Mount Horeb, Wisconsin

Mount Horeb is a great place to visit. There are plenty of specialty shops, antiquing, great galleries, fudge and of course the Mustard Museum. Make sure to take your picture with all the different trolls that line the street.

Can you spot a troll here?

The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum is a museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, featuring the world's largest display of prepared mustards. It is often featured in lists of unusual museums in the United States.

The museum was conceived and founded by Barry Levenson, former Assistant Attorney General for the state of Wisconsin. It centers on a mustard collection he began in 1986 while despondent over the failure of favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, to win the 1986 World Series. The initial dozen jars have grown to a collection of more than 4,800 different mustards from 60 different countries, along with items of mustard memorabilia and exhibits depicting the use of mustard through history.

Among the diplays are sweet hot mustards, fruit mustards, hot pepper mustards, horseradish mustards, and even spirit mustards. The collection includes a large variety of French and English mixes, but many other countries are also represented.Googobits Article

The museum opened its doors on April 6, 1992, and moved across the street to its present location in October 2000. It will be moving to Middleton, Wisconsin, in late October 2009. Admission is free of charge, and the museum is open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., though it is closed on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

On the first Saturday in August, the museum sponsors an annual celebration of National Mustard Day.

The museum's gift shop occupies about half of its floor space and offers free tasting of mustard samples from a refrigerated case containing scores of varieties; the museum also operates a mail-order mustard business.

In 2002, the museum was showcased on the Food Network television series Unwrapped.

Levenson was on the game show To Tell the Truth.

In the late 1800's more than 75% of the community was Norwegian, though the first settlers were the English, German, Irish, Norwegian, Scottish and Swiss descent.

Early Scandinavian folklore brought the fables of the trolls. They are usually smaller beings, similar in size to dwarfs or elves. Trolls tend to dwell in mounds or near the sea-in our case-"mounds" (nearby Blue Mound)-and are known to have developed semi-magical powers such as prophecy and shape-shifting.

According to legend, trolls will live to be hundred of years old. They have long crooked noses; only four fingers and toes; and a long, bushy tail. Most are a bit frightening to look at, though good natured. Just like leprechauns, trolls are known to be guarding treasures of gold or gemstones. The community keeps a good relationship with the trolls for they guard the friendly people and wonderful attractions.

These are the Open House Trolls.