Wordless Wednesday: Infinity Room

The Infinity Room at the House on the Rock

Wordless Wednesday

Photo by me.

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. 

Wordless Wednesday: House on the Rock

Wall of Vases in the House on the Rock in Wisconsin

More Wordless Wednesday here.
Photo by moi.

American Gods

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

★★★★☆

I have an odd relationship with this book. I first read it in 2007 after Stephen King recommended it in Entertainment Weekly. I’d never heard of Gaiman before and I thought I’d check it out. Whoa.

So as most people who have read Gaiman before might know, American Gods might not be the best place to start with his work. It is dense and complex. It has weird plot lines and skips across the entire country. And yet there’s something about it that just hooks you. After reading it I went on to devour Neverwhere, Anansi Boys, Coraline, Stardust, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens and Fragile Things.

The first time I read the book I think I was so distracted by the strangeness of the plot that I missed the depth of the story. There's so much to take in and it's such a wild tale that I couldn't appreciate it fully until the second time. Part mystery, part fantasy, part character study, American Gods is a mixture of so many things. There are too many characters to mention, but each one is more creatively drawn than the last.

A man name Shadow finds out his wife has died in a car crash only days before he’s being released from prison. Soon he meets a man named Wednesday and against his better judgment he agrees to work for him. The rest of the plot defies explanation, but rest assured it’s a wonderful ride. Whether Shadow is exploring the ineffable world of The House on the Rock or he’s hunkered down in a sleepy town of Lakeside, it’s hard not to root for him.

BOTTOM LINE: Weird and wonderful, Gaiman manages to infuse his love of fantasy into an epic road trip novel. Re-reading this one doubled my appreciation for both the novel and the author. I was able to focus more on the overall story and less on the odd elements this time. This is not the best novel to read if you aren’t sure if you’ll like Gaiman. Read it when you already love his work and only if you like fantasy and aren’t easily offended.

I read this for the R.I.P. Challenge hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings.

The House on the Rock and Neil Gaiman

(The world's largest carousel and 3-story sea monster) 

In Neil Gaiman’s epic novel American Gods he sets an important scene in Spring Green, Wisconsin (Chapter 5 page 117- 141.) That tiny town is home to one of the strangest roadside attractions in America.

When I read the novel back in 2007 I assumed the House on the Rock was completely fictional. It wasn’t until 4 years later when I started making an annual trip to Spring Green to see a Shakespeare company perform that I made the connection. Just like in the book, you drive through a little town called Black Earth and you begin to see signs advertising the attraction.

 (The Infinity Room- a view from the outside and inside 

and one of the interior rooms of the original house)

So during this year’s Spring Green pilgrimage my friend and I finally went to the House of the Rock and toured its wild exhibits. I re-read the scene from American Gods right before going and I couldn’t believe how accurate his descriptions were! Not only were the big things correct, but every detail was the same. There was a fortune telling machine right at the end of the road in the Streets of Yesterday section. The Infinity Room, the sea monster, the carousel, it was all there in vivid detail.  

(The Streets of Yesterday and the Mikado Room)

The whole place has an incredibly creepy vibe. There are walls of antique marionettes and porcelain dolls. We couldn’t help but be surprised that a horror movie has never been filmed there. The labyrinthine home has low ceilings, carpet everywhere and the eerie cast of red light shines on everything. It feels surreal, like you’ve walked into a strange dream (or nightmare).

(The Japanese Garden and the Carousel) 

The man who created the original house must have been an obsessive collector. You can almost see where his interests switched from object to object. There’s a collection of model ships that spans three floors! Another collection of antique guns, then airplanes, then model toys, then Japanese items; it just doesn’t end. I kept wondering what would possess someone to create something this elaborate in the middle of nowhere.

(The coin operated "Drunkard Dream" in action and the fortune teller)

It’s a complete sensory overload and when you finally make your way back outside you feel like you’re reeling from the noise and color of each new room. The excessiveness of the place is almost obscene. There’s not just one room with a huge collection of instruments that play themselves, there are about four! There is a peaceful Japanese Garden outside of the main warehouses and it’s a much-needed respite for people after they finish their tours.

If you’re a fan of American Gods or of roadside attractions I would highly recommend visiting the House of the Rock. It’s a weird experience to be sure, but not one you’re likely to forget!

Photos by moi.