Page 415 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

WISC ONSIN  413

Valley. Rides on restored
paddlewheel steamboats offer
a relaxed way to enjoy great
views of the river. Another
alternative may be Perrot State
Park, 30 miles (48 km) north of
La Crosse. In Trempeleau, south
of the park entrance, stands the
Trempeleau Hotel, the town’s
only building to have survived a
fire that took place in 1888.

/ Apostle Islands
@ Bayfield. n (800) 447-4094.
Taliesin, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s sprawling estate in Spring Green ∑ bayfield.org
, Spring Green . La Crosse Off the state’s northeastern
Lake Superior coast lie a group
* 1,300. @ n 150 E Jefferson St, * 51,000. ~ £ @ n 410
(800) 588-2042. ∑ springgreen.com Veterans Memorial Dr, (800) 658-9424. of 22 islands, the remains of
∑ explorelacrosse.com retreating glaciers from the last
This handsome farming Ice Age. They were named
community lies just north of Founded as a trading post in the Apostle Islands by 17th-
the Wisconsin River. In 1911, 1842, La Crosse emerged as a century French missionaries,
architect Frank Lloyd Wright, key railroad junction after the who incorrectly assumed that
who spent his childhood in Civil War. The city’s well- the archipelago included only
nearby Richland Center, built preserved downtown 12 islands. Today, 21 islands
Taliesin (“Shining Brow” in district, and tree-lined form part of the Apostle
Welsh) on a bluff overlooking neighborhoods Islands National
the river. The 600-acre (240-ha) around the University Lakeshore. The old-
estate was Wright’s home until of Wisconsin-La growth forests here
his death in 1959 and included Crosse campus provide the habitat
a school where his disciples add to its charm. for resident bald
were instructed in his Prairie- It also makes a fine eagles and black
style design philosophy. Today, base for exploring bears, while vast
the Taliesin Fellowship runs the the Mississippi River stretches of sand
school and an architectural firm towns along the beaches with sea
on the grounds. Guided tours Great River Road Sailor mannequins for sale caves, carved by the
lead visitors through Wright’s Scenic Byway (see p51) at Bayfield wind and lake into
eclectic home and gardens. as it passes through craggy, brownstone
About 9 miles (14 km) north of the state. cliffs, make the Apostle Islands a
Spring Green is the House on East of downtown, Grandad popular destination for those
the Rock. This sprawling resort Bluff, 600 ft (180 m) above the interested in ecotourism.
complex has a home built on city, offers superb views of La A local cruise service from
top of a 60-ft (18-m) chimney Crosse and the Mississippi River Bayfield, on the mainland,
rock. The house, built in the ferries visitors to the islands,
1940s by eccentric architect one of which holds the 1881
Alex Jordan, is the focal point Sand Island Light Station, with
for a rambling museum exhib- its octagonal tower built from
iting Jordan’s vast collection locally quarried sandstone.
of Americana. Various outfitters in Bayfield
rent kayaks and provide guided
P Taliesin charter tours. Adventurous
5607 County Rd C, Spring Green. hikers walk miles to see surreal
Tel (608) 588-7900, (877) 588-7900. ice caves in winter.
Open May–Oct: 9am–5:30pm daily.
& 7 ∑ taliesinpreservation.org } Apostle Islands
P House on the Rock National Lakeshore
5754 Hwy 23. Tel (608) 935-3639. 415 Washington Ave, Bayfield.
Open Mar–Oct: 9am–5pm daily (to Tel (715) 779-3397. Visitor Center:
6pm Jun–Aug). Closed mid-Mar–May, Open 8am–4:30pm Mon–Fri.
mid-Oct–mid-Dec, Jan & Feb: Tue & Closed mid-Oct–Apr: Sat & Sun;
Wed; Thanksgiving, Dec 25. & 7 Grandad Bluff, an observation point east of federal holidays. & 7
∑ houseontherock.com downtown La Crosse ∑ nps.gov/apis

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