Art and natural beauty await in this storybook Wisconsin town.
By Holly Leitner
The rolling hills and deep valleys of the Wisconsin River’s lower, westward-flowing portion were untouched by the glacial movements that created the landscape of much of the river’s northern sections. As you drive the 39 miles west from Madison, the scenery changes dramatically; after a stretch of suburban sprawl and flat farmland, the land begins to lift toward the sky near Spring Green.
As if to reflect this change in topography, the ambience changes, too: An arts community thrives here. Studios dot the countryside, shoppers browse through downtown jewelry shops, locals stock up at produce markets, and large crowds gather at a world-class outdoor amphitheater—all set against an idyllic background.
Many days in Spring Green start at the Spring Green General Store, a colorful former cheese warehouse that sits next to retired railroad tracks on Albany Street. It’s the place to get a morning cup of coffee, feast on the day’s quiche special, and browse a collection of locally made products and gifts. In keeping with the laidback feel of the place, expect the healthy entrées to be prepared at a relaxed pace. And if it’s your birthday, the entrée is on the house. Spring Green boasts that it is “The Birthday Town,” and many shops and restaurants offer discounts or free goodies on your special day.
This town is also the place to be if you’re shopping for someone else’s birthday, as chic boutique shops with rare art gifts abound. Panacea, on the corner of Jefferson and Albany streets, is the place to find handcrafted jewelry, specialty soaps, gifts and kitchen accessories. Next door, the owner of Bird of Paradise Tea, Maya Madden, shares her love of fine teas with visitors to her “tiki bar,” pouring samples from a collection of 75 distinct green, herbal, black or white whole-leaf teas. Up the street, Nina’s Department and Variety Store offers an old department store shopping experience, selling clothing, gifts and yarn—as it has since 1916. Several art galleries, including the Jura Silverman Gallery—which represents Wisconsin artists—add a refined touch to the area, while Wilson Creek Pottery and No Rules Jewelry help give the town its reputation for featuring top-notch artisans.
Frank Lloyd Wright spent much of his childhood in the Wisconsin River valley, so—after living in Chicago and Europe—this is where he returned to build his legacy. He began construction on the 37,000-square-foot Taliesin in 1911. The sprawling estate comprises several buildings on 600 wooded acres. Wright created a space that was one with the landscape. A sprawling design, with low-pitched roofs and open rooms, demonstrates his philosophy that form should follow function. Tours of the main home and adjacent hillside villas are offered from May through October and start at the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center.
Just up the road from Taliesin is another popular and much more eccentric home: The House on the Rock. The world’s largest carousel, a life-size model of a deep-sea battle between a whale and a squid (which also happens to be longer than the Statue of Liberty is tall), a room devoted to cannons and a hallway hovering above a deep valley can all be found here. The home and museum are the creation of Alex Jordan Jr., and they take the hobby of hoarding to a new level. Some call it genius; others, madness.
You can judge for yourself on a self-guided tour that takes about three hours. Built in a playful Japanese style with low roofs, the house has a sense of humor and imparts a feeling of adventure. The 218-foot long “Infinity Room” projects over a 156-foot deep valley. Also on the property are a golf course, spa and resort.
In between these fantastical homes, don’t miss out on the town’s history: Spring Green was founded 152 years ago, when railroad tracks connecting the village to Milwaukee were laid. It became a vital shipping center for the area’s farming industry. The architecture found in downtown Spring Green helps illustrate this history; traces of turn-of-the-century building façades line Jefferson Street, for example. Pick up a map from the Spring Green Chamber of Commerce, the round sandstone building on the corner of Jefferson and Albany streets, and plan a walking tour to learn about the town’s history.
This is the 29th summer that world-class actors are coming to perform classic—mostly Shakespearean—plays at American Players Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater nestled in the woods. Many audience members start with a gourmet picnic and then hike up to the theater to watch the performance as the pink sky dissolves into a star-encrusted canopy over the stage.
