The House on the Rock in Wisconsin, USA

To be honest, I stole this week’s Saturday offering from a book.  Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and Wisconsin’s House on the Rock plays a role in his novel, American Gods.  This made me curious as to what this place is and exactly what it has to offer.  What I discovered is that The House on the Rock, located just north of the city of Dodgeville, is one of the strangest museums on the planet.

The story behind the House’s construction is that it was first begun by the father of a man named Alex Jordan, Jr.  It was started by the father in the 40s and then continued by the son once his father had passed on.  It first opened in 1959 and was finally passed on from Jordan, Jr.’s hands in 1988.  All the while, and to the present day, it has been added to, growing into a natural phenomenon in its own right.

The short explanation of the House is that it is a building filled with a massively huge collection of objects both mundane and bizarre, from tiny to gigantic.  Just a few examples of what one might see in the House include medieval armor and weapons, armies of model airplanes, the world’s largest carousel (with 239 separate rides), the world’s largest cannon (so big a room had to be constructed around it), a room filled with dolls and automated machines that put on robotic shows at the drop of a coin.  A walk through the House is accompanied by tunes piped out courtesy of 35 music-making machines.  The rooms are based around themes and contain such wonders as a giant sea monster and one room that boasts 182 chandeliers.  There are so many objects at the House that it would be impossible to list them all.  In essence, the site is like the world’s biggest museum and garage sale all rolled into one and then given a big dose of LSD.

Exploring the House is a self-guided experience, or three to be exact.  The place is so large that it would be quite the task to explore it in its entirety without breaking a sweat.  Today, it gets larger and larger.  They’ve added one entire area dedicated to Jordan, Jr.’s life and expanded to include a resort and hotel.  Considering the size of the place, it’s a good idea to give people a place to stay so they have the chance to explore the entire thing.  If you’re a fan of the unique and strange, The House on the Rock is a place that should not be missed.  For more information, check out their website.

Music Room photo courtesy of Ruscoe via Wikicommons