About America’s Little Switzerland

New Glarus is located in the heart of Green County in southern Wisconsin. Its rolling hills dotted with small towns, farms, and woodland pastures are much like the alpine farmlands of Glarus, Switzerland. When you arrive at the village entrance, you will quickly understand its popularity as a destination. New Glarus is America's Little Switzerland.

For over 175 years, the beautiful little community of New Glarus, Wisconsin, has been a magnet for Swiss settlers. New Glarus was originally settled by a hardy band of 108 Swiss pioneers in 1845 who left the Canton of Glarus in Switzerland during an economic crisis. Since then, succeeding generations and a steady stream of new Swiss immigrants have kept alive the community's Swiss-German language, folk traditions, and music. This remarkable mix of old and new Swiss in New Glarus—plus an enduring dedication to preserving ties with the homeland—has made this little town a unique place to live, work, and visit.

Every year, thousands of visitors, including hundreds of Swiss tourists, are drawn to New Glarus to enjoy the atmosphere that thrives here and nowhere else outside of Switzerland. With small town friendliness and enthusiasm, New Glarus is proud to share its Swiss heritage, its chalet-style architecture, its two fine museums, its famous ethnic festivals, and a wealth of specialty shops and restaurants serving savory Swiss food.

New Glarus is also the starting point for the 23-mile Sugar River Bike Trail, and New Glarus Woods State Park is less than a mile from the edge of the village. So whether your tastes run to shopping all day, polka-ing all night, hiking, biking, golfing, or paying a visit to lovingly maintained local museums, you'll find plenty to do in New Glarus.