Wisconsin Towns and Places
Mazomanie
Mazomanie is a village in Dane County. The village boasts that it is “Wisconsin’s authentic trail and waterway hub for the East Central Driftless region. It hosts a network of trails and sits amid rolling hills and open spaces, a great place to be outside.
The village's name derives from a Winnebago word meaning “Iron Walker.” Thirty-four commercial buildings downtown have been named on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Village Fathers invite you to,
“Come to the Village of Mazomanie for the growing network of trails, the rolling hills and wide open spaces, the fishing or the paddling, or simply the freedom to be outside it all. Then stay to take in some of the quirkier finds in Mazo’s historic downtown.”
They say the lifestyle here is “unfettered … wholly entwined with being outside.”
NBC News called the village “One cool place” in 2008 and said,
“Nearby are the railroad tracks that spurred the founding of this village in 1855 and the flour mill and railroad depot built two years later.
“But inside many doors of the two-block strip are attractions that make Mazomanie a happening place for the 21st century: art galleries, the Wall Street Gallery & Bistro, a bike shop, and a resale shop. The mill is now a restaurant and the depot a library, although freight trains still pass through.”
The village is close to Madison, but it is not in Madison.
I stopped at The Old Feed Mill, a restaurant. The owner gave me a guided tour. What fun. It has been in business for 25 years as of 2021.
Its history dates back to 1857, “the year the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad Company arrived from Milwaukee.”
The owners have been bringing local farmers’ produce,
“From local, pasture-based cheeses blended into classic favorites to grains grown in the valleys of Taliesin, stone ground and baked in the hearth of the Mill.”
Oh yes, how do you say the village’s name? Try Mazo, Mazo-maniacs, MAY-zah-may-nee! Have fun!
