Madison Wisconsin Chapter 2- House on the Rock

The area around Madison Wisconsin is teeming with strange attractions to tempt the curious or bored. However, my first stay there only allowed me to go to the House on the Rock. I say "only" but the House on the Rock was plenty for me to take in and think about. The place still haunts me and I encourage anyone who is the Madison area to spend a day there. The attraction is the creation of one Alex Jordon who built it over 30 years as a tourist attraction and architectural oddity. Basically, it is a self guided tour through one man's bizarre taste. Mr. Jordon was a collector and fabricator ( and employed many people to fabricate his twisted vision ) who wanted the world to come to his doorstep, for a price. Many of the displays are totally themed environments- A giant octopus fighting a three story whale, an old main street with shops and automated vignettes, a maze of automated music making machines and the largest indoor carousel in the world.

The Infinity Room. Part of the actual House on the Rock.

 There is little to say about The House on the Rock because it almost defies a rational reason to exist. All I can do is again recommend that it be a priority stop for any middle American tourist.

Bizarre weapons displayed in a massive unpredictable collection.

Mr. Jordon's collection of marionettes (one case that is)

Japanese Garden ( Midwestern style) on the exterior of the house

I suppose one way to get the whacked appeal of this place is to post a few videos taken there which I will add to the blog one by one following this post.