Venues
Baraboo - Mineral Point - Platteville - Richland Center - Spring Green - Viroqua
Baraboo
Al Ringling Theatre
136 Fourth Avenue, Baraboo, WI 53913
City: www.downtownbaraboo.com
In Baraboo you can browse in unique shops, visit the historic downtown square, explore some of the most scenic natural areas in Wisconsin, ride the rails on vintage locomotives, see a circus and learn its history, marvel at some of the world’s most beautiful birds, try your luck at the state’s largest casino, and so much more.
Venue: www.alringling.com
The Al Ringling Theatre is a treasure of rare quality. Magnificent and richly designed in the style of grand French opera houses, the theatre is a masterpiece of European-style architecture. Fine plasterwork, tasseled draperies, intricate ceiling frescos and decorative lighting create an atmosphere steeped in artistic pleasures both exuberant and serene.
Mineral Point
Mineral Point Opera House
139 High Street, Mineral Point, WI 53563
City: mineralpoint.com
The town of Mineral Point is a tapestry of nineteenth century stone cottages that have withstood the test of time. Downtown Mineral Point is home to renowned artists’ studios and galleries, specialty shops and delightful lodging and dining establishments.
Venue: www.mpoh.org
The opera house was built in 1915 and recently underwent renovation, reopening this year. It is now a modern facility that seems straight out of a story book with glorious plasterwork, red velvet curtains, and beautiful wooden seating.
Platteville
Avalon Theater
95 East Main Street Platteville, WI 53818
City: www.platteville.com
Platteville was recently named the “Gateway Center to Southwest Wisconsin” and is conveniently located near Dubuque, Iowa, Galena, Illinois, and Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin – Platteville is home to 7,800 students a year making it the university hub for the Driftless Film Festival. The town of Platteville itself is home to over 10,000 people and the largest city in the region. With a historic main street, affordable restaurants, and a variety of shopping options Platteville has much to offer visitors.
Richland Center
Richland Center City Auditorium
182 North Central Avenue, Richland Center, WI 53581
City: http://www.richlandchamber.com/
At the time Richland Center was platted in 1851, one of its founders, Ira Haseltine, described it as “a beautiful prairie with scattering shade trees, and the whole surrounded by noble groves of thrifty timber.” Situated along the lower Wisconsin Riverway, the town boats the Scenic Highway, 267 miles of trout streams, 136 miles of snowmobile trails, bike trails, many parks and public lands. The scenery here is one of the biggest draws to the community. The historical development of Richland Center as an agricultural support community and retail trade center is reflected in its fine architectural heritage. Buildings dating from as early as the mid-1850’s and 1860’s still remain in the city. The greatest wealth and diversity shown in the city’s architecture dates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when Richland Center experienced rapid growth and prosperity.
Venue: http://rebuildthedream.org/
The Richland City Center Auditorium, built in 1912, is in the midst of a capital campaign by the Richland Center Performing Arts Council to restore the Auditorium and create a performing arts center for the community. The 800-seat RCCA was the state’s first municipal auditorium.
Spring Green
The Gard Theater
111 E. Jefferson Street Spring Green, WI 53588
Taliesin
5607 County Road C,
Spring Green, WI 53588
Venue: www.taliesinpreservation.org
City: www.springgreen.com
Spring Green was founded in 1857 by Welsh, English, Norwegian and German immigrants whose main industries were dairy and produce farms, lumbering and cheese production. Today, agriculture remains integral to the area economy and its residents.
Another tradition has grown on this land as well. The landscape and the people who have settled here have nurtured a dynamic and spirited arts scene. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, American Players Theatre and The House on the Rock collectively attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Their experience is heightened by a host of artists, musicians and craftspeople who live and work in the River Valley.
Viroqua
The Temple Theatre
200 S. Main, Viroqua, WI 54665
City: http://viroqua-wisconsin.com/
Viroqua, Wisconsin is one of the most beautiful and unique small cities in Wisconsin, if not in the entire nation. Listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places, Viroqua’s downtown district is home to dozens of specialty shops. Viroqua is also the center of one of the greatest organic farming regions of the United States. Each Saturday in June through October, farmers and artisans from across the countryside come into our historic district to sell their fruits, vegetables, art and other items at the farmers market. Viroqua also boasts a thriving and eclectic arts community, excellent dining options, and an excellent food co-op.
Venue: http://www.temple-theatre.com/
The historic Temple Theatre occupies the center section of a 1922 classical revival style building in the center of Viroqua, Wisconsin’s Main Street.. Four separate entities hold ownership in sections of the building. Flanking the theatre are two store-fronts, while the Masonic Temple occupies the front section of the second story. Restoring the theatre to serve as a cultural and civic center for our surrounding rural communities has been the dream and drive of the volunteer organization ARTT, Associates of the Restored Temple Theatre. Through ARTT’s efforts, in 2000 the building was placed on both the United States and the Wisconsin Registers of Historic Places.
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