9:00a. Hampton Inn, Janesville, WI
It's not clear what our plan for today will be, but one option is: just stay in bed all day and rest.That is a perfectly fine plan and if that's how it goes, so be it.
2:00p. Madison, Wisconsin
Enough people woke up that we decided to actually check out Madison.All of the "Things to do with kids in Madison" websites pointed us to an eclectic restaurant called Ella's Deli. This place is a sight to see: it's crammed from floor to ceiling with vintage toys and puppets and dioramas and mobiles and too much crazy stuff to count. (It's almost as if they hired Frankie Capri to decorate.)
Each dining table is itself a game of some sort -- my kids liked the 'Wooly Willy'-style table the best.
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| Flippin' magnets. How do they work? |
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| The four-year-old surveys his teddy-bear French Toast, while his oldest brother practices reading and thinking. |
We enjoy playing "I Spy" and having lunch and especially the ice cream for dessert.
4:40p. Henry Vilas Zoo. Madison, WI
The torrential rain that crossed the city earlier in the day has mostly passed, so we have a chance to check out the free local zoo before it closes.
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| This awesome-looking playground was closed for the day :-( |
But perhaps the most interesting creatures to watch are the North American Pale Hunchbacked Nerds, also known as Pokémon Go Hunters. They fill the walkways and trails of the zoo, oblivious to their surroundings. It's almost as overwhelming as the bison herd we passed on our way out of Yellowstone.
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| A giant tortoise |
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| A badger |
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| A Pokemon Hunter |
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| A group of Pokemon Hunters is called a Basement. Here is a Basement of hunters. |
7:00p. Culver's Restaurant. Janesville, WI
Ever since we passed into Minnesota, we've been seeing signs for "Culver's Restaurants." It was unclear what Culver's exactly was, but their billboards sported cheeseburgers and milkshakes. We're in Wisconsin, so it seemed like a shame to leave without a dairy-based meal.We drove to the Culver's nearest our hotel and ordered burgers and shakes.
I mentioned to the boys: "Hey, they serve something called 'Cheese Curds' here. Should we order some cheese curds?" They all made faces and goofed on the word 'curds' and generally expressed disdain for the entire concept.
Then the Cheese Curds came.
OMG DO THE MUSIAL BOYS LOVE CHEESE CURDS! I had to head back up the counter to order more. Of all the things on this vacation: the escape room, the mountains, the geysers, the lakes, the wildlife, it seems like Cheese Curds might have created the most lasting memory of the trip.
The "Butterburgers" and ice cream sundaes were pretty tasty as well.
Before we head back to the hotel, I find that the closest Culver's to home is in Columbus, OH. Looks like I might be sending some of my kids to Ohio State.
