As I traveled from stop to stop on the 8th Continent Soymilk Taste of Life Tour- I could feel autumn approaching and Halloween costumes and candies right around the corner. I longed for a creepy encounter, a scary movie, something to raise the hairs on the nape of my neck. And then, I arrived in Dodgeville Wisconsin to go to The House on the Rock.
One of the best priced hotels in town happened to be the coolest hotel I had stayed at thus far. The Don Q Inn is a hotel that almost has the feel of a wooden cabin, with “fantasy suites” and standard suites, you can go there for a honeymoon or just to crash in town for a couple of days. I got a standard suite, no need for a mirror over my bed.
The hallways were long and creaked when you walked down them. The old-fashioned lights hung from the wooden structure and the room numbers were oddly assigned. For example, my room was 322, and was on the 2nd floor all the way at the end on the left. How this made sense? I have no clue.
There is a restaurant a parking lot over from the Don Q Inn, and as I checked in they boasted about a tunnel that connect the hotel to the restaurant so you didn’t have to face the cold weather. I checked in, lugged my things up to my room, and grabbed my laptop and camera to head through the tunnel, which I was expecting to be a hallway of some sort, to go to the little bar that had deep-fried menu options… and not much else.
I most certainly wouldn’t call it a hallway… it was a tunnel- underground and creepy as hell! I could see terrifying, eerie stuffed animals in the cracks and crevices of the underground tunnel. There was that chill I was hoping for. Then I peered around the next corner and saw a homemade body. I yelped and each dark corner got even darker and made me pick up my pace. There were abandoned doors, sinks, and even boots sticking out of the wall. I know they didn’t do this on purpose to scare guests- but it did- very much so! Luckily I met three awesome guys that played pool and darts with me until we were all ready to go, and they escorted me back through the scary tunnel to play cards in the lobby of the hotel. The “hallway” didn’t feel as long when I had three men walking me back.
The next morning, I drove 7 miles up the road to The House on the Rock. It was about $30 to walk through the whole property- and it takes about 3-4 hours… no joke!
I knew there was some really cool architecture and collections of things- but I had absolutely ZERO idea how trippy this place was! The House on the Rock was the grand vision of Alex Jordan, who believed that sights and sounds were the most effective means of stimulating the senses.
News had traveled around town, and by the time Alex Jordan finished constructing the main house, there were car-loads of people coming to get a glimpse at the man who was building a home on a rock in the middle of nowhere. Shortly afterward, Alex Jordan opened the house to the public and charged a small admission fee so he could continue his dream, and his collections. Needless to say, he got a bit obsessed.
Each room twisted and turned, sometimes with low ceilings, sometimes with massive structures, but each one… in a way seemed completely eerie. Alex Jordan didn’t explain what he has left behind, he wanted people to interpret what they wanted from his creation.
This has got to be one of the coolest places to tour during Halloween time. From the antique dolls, to the huge carousel (located inside). Hanging angels peer down at the tourists walking through and there are countless amounts of self-playing music machines that are activated into an orchestra by inserting a token. This man, Alex Jordan, MUST have been mad.
The Infinity Room was one of the main attractions of the House. It opened in 1985 and projects out over the Wyoming Valley 218 feet and contains 3,264 windows. It was specifically designed to look as if the room goes on for infinity.
There is also the Doll House building which opened in 1984 and displays over 250 dollhouses. After that you enter the Doll Carousel Room, you run into two carousels with over 500 bisque dolls. I don’t know man, but there is something creepy about antique dolls that only worsens when you put them on their own special carousel, twirling around slowly… all those little beady eyes seeming to stare directly at yours.
If you get a chance to visit this place- do it! They also decorate the entire estate with elaborate Christmas themes and Santa’s during the holiday season. Yet another success story in the history of extreme self-expression! To read more about The House on the Rock go to: http://www.thehouseontherock.com/
This was my last stop on the 8th Continent Soymilk Taste of Life Tour. Heading back to Ohio now- but I will still be active online and keep you all updated on the crazy things I am getting into everyday! Add me on Facebook!