Events » Field Trip to Norskedalen
Field Trip to Norskedalen
July 18th, 2026
Lucy Ghastin email leghastin@gmail.com or call 608-225-1412
Additional Information:
Join us Idun Lodge for our second annual Dairyland Day Trip to Vernon County in the driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin.
We’ll leave Madison at 8:00am
Cost : free for current Idun Lodge members.
The price for other SofN lodge members is $30.00.
The trip is open to the public at $45.00.
Make checks payable to Idun Lodge
and mail to Lucy Ghastin, 7130 Century Ave, Middleton 53562.
If only Idun members are in your party, call Lucy at 608-225-1412 or email leghastin@gmail.com.
The deadline for reservations is noon on Monday, July 6.
We’ll leave Madison at 8:00am
Cost : free for current Idun Lodge members.
The price for other SofN lodge members is $30.00.
The trip is open to the public at $45.00.
Make checks payable to Idun Lodge
and mail to Lucy Ghastin, 7130 Century Ave, Middleton 53562.
If only Idun members are in your party, call Lucy at 608-225-1412 or email leghastin@gmail.com.
The deadline for reservations is noon on Monday, July 6.
Details:
The second annual Dairyland Day Trip, this time to Vernon County in the driftless area of southwestern Wisconsin. .
We’ll leave Madison at 8:00am in a bus to visit the Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center located outside of Coon Valley (southeast of La Crosse), the Thoreson House in Westby, and the Coon Prairie Country Church.
Norskedalen - which translates to “the Norwegian Valley” - began in 1977 as an outdoor laboratory and arboretum when Dr. Alf Gundersen and his wife Carroll donated the 112-acre Gundersen farm to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation. They established an arboretum in memory of Alf’s mother, Helga Isaksaetre Gundersen. Since then, Norskedalen has grown to include over 443 acres on two different sites. Uniquely positioned as both a nature center and a museum, Norskedalen welcomes you to come and explore!
Upon our arrival at Norskedalen, we will enjoy a continental style breakfast before starting our tour.
The tour includes a movie in the visitor center as well as the museum exhibit “Nordic Roots, Wisconsin Soil.”
From there, we will walk to the Bekkum Homestead to learn more about the lives of Norwegian immigrants who settled here.
Shuttles will be available for those who need them.
We will return to the visitor center for a catered meal from Borgen’s Cafe in Westby. The menu includes meatballs, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, dinner rolls, and a light dessert. After lunch we’ll have some free time to enjoy the grounds and hiking trails.
We’ll then board the bus to head to the Thoreson House in Westby for a private tour. Theodore Thoreson (1852-1917) was a prominent lumber businessman whose parents had emigrated from Tolga, Hedmark, Norway, shortly before he was born. His son, Bennett, served as Westby's first mayor from 1920-25. The 1892 Victorian house is now home to the Westby Area Historical Society.
We’ll leave Madison at 8:00am in a bus to visit the Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center located outside of Coon Valley (southeast of La Crosse), the Thoreson House in Westby, and the Coon Prairie Country Church.
Norskedalen - which translates to “the Norwegian Valley” - began in 1977 as an outdoor laboratory and arboretum when Dr. Alf Gundersen and his wife Carroll donated the 112-acre Gundersen farm to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Foundation. They established an arboretum in memory of Alf’s mother, Helga Isaksaetre Gundersen. Since then, Norskedalen has grown to include over 443 acres on two different sites. Uniquely positioned as both a nature center and a museum, Norskedalen welcomes you to come and explore!
Upon our arrival at Norskedalen, we will enjoy a continental style breakfast before starting our tour.
The tour includes a movie in the visitor center as well as the museum exhibit “Nordic Roots, Wisconsin Soil.”
From there, we will walk to the Bekkum Homestead to learn more about the lives of Norwegian immigrants who settled here.
Shuttles will be available for those who need them.
We will return to the visitor center for a catered meal from Borgen’s Cafe in Westby. The menu includes meatballs, mashed potatoes, vegetables, salad, dinner rolls, and a light dessert. After lunch we’ll have some free time to enjoy the grounds and hiking trails.
We’ll then board the bus to head to the Thoreson House in Westby for a private tour. Theodore Thoreson (1852-1917) was a prominent lumber businessman whose parents had emigrated from Tolga, Hedmark, Norway, shortly before he was born. His son, Bennett, served as Westby's first mayor from 1920-25. The 1892 Victorian house is now home to the Westby Area Historical Society.
