For this month's Wandering Wisconsin we're helping you plan a trip to the Stevens Point Sculpture Park. It's nestled in the woods just off the Green Circle Trail. The art is scattered across a trail with perfect views of the fall leaves.
Navigate to the 901 North 2nd Street in Stevens Point where you'll find a map of the larger Green Circle Trail. Start on the trail and follow the signs to the sculpture park. It's situated on 30 acres of woods and around every corner you'll find a new piece created by Wisconsin artists and artists from around the world.
You'll pass pieces made of wood, metal, rock and art that looks like it might even be part of the landscape. Sculpture park board member Kiba Freeman describes it as a rotating exhibit.
He says one of the most popular pieces is the "Elk Centaur."
"It's kind of off in a marshy area of the woods, a little bit off the trail, but a lot of people find it and depending on the time of day or what the lighting is, it can probably give you a good jump scare," Freeman says.
He says another popular piece is a large, moveable cube, "It's on a contraption that allows it to be spun, and it's three-dimensional, and a lot of folks really enjoy experiencing it, seeing it, but also giving it a good push to see how hard it can get it to move."
Freeman also says that the park may look different on each visit depending what time of year you come. The sculpture park board aims to add one to three new pieces a year. Some pieces are moved or become weathered and some end up getting donated to be permanent in the park.
"If you come in the fall, you might have a couple of different pieces that are there that weren't there before, or some pieces have been relocated to different locations that better suit them as they've been aging.
So you might come see one park one time, and you come back a year later, it might be a slightly different park or a completely different park," Freeman says.
The sculpture park is a nonprofit that is free and open to the public. It's been in operation since 2009.
"When you come to Stevens Point Sculpture Park, you come expecting artwork [that] should be in your face the whole time. And it is a great blend of how it's embedded in the landscape and how some pieces do stand out a lot more than others. There's a variety of artwork, a variety of nature aspects. It's a beautiful park," Freeman concludes.
Once you've enjoyed your stroll through the sculpture park, you can continue on the Green Circle Trail. It offers 27 miles of hiking and biking trails through Stevens Point. It's a great place to take in the fall leaves.
"One of the most unique pieces of it is that it covers such a diversity of landscapes. You're going to go through parks and along rivers, over wetlands, and into these towering pine forests," Amanda Weibel with Travel Wisconsin explains.
She says Stevens Point has a lot to offer nature lovers. You can find more resources on planning a fall trip at travelwisconsin.com.
