Blue River WisconsinATTRACTIONS & THINGS TO DO
Listed below are the best attractions and things to do near Blue River, Wisconsin.
1. Eagle Cave
WISCONSIN'S LARGEST ONYX CAVE
Eagle Cave in Blue River is Wisconsin's largest onyx cave, offering visitors a unique chance to explore over 3,000 feet of mapped underground passages. Visitors can discover stunning formations of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and other calcite formations at their own pace. The cave welcomes people of all ages and skill levels, making it a popular destination for families, scout troops, and school field trips seeking hands-on experience with nature and science.
2. 1866 School Museum
HISTORIC ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE
The 1866 School Museum is a carefully refurbished one-room schoolhouse that preserves Blue River's educational heritage. Visitors can step back in time to experience what education was like in rural Wisconsin during the 19th century. The museum is open during the Autumn-Fest Weekend each August and by special appointment throughout the year.
3. Blue River United Methodist Church
CENTURY-OLD SACRED SPACE
The Blue River United Methodist Church stands as a spiritual landmark with over 100 years of history in the community. Visitors can admire the church's beautiful stained glass windows that showcase remarkable craftsmanship and religious artistry. This historic place of worship continues to serve as an important gathering place for the local community.
4. Blue River Park
COMMUNITY RECREATION CENTER
Blue River Park serves as the heart of community recreation in this charming village. During summer evenings, the park comes alive with baseball games while children enjoy the new playground equipment nearby. The park becomes the central venue for the village's popular Autumn-Fest Weekend celebration held annually during the third weekend of August.
5. Wisconsin River Access
SCENIC WATERWAY ADVENTURES
The Wisconsin River access points near Blue River provide gateways to one of the state's most important waterways just minutes from town. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and wildlife viewing along this scenic river corridor. The river offers a peaceful retreat with its natural beauty and recreational opportunities throughout the warmer months.
6. Taliesin
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT ESTATE
Taliesin in Spring Green was the summer home and architectural laboratory of renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The sprawling 800-acre estate features Wright's personal residence, studio, gallery, theater, farm buildings, and school buildings that showcase his organic architecture principles. Visitors can tour this National Historic Landmark to experience Wright's genius through his integration of buildings with the surrounding landscape of the beautiful Wisconsin River valley.
7. Cave of the Mounds
NATIONAL NATURAL LANDMARK
Cave of the Mounds in Blue Mounds is a spectacular underground limestone cave discovered in 1939 and designated as a National Natural Landmark. Visitors can marvel at colorful crystal formations, stalactites, stalagmites, and other geological wonders during guided tours of this constant 50°F underground environment. The attraction offers special events throughout the year, including Fossil Tours, Dino Week, Blacklight Tours, and Historic Lantern Tours as mentioned in 2025 programming.
8. Blue Mound State Park
HIGHEST POINT IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN
Blue Mound State Park sits atop the highest point in southern Wisconsin, offering spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding Driftless Area landscape. The park features over 20 miles of hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing trails that wind through hardwood forests and native prairie. Visitors can also enjoy the park's swimming pool during summer months and access to the Military Ridge State Trail for extended outdoor adventures.
9. Governor Dodge State Park
OUTDOOR RECREATION PARADISE
Governor Dodge State Park encompasses over 5,000 acres of steep hills, deep valleys, and two scenic lakes in Wisconsin's Driftless Area. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy swimming, fishing, boating, camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing across the park's diverse terrain. The park features dramatic waterfalls, sandstone bluffs, and lush forests that showcase the natural beauty of this unglaciated region of Wisconsin.
10. The House on the Rock
ECLECTIC ARCHITECTURAL WONDER
The House on the Rock in Spring Green is an extraordinary attraction built atop a chimney of rock featuring bizarre, eclectic, and elaborate rooms filled with automated music machines and collections. Visitors can explore the Infinity Room, which extends 218 feet unsupported and offers spectacular views of the Wyoming Valley below. This unusual tourist destination houses some of the world's largest collections of automatic musical instruments, model ships, dolls, and whimsical mechanical displays that must be seen to be believed.
11. Tower Hill State Park
HISTORIC SHOT TOWER SITE
Tower Hill State Park preserves a reconstructed shot tower where lead was once melted and dropped through a tower to form perfectly round ammunition in the 1800s. Visitors can explore this unique historical site, climbing the wooden tower and descending into the cavern where molten lead was cooled in a water basin. The park offers beautiful hiking trails with panoramic views of the Wisconsin River and surrounding bluffs that are especially spectacular during fall foliage season.
12. Wyalusing State Park
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BLUFF VIEWS
Wyalusing State Park sits majestically atop a 500-foot bluff where the Wisconsin River meets the Mississippi River, offering some of the most spectacular views in the Midwest. Visitors can explore Native American burial mounds, limestone caves, scenic hiking trails, and canoe routes through backwater sloughs rich with wildlife. The park's campgrounds, picnic areas, and nature programs provide multiple ways to experience this ecologically diverse area where hardwood forests meet river ecosystems.
13. American Players Theatre
CLASSICAL THEATER UNDER STARS
American Players Theatre in Spring Green is a world-class outdoor classical theater nestled in 110 acres of woods and meadows. Performances take place in a stunning 1,089-seat outdoor amphitheater and a more intimate 201-seat indoor theater, showcasing Shakespeare and other classic works. The theater's season typically runs June through October, allowing visitors to experience professional theater productions in a magical natural setting under the stars.
14. Muscoda Morel Mushroom Festival
UNIQUE CULINARY CELEBRATION
The Muscoda Morel Mushroom Festival celebrates the prized wild morel mushrooms that grow abundantly in the area's woodlands each spring. Visitors can enjoy mushroom hunting contests, a craft fair, parade, live music, and various morel-themed culinary delights during this unique annual May event. Muscoda proudly claims the title of 'Morel Capital of Wisconsin' and welcomes mushroom enthusiasts from across the country to this distinctive food festival that highlights local culture and natural bounty.
15. Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
PRISTINE RECREATIONAL WATERWAY
The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway preserves nearly 100 miles of free-flowing river from Prairie du Sac to the Mississippi River, passing near Blue River. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy canoeing, kayaking, fishing, camping on sandbars, bird watching, and hiking through this pristine natural corridor. The riverway protects over 95,000 acres of unique habitat that supports diverse wildlife and offers spectacular natural scenery throughout all four seasons.