Monroe Cheese Days, how to describe it for someone who's never been? It's a festival celebrating…read moreMonroe's claim to fame: cheese. More specifically, locally made cheese and limburger cheese. Local beer is a big part of it too, but that's not the star of the show (and for good reason because Minhas brews are less than good). There's live music, most of which is fantastic (pro tip: check out the beer tent down by Minhas, that's where you'll find some great music, especially later in the afternoon and evening). There are some fun Swiss cultural experiences to be had from the stage on the South side of the Square thanks to the Alphorn players, yodelers, and accordion players. As for food, the cheese curds are stupid good. Yes the line is long, and yes you should do it anyway. I only wish they'd offer an additional ticket where you have the option to pay an extra $.50-$1 to pair funky cheese sauces and aioli dips with your curds. These curds certainly don't need sauces, but it'd add to the whole foodie experience. A few notes for first-timers: -Get the cheese curds. You can't possibly participate in a Cheese Days celebration without eating these cheese curds. I promise they're the best you've ever had. -There are two beer areas: one surrounding the square, a second at the beer tent. The beer used to be restricted to beer tents only, now you can wander each respective area. -Music at the Beer tent is a must. -The beer stand on the square offers different brews than that at the Beer Tent down by Minhas, so try something from both areas. Don't expect to love the Minhas beer though. -Check out the hospitality tent ahead of time for events you want to participate in. They're free. I recommend the cheese and beer pairing class. It's lead by a Master Cheesemaker.

Should be called Minhas and cheese days. I came up from Madison, the drive was pretty! The…read morefestival was large and hard to miss. It was much larger than expected. I walked in to grilled cheese, cheese curds, cream puffs, and beer. I heard the cheese puffs was where the party was at but I decided to go with the grilled cheese from one of the tents. It was way boring. For a cheese fest, I was expecting something that had a little bit of personality but it was just blah. The cheese tent was ok. You had to fight the crowd to get any cheese and yeah, there was a good variety but you can almost get the same variety from a good cheese shop, such as my fave, Ehlenbach's. You do not even have to fight crowds there. The one saving grace was Minhas and their bandstand. Their beer was cheaper, there was a big band playing that actually made me want to boogie and the people watching was prime. I think I would go again but I would have to for sure rethink the plan. I did at one point refer to this as the Disneyland of cheese, long lines for about 10 seconds of glory.

Great day for the festival. Games, tournaments, food and beverages. Even desserts featuring Sassy…read moreCow ice cream. Canoes and kayaks available to rent for a donation to the Maunesha River Alliance.

tl;dr YOU LIKE BEER?! YOU LIKE CHEESE!? YOU FROM WISCONSIN!? You'll probably want to attend…read more A Madison friend couple of mine host all of us wild and rambunctious MKE folk at their place (god bless them and their trust in us) every year for this event. It has more than 100 different breweries present and a handful of delicious local cheese artisans. The $50 price tag for general admission is well worth it when you get a 2 pm to 6 pm free range with unlimited sampling and the signature tiny tasting class. If we're being honest, it is way less cheese and way more beer. I would say I got around 4 samples of cheese vs so-much-beer-you-definitely-need-an-uber amount of beer tastings. But, it's totally worth the ability to try a brewery you'd never normally happen across and to try samples of a beer (stout, lager, sour, IPA, etc.) that you might not normally have the willingness to pay for a full glass of. The environment of the convention center is also a delight - you get to see: 1) Extravagant pretzel/snack necklaces (if you don't know about this, have you ever even really been to a beer event before?) 2) People wearing balloons with really long strings on them so their friends can spot them from across the event space 3) People screaming "OHHHHHHH" when you hear someone break their sample glass in a nearby radius 4) Live music and drunk people dancing, playing lawn games, etc. It's really great time, I've been going for years and will keep going. Eat (a little), drink and be merry.

My boyfriend and I along with some friends have attended the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest for the…read morelast 3 years and each year has been a BLAST! We always stay at a hotel close by the Alliant Center in Madison, Wisconsin (where the Isthmus Beer and Cheese Fest is held) and we have so much fun eating great cheese and drinking great craft beer from all over. This is an event every beer and cheese lover should attend! It has the perfect of both worlds all in one event!

I am not totally sure what to say about Monroe Street Fest. It happened. There were people there…read more hmmm. yeah... I was most excited about checking out Strictly Discs. They always have a good showing. When I got there (4:00 on Saturday) there were quite a few people going through the cds and I was just not in the mind set to sift through the cds and people. The previous year, I did have lot of time and spent about an hour going through the cds and found 4 for less than $15. As for the rest of the festival, there were hair products, frames, books, random laundry items from the convenience store, and items from Orange Tree imports. Everything was so random. It was worth the stroll through just to see what was going on but was not exciting enough to make the trip across city.

