Historic Wade House Announces Series of Events from February through May

Sleigh Rides, Timeless Tales Speaker Series, Immersive Hearthside Dinners Highlight

Seasonal Calendar

GREENBUSH, Wis. – The historic Wade House and Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum in Greenbush will host a series of unique events that bring history to life. Guests can enjoy an authentic sleigh ride, listen to celebrated authors and historians discuss their books and research, prepare a historically inspired hearthside meal or snowshoe through the picturesque Kettle Moraine landscape. These intriguing events, available on select dates from February to May, offer guests a chance to step back in time.

Over the River and Through the Woods: Saturday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For one exclusive day, guests will have the thrill of dashing through the snow on one of the Wade House’s two horse-drawn sleighs. Accommodating between seven and 18 guests, these historic sleighs, the primary mode of transportation for snow days in the mid-1800s, were essential for 19th-century travel. The sleighs will leave the Wade House Visitor Center every 30 minutes from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Guests, covered by cozy blankets, will glide through wooded trails, while jingling bells add to the nostalgic atmosphere. In case of no snow, Wade House will offer horse-drawn wagon rides. Tickets: $15 (adults 18-64), $15 (teens 13-17), $13 (seniors 65 plus), $8 (child 5-12) and $5 for children under five. All tickets include admission to the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum. Reservations are highly recommended. Go to wadehouse.org for further information or call 608-264-4848. Click here to register.

Wade House’s Timeless Tales Speaker Series: Feb. 1, Apr. 5, May 4

This three-part series features noted Wisconsin authors and historians who will discuss their recent books or research in the Wade House Visitor Center. There will be a Q&A, an opportunity to purchase a book signed by the author and often following the talk a beverage or food tasting at the Wade House Stagecoach Inn. The cost is $8 for adults and teens, $6 for seniors (65 plus) and $6 for children (5-12). Reservations are highly recommended. Go to wadehouse.org for further information or call 608-264-4848. Click here to register.

Saturday, Feb. 1, 1 to 2 p.m. – Sissel Schroeder, presents From Wood to Woodcraft: Dugout Canoes of Wisconsin. Wisconsin First Peoples were no strangers to utilizing their environment in innovative ways—a notion the Wisconsin Dugout Canoe Survey Project remains committed to highlighting through the preservation of artifacts and the documentation of Indigenous cultural traditions still practiced today. Join Sissel Schroeder, professor of archaeology in the Anthropology Department at UW-Madison, as she explores the history of Indigenous watercraft— including the discovery of a well-preserved dugout canoe found in Lake Geneva in 1929—and the intersectional nature of transportation, social power and relationships within Wisconsin First Peoples communities. Schroeder is also a contributor to the larger Wisconsin Dugout Canoe Survey Project, which highlights the persistence of cultural traditions and technological ingenuity among indigenous groups through time.  

Saturday, Apr. 5, 1 to 3 p.m. – Jim Draeger, author of Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars & Breweries. Learn about the innovative architecture and rich history of more than 70 Wisconsin breweries and bars with State Historic Preservation Officer Jim Draeger, co-author of Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars & Breweries. Draeger will discuss the rise of brewing culture, the impact of Prohibition, and, later, the development of both mega- and micro-breweries that continue to shape our cultural landscape today. Sharing stories and photographs, he will paint a picture of the place bars and taverns hold in our social and cultural history, and how they serve us—both figuratively and literally—today.  After the discussion, there will be a book signing—and an opportunity to visit the historic taproom of the 1850 Wade House Stagecoach Inn to sample local craft beer.  

 Sunday, May 4, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Jane Conway and Randi Julia, author of Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! Recipes and Culinary Curiosities from Historic Wisconsin Newspapers. When did oysters and coconuts become part of Wisconsin cuisine? Did the Badger State really once lead the nation in commercial pea canning? And how did bakers learn to gauge the temperature of pre-modern wood-burning stoves? Historians Jane Conway and Randi Julia answer all of these questions and more following the publication of their Wisco-themed culinary cookbook, revealing exactly how quirky food fashions and regional traditions made their way to 1800s Wisconsin. By exploring the importance of food to Wisconsinites and highlighting historic recipes in Badger State newspapers, Conway and Ramsden offer a new look at the meals and gastronomy traditions we hold most dear—and their humble, if often strange, origins. 

After the discussion, there will be a book signing—and an opportunity to visit the historic dining room of the 1850 Wade House Stagecoach Inn to sample breakfast party recipes highlighted in Extra! Extra! Eat All About It! 

 Hearthside Dinners:

 Saturday, Mar.8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Yankee Menu

Saturday, Apr.12, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Yankee Menu

Saturday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – German Menu

Saturday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – German Menu

The popular Hearthside Dinner series continues inside the Wade House Stagecoach Inn. Participants gather in the historic kitchen, warmed by a roaring fire, and cook delicious and authentic 1800s-style meals over the wood-burning stove just as Wade House matriarch Betsey Wade did more than 150 years ago. Once the food is prepared, guests gather around the communal table, in the 1850s dining room, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Each dinner features a themed menu inspired by the 19^th century period when the Wade’s owned and operated the popular stagecoach inn. Winter and spring menu themes include Wisconsin Winter featuring items like wild rice soup and pork ragout, the Yankee menu features corn chowder, Yankee pot roast with vegetables and Muster Day gingerbread. The cost is $89 per person and guests must be 13 or older to attend. Advance registration is required by the Thursday before the event. Go to wadehouse.org for further information or call 608-264-4848. Click here to register.

Wade House Historic Site, including the Wade House Stagecoach Inn and Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, is located in Greenbush, Wisconsin, between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan. From Nov. 8 to May 16, guests can visit the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the winter months, snowshoes are available and free for use with admission to Wade House.  On the first Saturday of each month, residents from Sheboygan and Fond du Lac counties will receive half-price admission. General admission is $8 for adults and teens, $6 for seniors (65 plus), $4 for children 5-12 and free for children under five. Spring, summer and fall hours and pricing take effect May 24 – Nov. 2. All Wisconsin Historical Society members receive a 10 percent discount on special events

Click here to access Wade House event photos.

About Wade House

Wade House is one of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 12 historic sites and museums. Located in Greenbush, the site includes an1850s stagecoach inn that was built to serve traffic along a plank road connecting Fond du Lac and Sheboygan. The site tells the story of frontier entrepreneur Sylvanus Wade and his family during the 1850s and 1860s. In addition to the inn, the historic site includes the Dockstader blacksmith shop and Herrling sawmill, one of the few working, water-powered sawmills of its kind in the nation. Wade House is also home to the Wesley W. Jung Carriage Museum, which houses the state's largest collection of antique carriages and working wagons. For more information and a list of upcoming events call (920) 526-3271 or visit wadehouse.org. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive free admission to this site during regular operating hours.