American Players Theatre, Arcadia Books, and Wisconsin Weekends

Every single year, since 2010, I spend one weekend in Spring Green, Wisconsin. There's an incredible theatre there called the American Players Theatre that performs everything from classic Shakespeare to cutting-edge intimate plays. It's my absolute favorite theatre and one of the only places I've been where you can see professional Shakespeare under the stars. 

The tiny town of Spring Green includes a wonderful bookstore called Arcadia Books that I always visit while I'm there. I am never disappointed by their collection and I always leave with at least one (usually more) books. 

The town also happens to be home to Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture studio and a current architecture school. House on the Rock is also located there (and plays a big part in Neil Gaiman's American Gods).

It's in the middle of nowhere, but the strange collection of attractions means there's a constant stream of people visiting. If you're ever in the Midwest you should definitely take time to visit! It's only about 3 hours from Chicago and even just seeing one of the plays makes the trip worth while! 

A few of my reviews of APT shows: 
2010 
2011
2012 
2013 
2014 
2015 

APT photo from here, bookstore photos by me. 

Reading the States: Wisconsin

State: WISCONSIN

Fiction:

- Loving Frank* by Nancy Horan

- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle* by David Wroblewski

- Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright

- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

- Off Keck Road by Mona Simpson

- Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen

- A Reliable Wife* by Robert Goolrick

- Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwartz

- American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

- A Map of The World by Jane Hamilton

- The Women by T. C. Boyle

- Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr
- Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Shotgun Lovesongs* by Nickolas Butler
- American Gods* by Neil Gaiman

Nonfiction:

- WAU-BUN by Mrs. John H. Kinzie

- The Land Remembers by Ben Logan

- Blankets* by Craig Thompson

- Old World Wisconsin by Fred L. Holmes

- They Marched Into Sunlight by David Maraniss
- Wisconsin Death Trip by Michael Lesy 

Authors Known for Writing in or about the State:

- Christina Schwartz

- August Derleth

Authors Who Lived Here:
- Stephen E. Ambrose

- Thornton Wilder

- Tim Cahill

- Peter Straub

- Jack Finney

- David Wroblewski

Great Bookstores:
A Room of One’s Own

Arcadia Books

Fireside Books and Gifts

The Reader’s Loft

Literary Places to Visit:

The House on the Rock

*Books I've Read

Photo by moi.