Carr Valley Cheese- La Valle, Wisconsin

We wanted to visit a nice, rural cheese place while we were in Wisconsin.  We found Carr Valley Cheese just 30 minutes outside of the Wisconsin Dells area.

First off, we got up early and drove to their factory from the Dells.  The drive alone justified the trip.  Beautiful!

Once there, we weren't exactly sure of what to expect.  We didn't know if we would be seeing cheese making and packaging going on in a huge warehouse or what.

The shop/visitor center is not huge, but they sure do a lot with the space.  On display and for sale were many Wisconsin novelties, along with a huge selection of Carr Valley Cheese!

A VERY friendly lady working there greeted us and told us a bit about the company.  She then let us watch a short film about Carr Valley Cheese and how they make their products.

After the video, she directed us to look out the glass door windows from the shop in to the area where the cheese is actually made.

From the gift shop, you could observe the various steps in the cheese making process.

Even though the area was small, there was a lot to see!  I kind of liked the fact that we didn't physically go in to the area where the cheese was made because the employees looked busy!  AND, from our angle, we could take in a lot without moving around.  With our friendly hostess explaining so much to us, we easily enjoyed this just as much as any hands on tour.

Oh, and the company was generous with samples!  You could try cheese made there THAT DAY!  I thought that was cool!  5 and 10 year old cheese were there too, along with some other more exotic choices!

Of course we had to buy various cheeses on our way out.  I bought a bag of cheese that was less than a day old to snack on in the car.  We bought some goat cheese for my dad, and some other cheese for other friends.

http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/