs with names like Arthur’s Alley and Turkey Trot. These bring you to the dedicated cross-country trails (classic and skate) where you’ll find hills if you want them and long flat stretches where you can zone out. The routes are also well-marked with signs for 4km thru 10km loops. You can also follow these detailed trails in the Wayward app.
All smiles after skiing the freshly groomed trails at University Ridge.
Back in Hometown USA, a local lunch favorite is Draft House. Expect a wide range of craft, domestic and international beers as the name suggests. Warning: the homemade pizza rolls are dangerously delicious. You won’t feel guilty eating them all if you order the tasty cobb salad as your main course.
Sandwich of the day at Draft House. Not pictured: their famous homemade pizza rolls because Ben and Jake ate them too fast.
Get caffeinated on the way out of town at Alice Good Specialty Coffee; a beautiful coffee shop in downtown Verona with a heartwarming backstory and worldly gifts for sale. From there, follow HWY 151 through the rolling hills of eastern Dane County. You’ll pass through Mt. Horeb, the Troll Capital of the World, before you turn north into the valleys of the Driftless region.
Tyrol Basin ski resort has something for everybody, without the lift lines and prices of the big resorts. You’ll find 22 runs, 5 terrain parks, bunny hills for new skiers and double black diamonds for the daredevils (map here). They offer tubing alongside ski and snowboard rentals. The Chalet has a full bar and menu up top (an adult hot cocoa with Bailey’s Irish Cream, yes please) and the lower floor has grab-and-go items.
Before you leave, do yourself a favor by calling in a pickup order at Sugar River Pizza Co. - a local favorite back in Verona. We ordered "the Tropics", a variation on a Hawaiian pizza, and the "Rio Grande BBQ Chicken" pizza. Pro tip: their pickup window is incredibly busy on Saturdays, so call at least 2 hours in advance.
Take your pizza across the street to combine it with a brewery-fresh pint at Lake Louie Brewing Company (aka Wisconsin Brewing Company) – their oatmeal stout is perfection on a dark snowy night. When it’s only chilly out, cozy up next to their outdoors fire pits. When there are blizzard-like conditions, opt to pass the time inside with their stack of board games or house-built shut the box game.
Day 3 - Snowshoes and fat bikes
Check out of the hotel and head over to Grace Coffee Co. Come hungry; their picture-perfect pastries are outshined only by their decadent breakfast entrees. The stuffed french toast and blueberry cheesecake pancakes are heavenly.
Stuffed french toast at Grace Coffee Co before it was devoured.
For your morning adventure, visit Badger Prairie County Park for 11 acres of snowshoeing and winter hiking. This park has a nice trail network of it’s own and is situated at the confluence of the Ice Age National Scenic hiking trail and the Military Ridge State Trail. It also features two dog parks if you brought four-legged friends or just want to pet somebody else's.
Snowshoeing through 5 inches of fresh powder on the Badger Prairie County Park trails.
Two miles to the east you’ll find a hidden gem for mountain bikers. The free Quarry Ridge Mountain Bike Trails are well-maintained (by volunteers from Mad City Dirt) and offer fun riding for all skill levels. In the winter the single-track trails are groomed for fat tire bikes. Pro tip: Check out the trail map online and talk with the local riders about the conditions and get trail tips. The trail is situated right off the highway as well as the Military Ridge State Trail.
Our adventurers had to lower their tires to 4psi to stay afloat on the fresh powder.
Jake only made it about 5’ along the 40’ wooden trail feature before a soft landing.
Cap off the weekend with lunch at nearby Hop Haus Brewing Company in Fitchburg. This popular spot has outdoor fire pits when the weather allows. Order the daily special (a delicious Hawaiian burger when we stopped in) or get a classic fitchburger and pork nachos with their oatmeal stout. The meal will leave you replete and relaxed as you head home after your weekend getaway to Verona.
Ben’s sendoff meal of pork nachos from Hop Haus.
