Mount Horeb, Wisconsin has crowned itself the Troll Capital of the World, and it backs up the claim with dozens of hand-carved wooden trolls stationed along its downtown Main Street, known locally as the Trollway. You can walk the whole stretch in under two hours, snapping photos with mischievous, chainsaw-carved characters the entire way.
If you’ve road-tripped through Wisconsin’s Driftless Region without stopping here, you’ve missed one of the most delightfully odd little walks in the Midwest. This isn’t a roped-off attraction with an admission fee. It’s just a small village’s Main Street, decorated, over decades, with an ever-growing population of wooden creatures who seem to have taken over the flower beds, storefronts, and even the grocery store.
What Exactly Is the Trollway?
The Trollway is the main street running through Mount Horeb, lined with over 40 hand-carved wooden troll sculptures, each with its own personality, backstory, and charm, representing everything from Norwegian folklore to local business mascots. The village’s official site puts the number even higher these days, noting that today, more than 100 hand-carved trolls are scattered throughout downtown, each one distinct, each one a small piece of public art with its own character and story.
Whatever the exact headcount on the day you visit, one thing is consistent: the village has one stoplight and more trolls than most cities have public sculptures, and its downtown is still locally owned, still walkable, and still full of the kind of small discoveries that make people want to come back.
How Did a Wisconsin Village Become the Troll Capital of the World?
The story starts small, almost by accident. In the 1970s, a Scandinavian gift shop began placing Norwegian trolls on their lawn, which attracted the affectionate notice of truckers. That shop was Open House Imports, and about a century after the town’s founding, this designation was turned into a smart commercial decision when the shop started placing trolls imported from Norway on their lawn to draw in visitors.
Then came the highway problem. Mount Horeb created Trollway in the 1980s, decorating the town with hand-carved wooden trolls as a way to attract visitors when a new highway bypass threatened the success of local businesses. When the state built a bypass around the town, concerned about the economic impact, the town went all in on trolls, designating Main Street the “trollway.”
Much of the credit for the look of the place goes to one local woodcarver. Resident woodcarver Michael Feeney, the Troll Carver of Mount Horeb, was asked to create carved trolls by Village officials who were impressed with his work, and soon more trolls had a life and a home. One of his earliest pieces, The Chicken Thief, was placed on Main Street next to Olson’s Christmas House, now housed inside the Driftless Historium, while The Accordion Player can be found near Mount Horeb Telephone Company. That second troll has a genuinely funny fan story attached to it: it once captured the attention of a busload of Norwegian accordion players, who disembarked and, much to the delight of onlookers, proceeded to serenade the troll for at least 20 minutes.
The trolls kept multiplying after that. New trolls by other area carvers are helping to populate the Trollway for visitors to enjoy, and the village even claims its very own living troll, Jorgen, who can be found at many festivals throughout the year.
Why Trolls, Specifically?
It isn’t random whimsy. Mount Horeb’s troll obsession is tied directly to who settled there. In the middle of the 19th century, European immigrants of predominantly Norwegian heritage relocated to the region because of its fertile lands and the promise of opportunity, and the town’s culture still leans hard into that heritage today. In Norwegian folklore, the creatures aren’t villains so much as caretakers. As the Mount Horeb Chamber of Commerce’s executive director puts it, “trolls are guardians of jewels… so they protect the things that mean the most to us, which are our residents, our small businesses, so that’s what makes our Main Street unique and fun.” A local historian pushes the metaphor further, tying the trolls to the landscape itself: “we value our landscape around here, the Driftless — we have different ecosystems like nowhere else in the world, because the glaciers didn’t trample us.”
Meet a Few of the Characters
Part of the fun of walking the Trollway is that no two trolls look or act alike. The carved trolls are known to relax while watering flowers, tending chickens, playing music, or just plain hamming it up for your viewing pleasure. Some are tiny and easy to miss; the smallest troll, under 3 feet tall, is hidden among flower beds near the visitor center. Others are impossible to overlook — “Jorgen the Giant,” standing at an impressive 16 feet tall, is the largest in Mount Horeb. And apparently the trolls have spread beyond Main Street entirely: an entire family of trolls is said to have moved into the local grocery store.
What Else Is Along the Trollway?
Trolls aside, downtown Mount Horeb has real substance to it. You can browse The Trollway Gift Shop, Open House Imports, and The Little Viking Bookstore, where you’ll find troll souvenirs and Scandinavian gifts like wood carvings and clothing. When you’re hungry, The Grumpy Troll Brew Pub and Schubert’s Diner and Bakery are popular with locals and tourists, with the Grumpy Troll known for handcrafted beers and robust pub fare, while Schubert’s serves up authentic Norwegian dishes like lefse, a flatbread, and krumkake, a delicate cone-like cookie.
History buffs should carve out time for the museum in town, too. The Mount Horeb Area Historical Society Museum showcases the town’s European heritage, along with farming equipment, clothing, tools, and carvings of early settlers. And don’t skip the building itself on Main Street — the Mount Horeb Opera Block is a historic 1895 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bonus Trail: The Rail Line Beneath Your Feet
If you want to stretch your legs beyond downtown, know that the Trollway sits on genuine railroad history. When the Chicago and Tomah Railway pushed through the region in the late 1800s, later acquired by the Chicago and North Western Railroad, it connected Mount Horeb’s farms and businesses to Madison and the wider world, with the first train running the line in 1881. That corridor still runs through town today, though its cargo has changed — the former rail bed is now the Military Ridge State Trail, a 40-mile scenic route passing directly through Mount Horeb, offering biking, hiking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing through the Driftless landscape. It’s an easy add-on if you want to turn your troll hunt into a longer outdoor day.
Planning Your Visit
Give yourself at least an hour just for the sculptures, longer if you want to eat, shop, or hit the museum. A quick visit of 1 to 1.5 hours covers the main sculptures and a few photos, while a half-day of 2 to 3 hours leaves room for museum browsing, lunch, and shopping. Grab a troll map before you start — request the latest version of the Troll Map to make sure you find them all — and don’t rush. Whether you’re planning a day trip from Madison, just 30 minutes away, or a full Wisconsin weekend getaway, the trolls of Mount Horeb are unlike anything else in the Midwest.
It’s a strange, warm little town that decided decorating its Main Street with wooden monsters was a better economic strategy than panicking about a highway bypass. Forty-some years later, that gamble has turned an ordinary village into one of the most charming walks you can take in the entire region — no ticket required, no rush, just trolls.
NOTE TO THE ADVENTURER: This guide is meant to spark curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon — not to serve as a guarantee. Roads fall into disrepair, buildings are torn down and rebuilt, and properties change hands; 'tis your responsibility to do your own research before setting out. Always heed local and regional law, and always respect ground that isn't your own. Take every entry here as a suggestion, not a decree. This guide's contents were gathered with the aid of artificial intelligence, and like any scout, it will from time to time lead you astray. You assume all risk in following its counsel, and neither this blog nor its author is liable for any loss, injury, or misfortune that results.
