Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

The Village of Cottage Grove, population: 6400, was named by an early settler, W. C. Wells, who lived in a small cottage he’d built a few miles from the railroad station. Cottage Grove offers a quiet small-town feel, but is located just minutes from the east side of the much larger Madison, Wisconsin.

The Glacial Drumlin Trail begins (or ends, depending on your perspective) in Cottage Grove, and there is a welcoming trailhead with picnic tables, other facilities, and ample parking here. Several merchants are conveniently located just off the recreation trail, but there are many more just a mile to the north.