The village of Rio, just 20 miles north from the state capital of Madison, developed as a supply center for the rich bean fields that thrived in central Wisconsin in the 1800s. Today, it provides access to the rich experiences awaiting in Wisconsin lakeside communities. Nearby lakes include Fox Lake, Lake Wisconsin, Mud Lake and Grassy Lake, all of which welcome boaters and anglers.
Planning a visit? Stay at Silver Springs Campsites.
Rio puts on its finest dress during the Summer Garden tour, which visits private displays, the village library and old train depot. The Barn Quilt Tour takes in all of Columbia County to seek out 8×8-foot quilt squares painted on plywood and mounted on the side of farm structures. Everyone comes out for the street dances on the third Saturday in August.
Neighboring Pardeeville is home to a bustling Amish community with bakeries, a cheese factory and furniture shop. Every Thursday in summer is the Band & Ice Cream Social, which is just a warm-up for the Pardeeville Watermelon Festival in Chandler Park on the first Saturday after Labor Day. Get in training for the U.S. Watermelon Speed-Eating and Seed-Spitting Championships—maybe you can be the one to break the expectoration record of 61 feet, three inches that has stood since 1988.
