Madison, Wisconsin

Kate's summer will have only been two months long by the time school starts again. (Because her school got out way later and her new school starts way sooner.) The first month was spent mostly moving, so we are trying to at least do some fun stuff on the weekends to make this summer a good one. 

A couple weekends ago, we thought we'd check out Madison, Wisconsin. We looked at our trusty website roadsideamerica.com and found some great things we wanted to check out, we booked a hotel and away we went. 

Now, I don't know if it is having three children, having those three children sitting in close proximity to each other or if we are just getting older and more impatient. But man, road trips seemed way more effortless when we just had two. Needless to say, this road trip had a few bumps but we made the best of it and saw some cool things that made it worth it.

First stop, (well second stop, because the first stop was closed down, which was a super bummer, but that's another story) was Ella's Deli. It started out in another location as a Kosher deli by a lady named Ella and then later was bought by a couple who opened up a second location. The husband went to a circus museum and was amazed at all of the animatronics and decided to make that the theme of the second deli. The first deli closed, but the second Ella's Deli is still going strong. 

The kids in awe by it all.

Millie had the pleasure of sitting under this moving Sponge Bob. Every time it would come over her, she would get all nervous. But as she got used to it, he eventually became her friend.

All of the tables had some thing encased in them. Our table was puppets or dolls. Not sure.

Sam thought this banana guy was pretty cool.

The girls taking it all in.

A cool PEZ dispenser table.

The deli part, including a soaring Superman.

Waiting for a carousel ride.

The whole set up. It seems like ice cream would be what I would stop in for if we went again. The dinners reminded me of what would be served in the 1970's, which could be cool for some. I should have taken a picture of my plate, it was a pretty classic meal. Ryan got beans and franks and loved it. They make a lot of stuff fresh on site including their bread so maybe I would try a sandwich next time. Anyway, it was fun. The kids still ask about going there again.

Next stop, a marker marking a time that Elvis got out of his limo and broke up a fight in front of a gas station. The gas station is gone, but the marker still stands the test of time. Please read and keep in mind it was a chubby, last few months of his life Elvis doing karate moves, not the young guy that's depicted. That makes the story even more awesome.

The next day we went to this Unitarian church that was built by Frank Lloyd Wright. This was the only picture I got, as it was a major bust. Let's just say it was closed to the public on Saturdays and a child had a meltdown in a wing of the church we were quietly trying to walk through. Super awkward.

Not wanting to end our trip on a bad note, we stopped in Rockford, IL on our way home and visited the museum there. Rockford is home to the sock monkey and to the women's baseball team the Rockford Peaches (aka: League of Their Own), so we had to see their exhibits on the topics.

Our little sock monkeys.

Closing out the post with a picture of three reasons why we do these little trips. One day they will either think we were cool to drag them around or they will hate road trips with a passion and prefer to fly everywhere. You're welcome and I'm sorry in advance.