Planning your trip to Southwest Wisconsin

A good place to begin a cheese tour of southwest Wisconsin is at the Green County Welcome Center in Monroe. The former train depot houses the National Historic Cheesemaking Center, (608) 325-4636, https://www.nationalhistoriccheesemakingcenter.org a small, interesting museum about the area’s dairy heritage. Green County’s tourism office, (888) 222-9111, https://www.greencounty.org, provides detailed information about various producers and their cheeses.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism, (800) 432-8747, https://travelwisconsin.com, has suggested itineraries for visitors; search “Great Wisconsin Cheese Trail” on its website.

Edelweiss Creamery, N890 Twin Grove Road, Monroe; (608) 938-4094, https://edelweisscreamery.com, welcomes visitors, but call ahead for hours.

Hook’s Cheese Co., 320 Commerce St., Mineral Point; (608) 987-3259, https://www.hookscheese.com. Tours and cheese for sale each Friday starting at 4 a.m. That’s when Tony and Julie Hook begin their workday.