Was I anxious about how well my fledgling relationship with co-worker Howard Reich would withstand the inevitable tensions of a trip? Probably, but I don't remember that now. I only know that the memories we made in Spring Green would amuse us for years to come.
So in June, when our 25th wedding anniversary came into sight, we decided to retake that trip and find out what had changed about Spring Green — and us — in the intervening years.
Why Spring Green in the first place? It has three major attractions: American Players Theatre, an outdoor company; The House on the Rock, a well-known curiosity; and Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright estate. The town's proximity to Chicago, a three- to four-hour drive, and its modest cost also made it a good choice for two young people.
This time we set off on a sweltering mid-July day for Spring Green redux.
Lodging
Now: We found our hotel, the Round Barn Lodge, with little difficulty in the sparsely populated town. The lodge, as its name suggests, is built around what had been a circular dairy barn. Our room was spacious and comfortable, if not luxurious.
Then: When we opened the door to our room at one of the motels in town (we can't remember which one), we found a swarm of flies. Any other aspects of the room have been obliterated in my memory by the vision of my future husband enthusiastically flattening any insects he could corner.
Tips: The area has an array of motels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts and hotels. Call two or more months in advance to reserve a room. Lodging information: Spring Green Area Chamber of Commerce, 800-588-2042 or 608-588-2054; springgreen.com, click on "lodging."
Taliesin
Now: Taliesin, which is celebrating its centennial this year, is the home on the 600-acre estate where Wright lived for more than 45 of his 91 years. Several other buildings are on the estate, including the Hillside Home School, the summer location of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture (it winters in Arizona).
Several tours are available; we chose the Highlights Tour, which lasts two hours and covers the school building and private residence. We boarded a shuttle bus at the visitor center and listened as our informative guide, Kyle Adams, spoke about Wright's life and work.
The private residence proved especially enchanting, its beautiful furniture, fixtures and delicate Asian art objects pleasing the eye as much as the spectacular views to be seen from every window.
Then: We were unable to see much of Taliesin on our first visit; the tour program was in its infancy then.
Tips: Tours began April 28 and run through Oct. 31 this year, and it's best to reserve one. Most of the buildings' rooms are not air-conditioned or well heated. A series of cultural events is being held to celebrate the centennial, including a performance Sept. 23 by the Chicago-based Third Coast Percussion music ensemble. Tour and event information: 877-588-7900, taliesinpreservation.org
The House on the Rock
Now: The "house" — really a complex of 17 buildings — defies description. It is part museum, part theme park and part monument to its creator, Alex Jordan Jr., an eccentric man who died in 1989 at age 75. He started out to build a weekend retreat at the top of a tall rock column and ended up creating what at one time was the most popular tourist attraction in the state (it currently has nearly 400,000 visitors a year, according to its website).
Think of a collection you have seen in other museums, and it is here. Dolls and dollhouses? Check. Antique guns? Check. Circus, aviation and maritime artifacts? Yes, all of those and more. But those collections alone don't make this place unique.
What does? Exhibits dreamed up and built by Jordan and his staff that are somewhere between wondrous and horror-movie-worthy: a roomful of organs of every shape and size; arguably the largest carousel in the world (according to the House), studded with more than 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted carousel animals; and a series of ever-larger music-making contraptions and rooms packed with instruments that play themselves, sometimes with animatronic human figures built in.
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