Summer is soon upon us and that means one thing for me: road trip season. It's time to get out there and see some of our state's local sights – and character. What do a Tesla-inspired sculpture, taxidermy dioramas, trolls, a viking church and a 55-ton boulder have to do with each other? They're all part of Wisconsin's family of interesting (read: odd) roadside attractions. 

1. Rock in the House - Fountain City

I think there's someone at the door, dear.

One fateful day, a landslide sent a 55-ton boulder crashing down the hillside into a home in Fountain City. Instead of removing the boulder and repairing the house, the new owner simply built around the boulder, named it as an homage to a different legendary Wisconsin attraction, and opened it for visitors. When life gives you boulders … make boulderade?

2. Forevertron - North Freedom

Definitely a repair station for steampunk airships.

Fashioned by Dr. Evermor (alias of Tom Every, the sculptor) the Forevertron is an enormous 320 foot tall scrap metal sculpture. It looks like an enormous generator that Tesla might have built. Surrounded by a collection of gun turrets, huge insectoid robots and fanciful, science-fiction Victorian architecture, the Forevertron has inspired many scrap metal artists around the country.

3. Viking Church - Washington Island

Thor's hammer, Mjollnir, is stuck in the earth around back.

Known as Stave Churches, these multi-gabled, pagan-architecture inspired churches were common in Scandinavia during the medieval ages. The Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington Island built this authentic replica in 1993 and it’s currently used for weddings, ceremonies and other gatherings. When I visited it a few years ago I could have sworn that I could hear the crashing hooves of the Valkyrie.

4. Moccasin Bar - Hayward 

Please tell me the wolf got his law degree from Clawumbia. I'll be here all week.

Hayward’s Moccasin Bar is a trove of taxidermy. It proudly displays the world’s third largest muskie as its crowning piece and also includes scenes of animals such as a rabbit cheating at a game of poker, a raccoon depicted as the victor of a boxing match, and a courtroom with a wolf presiding as judge.

5. Mount Horeb Trollway - Mount Horeb

Someone get this little guy his coffee already.

Thanks to Disney’s Frozen, you probably know that trolls are a popular part of Scandanavian folklore. What you might not know is that Mount Horeb, Wisconsin claims the title of “troll capital of the world.” Not a light claim, but given that the entire town has embraced the idea and imported 12 to 16 ft tall carved wooden troll statues from Norway to plant all over town, I’m going to go ahead and give it to them. I definitely have the power to do that.