For many, though, the main attraction to this area is the opportunity for outdoor adventure. The Wisconsin River offers a place to kayak, canoe and raft. Several hiking trails in the area come with panoramic views of the valley—such as Tower Hill, which, during the 1800s, was a major lead shot production operation for the military. To the east, hike up Ferry Bluff to see Wisconsin’s highest point, Blue Mound. The bluff offers views of the Baraboo Hills, home to some of the oldest rock formations in North America. From the peak, you can see how the glacial movement skipped these hills.
Other hikes include Avoca Prairie, a 970-foot wet prairie hosting a variety of wildflowers and tall grasses. Located seven miles west of the Lone Rock Bridge on Highway 133, the prairie offers a glimpse of the kind of terrain that once defined much of Wisconsin’s landscape.
For dinner, try the Bank Restaurant and Wine Bar on Jefferson Street, housed in the former State Bank of Spring Green, where many original details have been preserved. The vault has a private dining room, and the cashier’s wall separates the dining area from the entrance. The menu changes weekly, offering up internationally influenced fare that integrates local produce and meat.
As the day ends, visitors and locals alike head to The Shed for a local microbrew (try the New Glarus) or a slice of the famed pie. This gathering spot is known as the second home of the actors from the American Players Theatre, and the wall is lined with pictures of the current cast—a temporary family in town for the summer.
Watching the sun set over the hills surrounding the river and its valley is the perfect way to end a day spent immersed in nature and the arts, but visitors lucky enough to catch it will find the curtain rising over this beautiful stage again the next day.
ARTS IN SPRING GREEN
American Players Theatre
JUNE 7-OCT. 5
Performances are free, donations accepted. www.playinthewoods.org
Spring Green Literary Festival
SEPT. 12-13
Readers and renowned authors talk books. www.springgreenlitfest.org
Fall Art Tour
OCT. 17-18
Tour the studios of working Wisconsin artists. www.fallarttour.com
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Taliesin’s windmill tower was coined Romeo and Juliet
by Frank Lloyd Wright himself.
Wright designed the Windmill Tower for his aunts in 1896. Keiran Murphy, the historic researcher for Taliesin Preservation, Inc., explains that the tower consists of two sections: Juliet is the octagon with an observation deck at its peak, and Romeo is the diamond-shaped tower that is crowned by the pinwheel. The two towers embrace each other through the intersection of the octagon by the diamond. This gives the tower the strength to stand without the aid of internal cross supports. In Frank Lloyd Wright: An Autobiography, he reprinted part of a letter to his aunts: “Romeo and Juliet will stand twenty-five years, which is longer than the iron towers stand around here. I am afraid all of my uncles themselves may be gone before ‘Romeo and Juliet.’”
GUIDE TO SPRING GREEN
American Players Theatre
608-588-2361
www.playinthewoods.org
The Bank Restaurant and Wine Bar
608-588-7600 134 W. Jefferson St.
www.thebankrestaurant.
www.andwinebar.com
Bird of Paradise
608-588-7509 20 South Albany
www.birdofparadisetea.com
House on the Rock
608-935-3639 5754 State Rd. 23
www.thehouseontherock.com
Jura Silverman Gallery
608-588-7049 143 S. Washington St.
Nina’s Department and Variety Store
608-588-2366 143 E. Jefferson St.
No Rules Jewelry
608-588-7509 120 S. Albany
www.norulesjewelry.com
Panacea
608-588-2280 248 E. Jefferson St.
Spring Green General Store
608-588-7070 137 N. Albany St.
www.springgreengeneralstore.com
Spring Green Chamber of Commerce
608-588-2054 259 E. Jefferson St.
www.springgreen.com
The Shed
608-588-9049 123 N. Lexington St.
Taliesin & Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center
608-588-7900 5607 County Road C
www.taliesinpreservation.org
Tower Hill
608-588-2116 5808 County Road C
www.stateparks.com
Wilson Creek Pottery
608-588-2195 E6101 County Road WC
www.wilsoncreekpottery.com
