Madison, Wisconson - Day 5

 Cheese.  You can't go to Wisconsin without visiting a cheese factory. We learned so much about how cheese was made and got to try our first squeaky cheese curds.  I don't think anyone loved them, but it was fun to try. 

Fascinating fact!

This girl loves cheese. We even bought her a shirt from Cedar Grove Cheese. We also purchased a couple of cheeses to try, and they were some of the best cheeses I've ever had.  We aren't fancy cheese eaters here, so we just tried a white cheddar and a Monterrey, and we loved them both.

Our final stop of the day was by far the strangest place we have ever been - House on the Rock.  The creator of this home basically spent his whole life collecting thing and adding on rooms to his house.  It is the oddest thing we have ever seen.  I think I'm glad we went, but I'm still debating if it was a wise use of our time and money. ha! Macy is my collector.  She thought it was awesome.

This was the view from the Infinity Room which stretches out above the trees.

A room with a huge Moby Dick scene.

The builder was fascinated with self-playing instruments.  He only traveled out of the country on one occasion and that was to visit Europe to learn about how these instruments work.  He created about 8-10 of these displays that play music.  The displays were very large, and quite detailed.

House on the Rock is home to the world's largest carousel.  You can't ride it.  It is filled with dolls - many of which are quite creepy looking.

When we left, we were all wondering what in the world we had just seen.  It was so bizarre that it can't be accurately explained, but I can also guarantee there is no way we will ever forget our time here.

Lucky for these girls their dad keeps an eye out for their favorite restaurants that we don't have close to home.  Boston Market is always enjoyed.  Well, it's mostly the macaroni and cheese that is enjoyed.

 We drove back to Chicago for the night since we were flying out the next day.  This was such a fun, adventure-filled vacation, and I'm so glad we had this time together as a family.