Atlanta, Illinois

Recently we had a chance to drive through Atlanta, Illinois, located along historic Route 66.
I found Atlanta to be a wonderfully charming town, even though many of the buildings were vacant at the time of our visit in October.
One of the things I loved about Atlanta was the restoration of several old murals painted on brick buildings. I've often lamented the fact that Peoria, IL has not done that sort of thing, despite there being remnants of several murals here and there.
One of the murals in Atlanta is the "J.M. Judy & Sons" grocery store mural. A sign under the mural reads: "During the 1890s, J.M. Judy operated his grocery store on the first floor of this, the Union Building. As the 70' x 15' mural attests, Mr. Judy also dealt in Queensware, a popular china pattern of the day, notions, and musical merchandise. Bill Diaz of Pontiac, Illinois created this design using a photo taken in the early 1900s of the original J.M. Judy & Sons mural that adorned this side of the building.
The "J.M. Judy & Sons" mural was completed in June 2002 during the "Rt. 66 Firecracker Walldog Jam" gathering of approximately 35 Letterheads in Atlanta.
The Letterheads are a group of generous and free-spirited sign painters from across the United States and Canada who are interested in preserving the art of painting outdoor signs and murals."

There are other restored murals in Atlanta including one for Reisch Beer. The Reisch Brewing Co. was located in Springfield, IL.
Reisch Beer Will Give You Health & Strength, claims the tagline at the bottom of this mural. Hmm, I wonder if Chubby's Bar & Grill has any stashed away in the cooler?

The next mural I saw, for the Palm's Grill Cafe, flanks another favorite roadside attraction, a muffler man.
This 19 foot tall Paul "Bunyon" hunk of manliness is cradling a hot dog in his arms now, but once toted an axe.
He used to hold down the fort at Bunyon's restaurant in Cicero, and after the restaurant was sold in 2003 he was moved to his current location.

The Atlanta Public Library & Museum is yet another site to behold. I found the building to be stunning with its unique architecture, Illinois’ only 8-sided, limestone Public Library & Museum. The library was built in 1906 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I definitely plan to visit Atlanta again when I have some time to stop by for some lunch, pie and drinks and do some more sightseeing. It feels like the sort of town that knows how to serve up a true slice of Americana, and that's always tasty in my book.

Atlanta Public Library & Museum (other sites nearby)
100 SE Race St
Atlanta, IL 61723

Antique Toy Museum

Traveling to and from Lake Ozark in Missouri, we passed the Antique Toy Museum in Stanton, MO.
On our way back, we stopped to check it out.
We stepped into the adjoining gift shop and paid our $6 admission to get into the museum.
The museum is filled with over 3,000 toys from dolls to tractors to planes and even a room with antique cars and trucks.
We saw a set of mechanical dolls from Germany, and a model train was running on a track near the ceiling.
With toys dating from the turn of the century to the mid-1960s, many of them were a bit before my time, but I did see a few newer ones, and it was a fun roadside jaunt.

Antique Toy Museum
2426 S. Outer Road
Stanton, MO 63079

World's Largest Rocking Chair

On our way to Sunrise Beach, MO, we buzzed by a sign on Interstate 44 touting the World's Largest Rocking Chair, and made a mental note to check it out on our way back.
This is a fairly new attraction, having only been put on display April Fool's Day 2008 in Fanning, MO.
The chair towers at well over 40 feet tall, perched next to the US 66 Outpost and General Store. We were disappointed to find the general store closed on Sundays, but I did manage to snap a photo of our 70 pound black lab under the chair, which illustrates just how robust this rocker really is.

World's Largest Rocking Chair
5957 Highway ZZ
Cuba, MO 65453

Two Bit Town

A trip to Lake Ozark would not be complete without checking out the Bagnell Dam Strip.
On our recent visit to Missouri, we parked along the strip and checked out the Rebel Arcade, opened in 1972.
Our next stop was next door at Two Bit Town. We bought four tokens for two dollars so we could go through the maze and Crazy Cousin's Cabin.
The maze is a series of wooden walled paths where you have to locate 13 doors in order to find your way out. Walking through, we noticed several weeds, but on a hot day, the vines covering the top of the walls at some points provided some much needed shade.
We found our way out in about 10 minutes, but StfRon wasn't convinced we should go through the turnstile and thought we must have missed a door near the end. We kept looking until finally the token booth lady said "You guys can come out at any time!" She had heard us coming to the end and realized we must not have figured out we could exit there!

Our next stop was Crazy Cousin's Cabin, a mystery spot of sorts where the tilted walls of the cabin provide a visual illusion and make you feel like gravity has taken a vacation, or at least had one too many cocktails at the Topsider!
We had fun checking out the different places in the cabin to pose, sit or walk and we both noticed we felt a little dizzy or light-headed at times!

Two Bit Town
1475 Bagnell Dam Blvd.
Lake Ozark, MO 65049

Ha Ha Tonka State Park castle ruins

On our recent visit to the Lake of the Ozarks area in Missouri, we took the time to stop at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton, Missouri to view the castle ruins.

Around 1900, Robert McClure Snyder, a prominent Kansas City businessman was so impressed with the beauty of the area that he began purchasing much of the surrounding land and eventually acquired over 5,000 acres.

