Contact: Kara O'Keeffe
608-261-9596
[email protected]

5.14.2018

Go Site Seeing this Summer at Villa Louis!

Prairie du Chien, Wis. – Make history come alive this summer as you experience NEW programs, events, and activities at Villa Louis Historic Site. 

“This season, Villa Louis is thrilled to be offering a series of three new specialty tours,” says Susan Caya-Slusser, site director for the Southwest Historic Sites. “Whether you have never been to Villa Louis or you’ve been here many times, these tours will give both new and returning visitors a chance to build beyond the everyday tour experience.”

The series of three new specialty tours kicks off with the kid-friendly Villa Louis Time Travel Club, a program tailor-made to give third-to sixth-graders an up-close experience with the mansion’s objects and stories.  The tours then expand outdoors to the new Riverfront History Walk that includes a short guided stroll along the Mississippi River that highlights the many historic landmarks surrounding Villa Louis.  The final tour offers art lovers an in-depth look at the mansion’s extensive collection of fine and decorative art at the Villa Louis Art Behind the Scenes tour.

Offering a variety of events this summer and fall, some of the highlighted programs include:

• War of 1812 – Battle of Prairie du Chien (July 21-22): Visit a historic encampment and battle re-enactment on Wisconsin’s only War of 1812 battlefield, now the west lawn of the Villa Louis Estate.
• Villa Louis Carriage Classic (Sept. 7-9): Come see the Midwest’s most elegant and lavishly-appointed equine sport driving event!
• Breakfast in a Victorian Kitchen (Various dates in the fall): This hands-on cooking workshop for adults takes participants on a culinary tour of the late 19^th century through the preparation and consumption of a Victorian breakfast.
• Servants Supper (Nov. 3): Take part in a late-afternoon, a hands-on cooking workshop for adults that takes place in the mansion kitchen and preserve house. 

For a full list of events and dates visit www.villalouis.org.   

Plus, this summer join the Wisconsin Historical Society's celebration of flavors that connect us to our diverse heritage in the most delicious way. With exhibitions, demonstrations, tours, and tastes around the state, The Flavor of Wisconsin brings to life the history and living traditions that make us who we are. See all our flavorful events here.

About Villa Louis

The historic Villa Louis mansion is the centerpiece of a grand Victorian estate built by the family of Hercules Dousman, a frontier entrepreneur who amassed a fortune in the fur trade and other frontier investments. The mansion has just undergone a top-to-bottom documentary restoration that has returned the Dousman home to the splendor of its 1890s heyday, using British Arts and Crafts interior designs inspired by famed designer William Morris.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.

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