Brace yourself...this neighborhood celebration is an absolute cliche. In the best way possible…read more(because HELLO...cliche's are such because they're true!). First tip: Go into the Festival knowing Monroe Street is going to be busy all day long. Duh! I would recommend the early morning of the first day. Not overly rowdy and a very pleasant stroll. The past 5 years I have attended MSF with different friends and family, I've learned to attend in the morning and/or mid-afternoon. Especially when the weather is turning into a gorgeous, burnt fall day. if you are smart enough to follow my pro-tip above, grab a nice coffee from Barriques, Crescendo, or Colectivo (because local!) and it will send you into a caffeinated bliss, ready for exploration and cutesy conversation with local shop owners and staff. This year, my friend and I made home-made tea candles, browsed books, tossed corks, even had face painting, just for us! Who can turn down face painting?! There was an amazing, small clearance sale at the local theater group's shop, and I found a few FANTASTIC finds for mere dollars! Free food samples and tote bags were also unexpected, but obviously welcomed perks. Trader Joe's was unleashing their seasonal, "buy your pumpkin spice-everything" this same weekend...and I definitely dropped double-digit dollars to bask in the gloriousness. MSF is a classic annual Madison experience. Rain or shine, I've experienced it, and so should you.

Cornfest is a 5 star event. Let me explain why.... Every year, this beautiful "All-American"…read morefestival is a free event sponsored by Birdseye Foods. The kids love the rides. $20 and they ride all weekend. The roasted corn is free. I can usually kill two pieces. Then I spend $6 and buy a huge paper bag full of corn to take home to share with family, friends, and neighbors. All I see around me is families from all walks of life having barrels of fun with their kids and siblings. There is a huge playground here and you can also bring a cooler to picnic on the many picnic tables. Everyone is having so much fun. Check out the vendors too. Homemade ice cream is to die for. The food here is soo good. The bands, the families, the kids, best parade I've seen in a long time, the ambiance is all 5 stars and best of all, the kids are excited about coming here. Come on down, you won't be disappointed!!

Free corn! Announce that and they will come running... who you ask? Oh the townsfolk of Darien,…read moreWI. It was like the zoo, only with corn kernels scattered about everywhere you went. I personally, wasn't interested in any food due to the previous nights drinking fest. So officially, I have to say cornfest was a success for the small town it was held in. And I did see a lot of smiling faces as well as dirty ones but as for me, I just wished there was more places to sit and take naps at. And no, I didn't stay for the tractor pulling...

I arrived here on a Saturday afternoon to see Trace Adkins in concert. Neat facility, albeit and…read morelittle congested. Parking was free but you had to drive a mile into what appeared to be a former working field to be hand parked by several people who where obviously hot and tired of parking cars. Entry fee was $6, which is cheap, in my book. They had all the traditional 4-H animals, food vendors, rides and games. The people watching was well worth the price of admission! I adored the small venue for the concert. Grand standing/assigned seats is the way to go! Departing was a bit of a disaster because at 10p at night there was no one there to direct traffic. That was a mess! All and all, a fun place, just plan to go without any time restrictions on where/when you need to be some place else.

