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Cedarburg, Wis.
German and Irish immigrants who first settled in Cedarburg during the 1840s built five dams and mills to take advantage of the fast-running creek that cuts through the cedar trees and stone-strewn fields 20 miles north of Milwaukee. The refurbished mills, saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970s, attracted artists and crafters.
At Cedar Creek Settlement, a former 1864 woolen mill, shoppers can marvel at hand-sewn quilts, buy a 1920s beaded purse and watch a blacksmith fashion hooks and hasps.
Cedarburg's six-block downtown follows Washington Avenue, anchored by Cedar Creek Settlement on the north and the soaring white spire of St. Francis Borgia church on the south. In between, landmark brick and stone shops with tin ceilings and creaking floorboards display one-of-a-kind wares.
Whimsical folk-art Santas and snowmen perch on shelves at John Red's Ltd. At Down to Earth, vintage watering cans and stacks of terra-cotta pots vie for space with gardening books and weather vanes. Tour the Silver Creek Brewery located in a five-story gristmill beside Cedar Creek, and taste the award-winning wines at the Cedar Creek Winery in the Cedar Creek Settlement.
Linger along Washington Avenue at twilight. Twinkling white lights that outline rooftops and shop fronts will make you think you've stepped into an old-fashioned Christmas card scene.
Reviewed April 2004.