Snyder dreamed of building a private retreat that would rival castles of Europe. He brought in stone masons from Scotland and a hired a European supervisor to ensure proper construction techniques.
Kansas City architect Adrian Van Brunt designed the three-and-a-half story masterpiece. The stone and timber used were taken from the vicinity of the construction site and were hauled by mule team. Construction began in 1905.

Also on the property were nine greenhouses, a stable and an 80 foot water tower, all built of the same stone and timber.
The water tower fell victim to vandals in the 70s, but still stands today.

Tragically, in 1906, Snyder was killed in an automobile accident. The interior of the castle remained unfinished until 1922 when Snyder's sons completed the upper floors of the building.

The Snyder family then faced years of adversity in trying to keep the property in the family. Eventually they leased the mansion to a Mrs. Ellis who operated it as a hotel.

In 1942, one of Ha Ha Tonka's fireplaces sparked a fire in the mansion. All that remains today are the walls on the edge of the cliff. The State of Missouri purchased the estate in 1978 and opened it to the public as a State Park.

Visiting the site and enjoying some of the 12 hiking trails, we were impressed by the beauty of the property. The views rival those that we saw when visiting the Rhine/Mosel valley in Koblenz, Germany.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park
1491 State Road D
Camdenton, MO 65020

Lou's Drive-In

Looking for curbside service like the good old days? Lou's Drive-In in Peoria, Illinois still offers curbside service after 5 p.m. on weekdays, and all day long on weekends. Just pull up and turn on your headlights and a server will come by to take your order.
Lou's, opened in 1953, is a seasonal business, open from spring to fall only.
With lots of great sandwiches like tenderloins, chicken, burgers and BBQ, plus hot dogs, fries and onion rings, not to mention the homemade root beer, Lou's always makes for a fun time.
Tired of being in the car? Grab a seat at one of the tables and enjoy a little bit of nostalgia with your burger and fries.

Lou's Drive-In
4229 N Knoxville Ave
Peoria, IL 61614

Metro Milwaukee and homeward bound

This weekend we squeezed in a short trip to the Milwaukee area.
My mom found a German restaurant online she wanted to check out, which was located in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Weissgerber's Gasthaus turned out to be a lovely European styled building with beautiful decor.
The Gasthaus has been serving German favorites for more than 30 years.
My mom and I both started with the spinach salads with hot bacon dressing (a la carte for $4) and both chose the Sauerbraten ($21) as our entrée.
StfRon went with the pork shank ($25), over three pounds of roasted pork on the bone. My dad chose the Rouladen ($22).
From the pretzel rolls and ciabatta style bread to the spinach salads topped with savory dressing to the tangy Sauerbraten and red cabbage, everything was wonderful. I didn't finish it all, and didn't even get to sample the sauerkraut. If it was anything like the red cabbage, I surely missed out.
We've sampled a couple of German restaurants in the Milwaukee area over the years, and I would rate my meal at the Gasthaus the best meal I've had in Wisconsin thus far.

Unlike Saturday, Sunday dawned a picture perfect Milwaukee spring day. Because of the great weather, we enjoyed breakfast outdoors and ended up hanging around the city a bit longer, taking our time on the way home. We checked out a couple of antique shops, and started the trek south sometime after noon.
StfRon pulled off the Interstate in Delavan, WI, to see about some lunch options.
Interestingly enough, it turns out Delavan has some fun history. We noticed the statue of Romeo the elephant along the main brick street, and got out to see what the town's claim to fame was.
In 1847, the Mabie brothers, owners of the U.S. Olympic Circus, then the biggest traveling show in America, selected Delavan for their winter headquarters. This was a year before Wisconsin became a state and 24 years before the Ringling Brothers raised their first tents in Baraboo.
Delavan’s land and water was a great fit for the circus animals. The Mabie brothers' circus stayed on Delavan Lake, where their dynasty survived in Wisconsin for the next 100 years.
From 1847-1894, as the circuses grew in strength and numbers, hundreds of performers from over 26 circuses wintered in Delavan.
P.T. Barnum Circus was also founded in Delavan, in 1871.
Delavan's circus run came to an end in the mid 1980s when the E.G. Holland & Co. Railroad Circus shut down.
More than 250 members of these circuses are buried in cemeteries in Delavan.

Our next jaunt off the Interstate was Clinton, WI, because StfRon spotted an 1895 limestone water tower from the highway.
We decided to see if there were any geocaches in the area, and I found one that I wanted to check out.
The cache was placed near a historic bridge spanning 400 feet across the Turtle Creek Valley near the village of Tiffany.
The Tiffany bridge is a 5 arch stone bridge built with no steam or power in 1869, one of the most scenic railroad bridges in northern IL/ southern WI. It is still in active use on the Janesville branch of the Union Pacific Railroad.
On such a beautiful day, the site was quite peaceful. We saw several people canoing and had it been a tad warmer, I probably would have stretched out on the grass where I could hear the water bubbling along the creek and taken a nice rest. But we had to get home some time, so off we went.
I'm glad we found out about this site and were able to check it out.

Weissgerber's Gasthaus
2720 N Grandview Blvd
Waukesha, WI 53188

Delavan, WI 53115

Tiffany, WI 53511