Carriage
Ridge
A custom-lot equestrian community north of Waunakee, in the Town of Westport — buyers purchase a platted, utility-ready lot and build with a builder of their own choosing. Ponds, conservancy green space, riding trails, and Six Mile Creek frontage set it apart from every production-builder subdivision in the area.
What is Carriage Ridge near Waunakee, Wisconsin?
Carriage Ridge is an active, custom-lot residential community in the Town of Westport, Wisconsin, just north of the Village of Waunakee, in Dane County. Marketed directly by its developer as a "bring your own builder" neighborhood, it offers utility-ready platted lots, ponds with fountains, conservancy green space, miles of trails, and access to a private boarding stable, with Six Mile Creek running through the development. Over the trailing 12 months, 7 homes sold in Carriage Ridge between $1,025,000 and $1,550,000, with a median sale price of $1,250,000, per an MLS export. Waunakee Community School District serves the neighborhood, with Governor Nelson State Park and Lake Mendota nearby (drive times not yet routed).
A Custom-Lot Community, Not a Production Subdivision.
Carriage Ridge sits north of Highway M and east of Highway Q, between Waunakee and Governor Nelson State Park / Lake Mendota — a Waunakee, WI 53597 mailing address, but per Dane County's own parcel records, it's actually located in the Town of Westport, not inside the Village of Waunakee. That's a real distinction worth understanding before buying: Town of Westport governance handles zoning and permitting here, and the Town is actively working toward becoming the Village of Westport — its multi-municipal boundary agreements have been approved, and it filed its formal incorporation petition with the state on August 7, 2026. The Wisconsin Department of Administration's Incorporation Review Board still has to evaluate the petition, and if approved, Town voters would decide incorporation by local referendum — so it isn't final yet, but it's a live, evolving local-governance situation worth knowing about rather than assuming settled.
Structurally, Carriage Ridge is different from nearly every other subdivision in the Waunakee area: it's a "bring your own builder" custom-lot community. Rather than choosing from one production builder's floor plans, buyers purchase a platted lot — with municipal water and sewer already run — and build with a builder of their own choosing. Dane County records confirm two recorded additions, a First Addition and a Second Addition, and construction has continued well past the neighborhood's "late 1990s and early 2000s" marketing description: two sampled parcels show construction as recent as 2018 and 2019–2020, and at least one platted lot remained for sale as of this research.
"Buy the lot, bring your own builder — Carriage Ridge is the only community in this project built that way."
The amenity profile here is equestrian and natural-feature-driven rather than park-and-pool: ponds with fountains, conservancy green space, miles of trails, and riding trails leading to a private boarding stable. Six Mile Creek runs through the development. There's no resident pool or clubhouse — a genuinely different profile than most comparable Waunakee-area neighborhoods, and one that should be stated plainly rather than assumed away.
What Draws Buyers to Carriage Ridge
Eight things that come up around this genuinely different kind of Waunakee-area community — evidence-based, not promotional.
Bring Your Own Builder
Buy a platted, utility-ready lot and select your own builder rather than choosing from one production builder's catalog — real architectural control over the finished home.
Large, Wooded Lots
Sampled lots run 0.43 to 0.65+ acres — rolling terrain with real topographic change, a different lot profile than the denser, flatter lots typical of newer Waunakee subdivisions.
Equestrian Trails & Stable Access
Riding trails and proximity to Carriage Ridge Stables LLC, an independently owned boarding stable at 5500 Surrey Lane — a genuinely distinctive feature not found elsewhere in this project.
Six Mile Creek Frontage
The creek runs directly through the development, drawing birds and wildlife and giving the neighborhood a real natural-feature setting rather than a manufactured pond.
Ponds & Conservancy Space
Ponds with fountains and conservancy green space woven through the platted lots, plus miles of trails for walking, hiking, jogging, and cross-country skiing.
High-Value Custom Homes
Two county-assessed sample parcels came in at $1.14 million and $1.93 million total assessed value for 2026 — among the highest sampled anywhere in this project.
Near Governor Nelson State Park
The developer markets the community as minutes from Governor Nelson State Park and Lake Mendota's marina — a real geographic advantage, though drive times haven't been independently routed yet.
Rural Character, Still Close to Waunakee
A genuinely rural, low-density feel in the Town of Westport, while keeping a Waunakee mailing address and reasonable access to the Village's schools, shops, and Highway Q/M corridor.
Waunakee Community School District
Confirmed via Dane County's own school-district tax code on sampled Carriage Ridge parcels. The specific elementary assignment has not been resolved yet — see the note below before relying on it for any one address.
Elementary — Not Yet Confirmed
Carriage Ridge's Town of Westport location, well north of the village core near Governor Nelson State Park, doesn't cleanly match the published elementary bus-zone descriptions for Heritage, Arboretum, or Prairie Elementary. Rather than guess, this page leaves the specific elementary building unconfirmed — call the WCSD Registrar with your exact address.
Waunakee Intermediate School
Very likely, based on WCSD's district-wide structure — all WCSD students feed into the same intermediate school regardless of elementary assignment, though this should still be confirmed by address.
Waunakee Middle School
501 South Street. Part of the district's unified 4K–12 pathway serving the wider Waunakee community, including Town of Westport addresses like Carriage Ridge.
Waunakee Community High School
301 Community Drive. Home of the Warriors, serving the full WCSD attendance area district-wide.
Verify by address: This page deliberately does not guess Carriage Ridge's specific elementary assignment — the neighborhood's location well outside the village core makes an elimination argument unreliable. Call the WCSD Registrar at (608) 849-2000 with your exact address, or check current boundaries at waunakee.k12.wi.us, before writing an offer.
