road tripping this summer?
By enealio on Jun 29, 2009 in Weird Stuff
Why not take a tour of some of the weirdest and most fascinating places out there? A recently started website, Atlas Obscura, is collecting and mapping the weird and wonderful places in the world. MN only has a few so far. I’m a fan of Weird WI but I really like that this is a ongoing wiki to collect the odd and unusual places of the world. I’m guessing that PDD folks know of all the best places here in MN and WI so add some stuff. Then when the kids ask “Are we going to Valley Fair?” you can tell them “No, even better. We’re headed to Dutch Corners Phillips, WI to see Fred Smith’s Wisconsin Concrete Park.”
So which state has the weirdest stuff? MN or WI? I’m leaning towards WI.
I was listening to Jean Feraca’s show once and she had someone on who, I do not kid you, claimed Wisconsin has the most eccentric people per capita of any state in the USA. I kinda believe it.
The concrete park is in Phillips, Wis., on Highway 13.
Just in case anyone wants to go.
you’re right. i thought that seemed wrong as i visited the park many times as a kid. i corrected it.
There was a study that concluded that Wisconsin had the most eccentrics per capita. As a ‘sconny native, I certainly felt like one (an eccentric) after I moved to Minnesota. Trouble is, too many of the Wisconsin eccentrics have presented others with the image of cannibal loners like Ed Gein and Jeffery Dahmer. Some of us are outgoing cannibals.
Hi, I just stumbled across this. As the co-founder of the Atlas Obscura and a proud Minnesota raised mid-westerner I felt I need to weigh in…
Wisconsin kick Minnesota’s ass so hard in weirdness, it isn’t even funny. In fact, Wisconsin kind of kicks everyone’s ass in weirdness. Right now the Atlas has 12 things in Wisconsin and only 7 in Minnesota, but I know there are scads more in both. I would love to hear if you PDD fellows knew of any good ones we are missing (info@atlasobscura.com)
Anyway, that’s it and thanks for such a nice write-up!
Most noticeably absent from Atlas Obscura’s map is A World of Accordions Museum in Superior.