The History of the Hill & Valley Exploration Tour: A Celebration of Rural Living

It all started in May of 2017 when Bob Tobey, a local plumber and farmer, stopped into the Branding Iron Roadhouse Farm-to-Fork Eatery for lunch. Bob Tobey chatted with Lisa Buttonow, Owner of the Branding Iron, about the new trend of rural tours that seemed to be happening and he asked Lisa the fateful question “Do you think we can do a rural tour?”

Lisa recalls looking at him and wondering the same thing. “Can we do a rural tour?” Lisa then called her neighbors – Dorothy & Don Harms, Valley Springs B&B, Patty Koenig, Carr Valley Cheese, Vicky & Dean Baumgarten, Narrows Creek Winery, Mel & Sandy Smith, Narrows Creek Gardens, David Wells, Director, Ernest Hupeden’s Painted Forest… And, just like that, there was a Hill & Valley Exploration Tour with 13 Venues.

That first year, 2017, with a budget of $2600 and lots of dedicated volunteer support, the Hill & Valley Exploration Tour made its debut. The year, 2025, is the 9th Annual Hill & Valley Exploration Tour: A celebration of rural living and we have grown to 21 venues to visit. Of the original 13, six remain as our anchors. Our budget is still small and we rely on volunteer support more than ever, but the Hill & Valley Exploration Tour is here for you! Come see where your food lives and the rolling hills of the driftless area in Wisconsin.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Our Anchors:

Branding Iron Roadhouse Farm-to-Fork Eatery, Village of Lime Ridge
Carr Valley Cheese, Town of Ironton, La Valle
Ernest Hupeden’s Painted Forest, Village of Valton
Narrows Creek Gardens, Town of Washington, La Valle
Narrows Creek Winery, Loganville
Valley Springs Farm & B&B, Town of Ironton, Reedsburg