Fawn-Doe-Rosa opened in 1963 and is a family owned business. There is a gift shop that makes a good air conditioned stop after visiting the animals. Try out the player piano for fun! Farm animals enjoy the food available when you check in and at various vending machines around the grounds, and seem quite happy to have the children pet them. Wild animals have pens separated from the tourist traffic so they can be seen from a distance. Click here for their website.
The kids can't understand the "Rosa" in the name, but those of us who had TVs when they first came out remember Ponderosa, which must have been the inspiration for the name.
Ride a stern wheeler through the Dalles of the St. Croix River and hear stories of the area. Watch for eagles and hawks and lots of other wildlife. You can even watch hikers in the Interstate Park along the river. Click here for their website.
We took this day trip from Rainbow's End Resort and enjoyed it so much we decided to make a special page for it. A visit to the Interstate Park system, part in Minnesota and part in Wisconsin, all along the Dalles region of the St. Croix River, could easily be a day trip in itself, with hiking, rock climbing, and canoeing available for the energetic and adventurous.
If you like to sit and watch the scenery, take pictures, and maybe have a bite to eat, the Taylor Falls boat tour is an excellent choice. We learned the legend of the origin of Blast Island, saw famous faces in the rocky shoreline, and took pictures of the rock formation that gave the St. Croix River its name. Our ten-year old granddaughter liked watching the paddlewheels and sitting on the lower deck identifying birds and other wildlife along the way. We passed many canoes rented in the Interstate Park, Minnesota side, and even some fishermen who waded across the river just in front of us. The riverboat sits just 17 inches deep in the water!
We caught the 11:30 AM boat ride with hot dogs from the stand where we got the boat tickets. Then we drove over to the Taylor Falls downtown free municipal parking, had some ice cream (there are restaurants and stores we didn't have time for on our trip), and visited The She Shop (across from the parking lot), which I don't think has a web site, but has gifts and accessories of all kinds.
Then it was a short drive back up the hill on the Wisconsin side to Fawn-Doe-Rosa where our granddaughter loved feeding the deer and farm animals. We really enjoyed the spacious park-like setting and the displays around the animal sheds that were reminiscent of my uncle's farm in his later years. Our granddaughter liked the chickens running loose and the animals in the many fenced yards that she could feed, pet, and admire. From plain and fancy chickens to geese, donkeys, and even llamas, the petting zoo was fun. Animals to see from a distance included black bears, a wolf, a badger, and many others. We found that the goats were just as happy to eat the paper bags that the animal feed came in as the food itself! One donkey tried to eat the watch off grandma's wrist. See their web site for a coupon for your visit.
From Rainbow's End Resort, take County SS or Highway 53 to US Highway 8. Go west on 8 to St. Croix Falls. You'll find Fawn-Doe-Rosa on the east side of town, before the hill down to the river.
Go down a long, steep hill, still on Highway 8 and you'll cross the bridge into Minnesota. Downtown Taylor Falls is a right turn at the light. The Minnesota side of Interstate Park and the river boat tour is a left at the light. Staying on 8 leads up the hill on the Minnesota side and immediately out of town.
Have fun on your outing from Base Camp Chetek at Rainbow's End Resort!
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