30th Annual Fall Diddley Craft Show was a HUGE HIT!…read more Always nicely done, well laid out and organized.. It is perhaps one of the cleanest & most inclusive outdoor craft shows I have ever met... My sister's and I happily attend this EVERY year and while it is waayy out in Belvidere...it is always worth the drive.. Its a festive way to introduce the upcoming holidays, yet another year... This event was held Oct 11th & 12th (held once every year in October).. We went opening day, Saturday and arrived around 2:00pm.... Hours held: 9-5 on Sat. & 9-4 Sun. YES, it was super crowded, but it was a gorgeous day to be outside...just perfect for walking around the outdoor tents where you will find OVER 300 VENDORS showcasing some of the most unique, hand crafted original designs....everything from pottery, jewelry, soaps, naturally scented lotions, quilts, Fall, Halloween & Christmas decorations not to mention your favorite sports team, children & baby items...to any and all things dog and cat related; treats, warmers...candles, essential oils and aromatherapy rocks..the list is endless...its a great way to pickup a "gift" or treat yourself....They can even personalize various arts.... There is an outstanding display of folk art, wood carving, dried florals, painted and appliqued clothing, fine art, small local artesian shops selling chocolates, infused vinegars, jams, sauces, etc...to local designers with hand made scarves, ponchos, sweaters....an array of beautiful wood work designs....Vendors come from all over Illinois including Chicago.... All the displays are nicely organized and "eye catchy"...there is PLENTY of room to walk in between vendors & ailes, so although it is a popular event - you will not be "mobbed" or trampled over...Everyone is so friendly here.... We have ALWAYS found something we couldn't live without (and at times really didn't need), because EVERTYHING is hand made or crafted - you simply cannot leave without finding something you will fall in love with....There are treasures to be found here.... Many of the vendors have business cards ready to hand out - so if you find a designer you absolutely love - many times you can order through their website or phone since they can sell out of items here rather quickly...however, they do "stock" up for this event... The Festival also has numerous outdoor stalls to grab a "bite" while you sit at the nearby picnic tables...They have Funnel Cake stands, Kettle Corn, Cream Puffs, Cheese Curds, Kebobs, Homemade pies and coffee cakes for sale..Burgers, Dogs...something for everyone's palette while satisfying hunger.....You will see SOME kids and strollers here too - fyi. After coming here for years, we have found you can pretty much check out NEARLY all vendors within 2 hrs (or less). There are many "repeat" vendor's here we noticed, so it gets quicker, the more familiar you are coming here... We never pass up the Roasted Nut stand - candied too - with a variety of Walnuts, Almonds, Cashews...Sooo good.... There is a $6.00 admission fee, however, ALL proceeds from shows benefit McHenry County agencies concerned with mental health services..SO, YOU ARE SUPPORTING A CAUSE! If you have missed it this year - MARK your calendar's for next year!! It's a great way to spend a day, support your communities and spend money from some very TALENTED artists....

This is one of the best public art fairs I've been to. Held the last weekend in June, 200 artists…read moreand crafters line the main street of spring green, making it easy to stroll the half-mile or so exhibits of very high quality art, crafts, photography and fabrics. Set up as it is in the middle of town, you still have access to other local businesses, bars, restaurants, and the best bookstore ever, and there is a common area as well with lots of seating and live music. It's easy to spend the better part of the day here between the art, the entertainment, and the food and drink options, like The Shack, Freddy Valentine's, and the Spring Green General Store. Fun people watching and doggie-watching, too!

LOVE this Arts & Crafts Fair!! No other like it. Have been attending the last full weekend in June…read moresince the late 70's. Keep it up....

The Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival is held on the fair grounds in Jefferson WI - just a half…read morehour from Madison. It is the BEST place to look for anything fiber because there are aisles and aisles of vendors with yarns, fibers, books, equipment, and supplies. Then there's the yummy food available, and the sheep and the herding dogs, and the classes, and the demonstrations and and and... GREAT PLACE TO SPEND THE DAY! It's this weekend Sep 7-8 & 9....

The best part of the Willy Street Fair is the people watching - pure old school Madison funky vibe…read more It was a lovely September afternoon that was perfect for a festival and it brought out the crowds. Many great food options (should have tried the apple pieces with caramel and bacon bits - next time!) and good music and street performers. Most of the other vendors were of little interest. I was surprised that it was only a few blocks long - I expected bigger. A fun time for sure.

Just a mere half a block from my house, Willy Street Fair is something I will look forward to for…read moreyears to come! Two days of sheer shenanigans. Expect costumes, great music, beer, delicious local food, amazing local artists, and an all around good time. This event is the epitome of what makes Willy Street unique!

This location was not enforcing COVID guidelines whatsoever. Staff, actors, and guests alike were…read morewalking around without masks, actors especially getting in guests faces and screaming at them. There was no spacing out of parties while in line, and no one enforcing guests to keep their masks on and wear them properly. There is also no sanitation between parties going on in the house and are many parts of the maze that you need to touch things to feel your way through, and you just know have been touched by hundreds of people before you. The only thing I can say positive that they were doing was spacing parties out adequately within the maze giving ample room for groups to walk through without bumping into the party ahead of them. The haunted house itself was also less than satisfactory. While in line "actors" would walk around the guests but some wouldn't even be in costume. There was one person just in some dark lipstick and a wig and a raincoat who kept screaming at the crowd to "dance" and I only know she was part of the haunt because she eventually popped out to scare us while walking through the house. We also saw one of the clown actors walking through the parking lot without their clown mask. The house gave me mixed feelings. Some scenes were very decorated and looked like they took lots of time to put together while other parts it looked like all the decor had been purchased from walmart. All in all, I was definitely more scared about catching COVID here than I was of the haunted house itself.

Had great time from the time we walked in! Everyone was super nice! And they stayed opened just for…read moreus to finish the haunted barn so we could get all 3 attractions in! The haunted hay ride was great! Lots of activity with the characters through out the whole ride. And it wasn't short. It was a good size Trip! The barn and haunted house were good too! Lots of characters through out the whole thing. My family had a blast. Decent prices free parking