Depending on your mood and interests, there are many things to explore in the area:

• Experience pristine green corridors of wildlife and natural beauty. We're just four miles from the 47-mile-long Cheese Country Multiple-Use Recreation Trail and a short drive from one end of the Sugar River bicycle/hiking only Recreation Trail and the Badger State Trail.

• Our area is designated "Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA." Tour local cheese factories and sample a broad range of cheeses. We recommend stopping by Alp & Dell Cheese Shop in the Roth Kase Cheese Factory in Monroe; let cheesemaker Tony Zgraggen share his expertise and suggestions.

• If you enjoy delicious, creative meals, wonderfully prepared by an award-winning chef, then consider a visit to The Dining Room at 209 Main, in Monticello. Chef David "Wave" Kasprzak and his wife and host-server, Jane Sybers, know what a great meal is all about--and make sure you have one. Reservations should still be made by phone at (608) 938-2200. We should add, this is not a place for cheese curds. Hold onto your palatte for some culinary delights.

  For something on the lighter side, head over to Pancho & Lefties or Cafe Claudeens, both in Monroe, Wisconsin. Both serve up some of our Inn Serendipity Farm-grown fresh, seasonal vegetables. Cafe Claudeens serves up Fair Trade certified, organic coffees, too.

• Swim and hike at Cadiz Springs or Yellowstone Lake, state parks near by.

• Hunt for antiques at local farm auctions or in nearby small towns.

• Explore historic downtown Monroe, featuring Wisconsin's most charming European-style town square rimmed with an array of antique and craft shops.

• Step back into a by-gone era and go to the local Sky-Vu drive-in theater (one of our favorites).

• Depending on the time of year, you can pick apples, cut down your own Christmas tree or take home a bushel of fresh fruits and veggies from Inn Serendipity.

• We're a short drive away from New Glarus, a historic Swiss community that has preserved its cultural charm and cuisine. Explore gift shops filled with imported and handmade items, sample gourmet breads and desserts at a Swiss bakery, or tour the New Glarus Brewing Company.

Or come without a plan...and explore our surrounding communities:

• Green County
  Cheese and dairy products, Swiss heritage, and Native American roots intersect in Green County, on the outskirts of the driftless region (the parts that the glaciers missed) of southwestern Wisconsin. Polkas, cheese curds, bicycle trails and more cows than people, Green County is... green (except when the white stuff blankets everything). One of the favorite local past-times is farm auctions, where the frugal shopper can take in the rural way of life and maybe an antique the same day. Visit:

  Monroe Area Chamber of Commerce

  Or... Green County

• Lafayette County
  Amongst the rolling hills of the driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin rests the rich agrarian communities of Lafayette County, seeped in a mining history of a by-gone era, traces of which find their way into the names of the quaint towns running along the valleys, names like Mineral Point (now an artist community) and New Diggings. Visit Lafayette County.

• Iowa County
  Perhaps most known for being the home of the world-renowned "father of organic architecture", Frank Lloyd Wright, Iowa County also offers a diverse array of cultural attractions, including the most visited tourist attraction of Wisconsin, The House on the Rock--all just a little over an hour's drive from Inn Serendipity. Visit the Spring Green area of Iowa County

• Dane County
  The Midwest's largest farmers' market, the Dane County Farmers' Market, is but a relaxing one hour country drive away. Seat of the the State of Wisconsin's capital and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison is often considered the cultural and political hub of Wisconsin, not to mention one of the more diverse eating and shopping areas in the state.