Ponds, Trails & Equestrian Access
A genuinely different amenity profile than most Waunakee-area subdivisions in this project — natural-feature and equestrian, not park-and-pool. No resident pool or clubhouse exists here, and that's stated plainly rather than assumed away.
Ponds & Conservancy Green Space
Ponds with fountains and conservancy green space are woven through the platted lots, per the developer's own site — a defining visual feature of the neighborhood rather than a leftover stormwater basin.
Miles of Trails
Walking, hiking, jogging, and cross-country skiing trails run through the community, per the developer's own site — likely a mix of HOA-maintained internal paths and access to riding trails, not independently distinguished yet.
Riding Trails & Private Stable Access
Riding trails lead toward Carriage Ridge Stables LLC (5500 Surrey Lane), an independently owned business operating since 2000 — not an HOA-owned or free amenity. Boarding or riding access would require a separate paid arrangement with the stable directly.
Six Mile Creek
An independently confirmed Dane County waterway runs through the development, attracting birds and wildlife per the developer's marketing. Recreational access specifics (fishing, canoe access) haven't been confirmed yet.
Carriage Ridge Neighborhood Park — Field Verification Needed
A park by this name is referenced on a third-party recreation directory, but its address, acreage, and ownership (HOA vs. Town of Westport) haven't been independently confirmed yet — a real lead to run down, not a confirmed amenity.
Carriage Ridge — What Homes Are Selling For
A trailing 12-month MLS export pulled by John Reuter in August 2026 found 7 closed sales in Carriage Ridge. An earlier Waunakee-only export missed this neighborhood — Carriage Ridge is platted in the Town of Westport, not the Village of Waunakee, so it was excluded from a village-scoped pull despite carrying a Waunakee mailing address.
- Homes sold, trailing 12 months: 7
- Active listings: 2
- Median / average sold price: $1,250,000 median / $1,290,286 average
- Days on market, list-to-sale ratio: 54-day median DOM, 96.8% average list-to-sale ratio
- 12-month trailing sales volume: $9,032,000
Sold price range: the 7 trailing-12-month sales ranged from $1,025,000 to $1,550,000. Two Carriage Ridge parcels sampled directly from Dane County's own 2026 property assessment records carried total assessed values of $1,930,400 and $1,137,500 — county tax-assessed values, not MLS sold prices, shown here only as a rough reference point. A currently marketed buildable lot (Lot #149, 0.43 acres) was listed at $313,500 by Victory Homes of Wisconsin — a builder-advertised lot price, also not MLS market data.
Sold-price data comes from an MLS export pulled by John Reuter, cross-checked against both recorded additions ("Carriage Ridge, First Addition To" and "Carriage Ridge, 2nd Addn") — never Zillow, Redfin, Trulia, or similar public sites. Completed-home sales are reported separately from any raw lot sales given this is an active custom-lot community.
Getting There From Here
A tool malfunction during research blocked geocoding for Carriage Ridge addresses this pass — every distance below is honestly labeled "not yet routed" rather than guessed. This table will be filled in once routing is re-run from a confirmed Carriage Ridge address.
| Destination | Distance | Drive Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Waunakee | Not yet routed | Not yet routed | Village center, shops, restaurants, library |
| Governor Nelson State Park | Not yet routed | Not yet routed | Marketed by the developer as "minutes away" — not independently confirmed |
| Lake Mendota Marina / Boat Launch | Not yet routed | Not yet routed | Nearest public access point not yet identified |
| Downtown Middleton | Not yet routed | Not yet routed | — |
| Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) | Not yet routed | Not yet routed | Direct flights to 19+ cities |
| Downtown Madison (State Capitol Square) | Not yet routed | Not yet routed | — |
This project's routing tools failed to geocode Carriage Ridge addresses on the most recent research pass (returning stale results from an unrelated subdivision). Real distances will replace these placeholders once that's resolved — see this page's README for the full disclosure.
Nearby Conveniences
Carriage Ridge's rural, custom-lot setting in the Town of Westport means it doesn't sit walking distance from a downtown commercial strip the way some village-core neighborhoods do — specific nearby businesses haven't been independently confirmed yet.
Off-Leash Areas Near Carriage Ridge
A Dane County Dog Park Permit is required at designated off-leash areas. Exact drive times from Carriage Ridge haven't been routed yet — these are the closest confirmed county/village dog parks in the wider Waunakee area.
Ripp Park Pet Exercise Area
951 West Main Street, Waunakee, WI 53597 · roughly 4.8 acres of open off-leash space on the north end of Ripp Park. Permit required · (608) 850-8500. Drive time from Carriage Ridge not yet routed.
Yahara Heights County Park Dog Area
28 WI-113, Waunakee, WI 53597 · a large off-leash area with trails and water access. Permit required · dogs must be licensed. Given Carriage Ridge's Town of Westport location near Governor Nelson State Park, this is likely the closer of the two, but that hasn't been independently routed yet.
Carriage Ridge FAQ
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John Reuter is a Waunakee-area local, Top 5% Realtor, and retired Air Force veteran. Real answers on lot availability, custom-build questions, and what a Carriage Ridge home would bring today — no pressure.
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Integrity Homes' Reward Our Heroes program serves veterans, active military, first responders, teachers, and healthcare workers with real estate savings. John Reuter is a retired Air Force veteran and Military Relocation Professional who works with hero clients across Waunakee, the Town of Westport, and Dane County.
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