We are thrilled to be back on the road after the holidays, and we’re so pleased to be rolling into Wisconsin. We’ll be hitting famous spots and some more offbeat places. We say “rolling” because we are stopping in at the Gravity Hill. There we’ll put our car into neutral and roll up the hill, defying physics!
We cannot wait to see the collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Then we’ll hit a spot that’s been featured in novels, television and films: The House on the Rock. There’s the view for the Infinity Room and the world’s largest indoor carousel with 269 animals — with not even one horse! The location has become so popular that the site now has an inn and a resort connected to the property!
Then, we want to get outside for a while. We’re excited to explore the state’s national parks. We’ll visit the Interstate Park and amazing Mitchell Park Domes. After that, we absolutely must stop to tour Lambeau Field! Finally, we’ll be hitting the state’s great museums, including the visually arresting Milwaukee Art Museum. At this time of year, we’d be crazy to pass up a visit to the Stewart Tunnel Ice Formations; we’ll be sure to wear good shoes and stay on the path!
As fans of “Happy Days,” we have to see the Bronze Fonz, a bronze statue of Fonzie! It’s located in Milwaukee, the setting of the classic show. From there, we’ll go to visit Hamburger Charlie, a statue honoring the contested inventor of the hamburger, Charlie Nagreen. Across the street, we can get a picture with the 5,000-pound grill that cooked the World’s Largest Hamburger. There is a giant hamburger statue on top of the grill! We love the story of Stone Soup and the town of Laona celebrates Community Soup Day. While it is no longer used to make the soup, the town is still the home of the World’s Largest Soup Kettle. And while we’re in the state, we would be remiss — as fans of roadside sites — to miss out on visiting the World’s Heaviest Ball of Twine. The man who created and maintains the ball says he does so because God told him that it would get him sober and make him famous.
We will move on to Chatty Belle, the world’s largest speaking cow. She isn’t as large as some other cows we’ve seen. But, during the 1964 World’s Fair, she told visitors of the Wisconsin Pavilion dairy and cheese facts! Next to her is the original Rotunda from the Wisconsin Pavilion building. Today, it is privately owned and houses a radio station and a store that sells locally made cheese, honey and jam. Continuing our look at the 1964 World’s Fair, we’ll take a trip to Racine. The Golden Rondelle is there as part of the SC Johnson Headquarters, which is open to the public. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the main building of the headquarters. The theater shaped like a flying saucer — seen in the banner — showed an 18-minute film that later won an Academy Award. As well as having guided tours around the building, the movie is still shown today so visitors can get a taste of the Fair now.
Finally, before we go, we have to visit Mars Cheese Castle. This kitschy roadside attraction sells cheese, cheese hats and other cheese-themed products. Its iconic size predates laws about the size of interstate signs, and it’s calling to us to stop before we hit the road again to head over state lines.
