In a way, Madison, the capital city of Wisconsin, was going to suffer a bit in comparison to Chicago and Milwaukee for this jaunt. We have been to Madison a few times in the past decade or so of marriage, so we’ve knocked off a few things that would’ve been natural destinations (The National Mustard Museum and New Glarus Brewing come to mind.) Also, our days there would be the beginning of the work week, and right before the big Memorial Day weekend would come pouncing in, so our time spent there essentially came at a mini-low-season for the area.

Still, that allowed us a more relaxed time to explore and catch up with friends (my wife’s former roommate has been our main reason for stopping by this college town for many years now.). We didn’t need to cram in a hundred different things, just the things that we wanted to do instead. Knowing some of the epic days we’ve had in the past while traveling, this is a pretty radical departure for us.

HIGHLIGHTS: In a way, this section is like the Belmont Stakes of 1973, where eventual Triple Crown winner Secretariat, recognized as perhaps the greatest race horse ever, completely obliterated the field, finishing 31 lengths ahead of the second place horse.

House on the Rock – In my years of blogging, I’ve found about a photo number of around 30-50 is indicative of how intriguing/interesting an event or similar was for me. When I got home, my photo and video count for The House on the Rock, went past 150, and I STILL don’t think I can capture all that this flabbergasting attraction, sitting nestled in the hills of Spring Green, WI, brings to the visitor.

The sprawling House on the Rock is the creative juggernaut of one Alex Jordan, who essentially was given the lifelong job of funhouse creator. Starting in 1945, Jordan was essentially let loose to build a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired guest house (in fact, this house lies but miles from Wright’s own residence for a time in Taliesin East, an almost certainly more prosaic experience) and keep expanding it with whatever creative whim and/or hoarding target (the two often overlapped) struck him.

Money? Never an issue for Jordan, as his parents were financially secure and encouraged their son in his creative pursuits (finances were enhanced when the house was open to public touring in 1960.) Family? Other than his long-time partner Jennie Olson, he had no family concerns to distract from his time. In a way, Jordan shares the quirkiness of Sarah Winchester, the owner of San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House (which we visited and enjoyed a couple years back.) But whereas Winchester kept building out her house for more spooky reasons (as a way to stave off a supposed curse that the ghosts of those killed by Winchester firearms over the years placed on her family,) Jordan kept building out his house as a way to stave off boredom. He often started new construction, tore down existing constructs, or changed collection targets on a whim, depending on how he felt that day.

You might think the collection of Chinese-style pots (which look vaguely something you might picture in a fantasy/Dungeons & Dragons affair) give a hint to what you’ll find inside as you drive to the reception cabin, but it’s fools gold. It’s really just the first thing you’ll find of a whole cornucopia of collections, themes, and other assorted fascinations you’ll find inside. In fact, perhaps the only thing you really won’t find inside the four-mile (yes, MILES, provided you do the full tour) trek of this facility is any concentrated collections of sports-related memorabilia. Ironically, the house really doesn’t need any Cheesehead collectibles – the entirety of what has been gathered over 50 years has its own chintzy and cheesy quality that no number of foam cheesehead blocks can overcome.

House on the Rock will overwhelm the visitor in many ways, from sheer volume of things to sheer creativity to the sheer idea that someone could land a job that essentially allowed him to build and collect what they wanted with no credit card limits. Once you’ve been through the Infinity Room, you might reconsider who the original Air Jordan really was, and that’s still early in the tour.

You can opt for that slightly cheaper tour which gets you just one section of the complex, but you’ll really miss out on…well, everything. The following pictures and videos are just but a sampling of what comes in Parts 2 and 3 of the tour, and as I mentioned before, it only scratches the surface.

Be sure to ask the docents (many of whom have been working here for years) questions – they’re happy to lend a little more insight as to what exactly you’re trying to wrap your overwhelmed brain around here, a feeling that I think will never completely disappear.

House on the Rock| Address: 5754 WI-23, Spring Green, WI 53588 | Website: https://www.thehouseontherock.com | TripAdvisor: House on the Rock

Buraka: Unsurprisingly, towns or cities with a major university generally have a more diverse food selection than their similarly populated brethren. This is true of Madison, and our appetites were duly satisfied with our friend at Buraka, the city’s only Ethiopian restaurant.

The savory stews, created with spices like berbere, cardamom, ginger, cumin, and coriander, which make up Buraka’s dinner menu are all comforting; this feeling is only enhanced by the Ethiopian sourdough flatbread injera (rice is also an option, but not nearly half as fun or tasty.) Meat and non-meat options are available – needing a bit of a break from a very meat-heavy diet the last few days, we appreciated options like Misirot (lentils, split peas and potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce) and Vegetarian Peanut Stew (cauliflower, carrots and potatoes served in a mild peanut sauce.) A lovely back area patio makes this a perfect place to catch up with our friend in town.

