Trees have been stripped of all semblance of the seasonal rush from spring budding to fall foliage and the march of colors through the spectrum. Even the oak trees have given up the chase, having shed their golden-brown leaves. It inspires a scene ripe for the holidays; a quiet place waiting for winter, where pine boughs and barren limbs form the decorations ready to receive the first snow.At our house, the Driftless Wisconsin landscape becomes part of the Christmas setting (as I write this a doe stands outside my window shopping for morsels in my wife’s dormant flower garden). In addition to our family Christmas tree, usually a Frasier, we hike across the drywash to find a spindly sapling to adorn our deck and hang our lighted greetings. Lights on the other houses in our secluded coulee shine like beacons that lead us into the heart of the valley.
Similar greetings await you throughout Driftless Wisconsin. Quaint shops, decked in festive ornaments, display holiday gifts ready to anchor your Christmas tree. VIVA Gallery in Viroqua offers some of the finest art in the region, tempting you to take home a piece of Driftless inspiration.
Viroqua is one of Wisconsin’s first “Main Street” Communities. A walk down Viroqua’s Main Street will tell you why it’s important to savor the cultural wellspring of our downtowns, where shopkeepers still greet you at the jingle of door bells. At the other end of Highway 27, Prairie du Chien stands as one of the newest Main Street Communities; its streets filled with traditional shops and new additions with a creative flair.
Small towns dot the Kickapoo Valley, offering comfy B&Bs, remote shopping treasures, and small-town hospitality. The Valley settles down into the season this time of year, offering visitors an intimate glimpse of rural life. On the Mississippi, the river shuts down to barge traffic while the vistas open up. A long look across Lake Winneshiek at Ferryville might find an eagle hovering over this wide expanse of the river searching for its next meal.
Driftless Wisconsin invites you to come and prepare for the Holidays in our welcoming communities. Bring your good cheer to share. And leave behind those hectic holiday schedules.