Now, come take in all cranberry country
has to offer with a self-guided driving
tour through our nearby cranberry
countryside, just north of Tomah in
Warrens, WI! The tour is 42 miles, so
you’ll need between 1-2 hours to see
all the sights, as well as, stop by the WI
Cranberry Discovery Center for any and
all things cranberry.
Keep in mind, while on the Cranberry
Driving Tour, you are passing by private
property... so, please do not trespass.
From Superior Ave/Hwy 12 travel
north to County Hwy O (about 6 miles
from downtown Tomah). Turn right
onto Hwy O and travel about 4 miles.
On your right, you will begin to pass by
Gebhardt cranberry marsh.
Continue driving about a mile to catch
another glimpse of Gebhart marsh
before heading into Warrens.
When you reach the stop sign, take a
right onto Main Street, here you will see
the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery
Center. The Discovery Center is
dedicated to preserving the heritage
of the cranberry industry. The Center
offers guided tours of the displays and
area marshes, an educational video,
a kitchen for testing many different
cranberry products, a library, a reference
center, and a unique gift shop! You can
stop at the Discovery Center now or at
the end of your tour!
Exhibits that can
be found at the WI
Cranberry
Discovery Center
20
To continue on the tour, travel across the
train tracks on main street and turn right
onto County Hwy EW (here you will see
more of the Gebhardt cranberry marsh).
You will travel about 2 miles down
EW before seeing more cranberry beds
on your left. These beds belong to the
Russell Rezin cranberry marsh (the
water on both sides of you, much like
other ponds and reservoirs in this area
are used to cultivate cranberries. The
water is dark in color because of the
amount of acid in it from tamarack
trees). After you pass the water, keep
your eyes peeled for more cranberry
beds lining both sides of the road.
A bit down Hwy EW you will come
upon Jim Potter’s cranberry marsh. On
the right, you will see a heron rookery
(nesting) area. Herons nest high in trees
near wetlands, so be sure to look up!
Continuing on, take a right on to Auger
Road. Here you will see the Wetherby
Cranberry Company. This marsh is
owned by the VanWychen family, who
produce their own cranberry wine and
also see fresh cranberries when they’re
in season. When leaving Auger Road
and the Wetherby cranberry marsh, take
a right back on the Hwy EW.
Now travel .2 miles down the road and
turn left onto Augusta Road. Here, you
will see close-up views of the Jack Potter
cranberry marsh (the Potters are the
oldest family of cranberry marsh owners
in the area)!
Return to Hwy EW by turning left off
of Augusta Road. Continue traveling
east for about 5 miles until you come
to County Highway EE. Here you
will turn left and travel about 1 mile,
continuing straight onto County
Highway HH. You will travel on Hwy
HH for 10 miles, passing 8 marshes!
In the first 3 miles you will pass three
marshes, so keep a cl