Buraka| Address: 1210 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703 | Website: https://www.buraka-madison.com | Facebook: Buraka Madison

Monty’s Blue Plate Diner – we’ve had our share of memorable diner-style vegan cuisine, from Cambridge’s Veggie Galaxy to Lawrenceville’s B52 Cafe to Columbus places like Seitan’s Realm and 4th and State.

Madison’s Monty’s Blue Plate Diner, retrofitted into an old gas station back in 1990, has one slight difference from those other places, or for that matter, any typical diner. Essentially, Monty’s offers both well-conceived vegan and non-vegan menu option, versus going all vegan or being a diner that offers only just a couple of vegan offerings.

The TNT BLT won’t remind you of a real BLT, but was a pretty good sandwich regardless. Even better was my spouse’s funly-named Heathen Vegan Shoplifter’s Delight, which offered portobellos, fried tempeh, red onions, avocado, and lemon tahini dressing on a baguette. Be sure to be on the lookout for some of your favorite entertainers’ photos, who almost certainly made their way from the historic Barrymore Theatre across the street.

Monty’s Blue Plate Diner| Address: 2089 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704 | Website: https://www.montysblueplatediner.com/menus/ | Facebook: montysblueplatediner

Other Notables: The Wisconsin State Capitol Building is the third such state government building we’ve toured. In some ways, each building is grandiose in its construction and the stated purpose (good old American Democracy – I’ve heard the phrase “remember, this is the Peoples’ house” on all these tours.) I think many people have soured on this idealized view of their government, but there’s no doubt that the buildings themselves haven’t lost any of their charm and historical value…If only all hotels could have a place like La Taguara within walking distance: their Catira and Llanera Venezuelan Arepas were perfect dine-inside your hotel room…Good old rich butterfat ice cream is a treat for most everyone (even for slightly lactose intolerant folks like me) so it’s not surprising that we have found Madison-based Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream served in places from Bemidji, MN down to Columbus, OH. Always nice to have it at the source however and the downtown location has all the ice cream shop trappings you could want…The good news: Madison’s Henry Vilas Zoo is free, and it has quite a few areas available for the public to bring in a packed lunch. The bad news is that it’s a free admission zoo: funding is not guaranteed, and a few sections of the facility are a bit on the shopworn side, which is unfortunately the risk you run with such a setup. Parking surrounding the zoo is also not as plentiful as one might one (we showed up early during the week and had issues.) I’d say this zoo is mainly a locals’ affair, but if you’re in town looking for cheap entertainment for your kids, this zoo will do the trick, and we managed to score the best animal-related video (shown below) of the trip here…Unsurprising that a college town and capital city has its share of coffee establishments, and Wonderstate’s downtown location offers up ample glass windows and a view of the Statehouse along with its well-crafted coffee drinks and pastries…Meanwhile, Stone Creek Coffee (no pictures, unfortunately) is a regional small-sized coffee chain (closest equivalent here in Central Ohio I can think of is Dayton-based Boston Stoker) with cafes scattered from Milwaukee westward into the Oconomowoc (where we saw our last minor league baseball game) area. If you’re mermaid-phobic and nothing hyperlocal is available, you could do far worse than Stone Creek (and their Jinglesnap Ginger Molasses Cookie is great roadtrip snacking)…Finally, we didn’t get to any of it, but any Frank Lloyd Wright aficionados will definitely want to hit up his works in the Madison area and surroundings. Signs for The Frank Lloyd Wright Trail were visible all around during our stay in Wisconsin.

Final Notes – maybe this goes without saying, but while you can assume that certain things will come from stays at particular brand names at various hotel chains, your mileage will definitely vary. We’ve decided that Marriott hotels are our jam mainly because our aging bodies don’t play the game of varying mattress variations all that well now. Sure, price and location matter, but those are secondary nowadays to a reliably comfortable night of sleeping.

This YMMV maxim clearly showed itself at two separate stays at the Four Points by Sheraton locations in Westchester, IL, and Wauwatosa, WI. The former is clearly geared toward the single business traveler (only one end table next to the bed) plus little annoyances like no tile shelves in the shower to put a small shampoo bottle or shaving razors upon. Meanwhile, the latter hit above its weight in terms of amenities and square footage available, and even some branded amenities via an Elm & Iron collaboration (not why we stayed, but nice for those who care.) The latter went for a lesser rate as well (obviously, location has a little to do with things like that, but still…)

We’ve had enough experience with the various brands to know that the Fairfield Inn and Courtyard branded hotels have given us personally the most consistent results for the rates paid. For those who might think of cooking in or grilling out once in awhile during a longer stay, Marriott’s Towne Place Suites brand will definitely fit your needs.

(Note: House On The Rock originally had been listed with an incorrect address; this has been changed to the correct location)