Just west of Madison is the Village of Spring Green. It's home to a Frank Lloyd Wright tourist destination, theaters and one of Wisconsin's most unique attractions — The House on the Rock.
"Spring Green may have a population of less than 2,000, but its reputation far outranks its size," Amanda Weibel is the communications officer for Travel Wisconsin and she says the village is probably best known as the place where Frank Lloyd Wright established his home and studio, The Taliesin. It's closed for the season but will reopen in April.
Also in Spring Green is the American Players Theatre. It's the country's second largest outdoor theater devoted to the classics. The season is wrapped up for the winter but their 2023 season lineup can be found here.
"As an insider's tip, I learned that Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret is a popular hangout spot for the cast members, so you'll occasionally find them putting on an individual performance at Slowpoke as well," Weibel says.
There is one very unique and festive reason to travel to Spring Green this time of year, however and that is for The House on the Rock.
In the 1940s a man from Madison named Alex Jordan began picnicking on a rocky area owned by a farmer not far from Spring Green. He enjoyed the area so much he began building picnic shelters and his plans for the area only grew from there.
"He and his dad actually bought the land that the rock sits on so they could be the owners, and he [Alex] expanded to create a full house on this rock. By 1960 he opened it to the public," Nancy Schaaf, the director of human resources for The House on the Rock explains. She says the attraction grew beyond the house to include collections and unusual artifacts.
"He kept expanding through the rest of his life to the point that the whole experience now is about a 2 and 1/4 mile walk through galleries and exhibits of the things that he purchased to entertain and delight the guests," Schaaf says.
That includes The Streets of Yesterday, which is much like the Milwaukee Public Museum's Streets of Old Milwaukee. It also includes a 200 foot whale and model ship collection, an extensive collection of doll houses, musical instruments that play themselves and the world's largest indoor carousel.
The carousel took ten years to make. It features 269 animals and 183 chandeliers.
"He kept making it bigger and bigger and more grand to the point that it got to be 80 feet in diameter, 35 feet tall, is 36 tons with 20,000 lights," Schaaf describes.
Now through Jan. 1st, 2023 there is a special Christmas Season display at the House on the Rock featuring over 6,000 Santa Clause decorations, holiday music and decorated trees throughout the attraction. Schaaf calls the display "whimsical" and adds that they don't take anything down, they just enhance it for the holidays.
If you'd like to a plan a weekend trip around a visit to The House on the Rock. Weibel recommends checking into the Iron Amethyst Inn in Mazomanie about 20 miles away from Spring Green. She says the historic mansion is a bed and breakfast directly on the route to and from Milwaukee.
"One of their hidden gems is that they have their very own speakeasy. So on most Fridays and Saturdays, the on-site bar opens for guests as well as local visitors and you can enjoy their selection of local beers and wine or delicious craft cocktails and mocktails, all in the ambiance of the roaring 20s," Weibel says.
If you're looking for a few places to stop for a bite, Weibel says the Spring Green General Store is a great spot for breakfast or lunch.
For dinner, she suggests Arthur's Supper Club or for a new and trendy dinner option, Homecoming.
"It's actually located in a historic former schoolhouse building and they really focus on local meat, cheese, and produce in all of their meals," Weibel says.
_
