A search for oddities along Wisconsin’s 2-lane highways

Longtime residents of Superior have very likely driven past the whaleback boat, the SS Meteor, docked at Barker’s Island countless times.

Likewise, Spooner residents may not give a second thought to a very unique men’s room at a particular local bar. 

But tourists may find attractions and oddities — like those that locals view as everyday sights — as a reason to make a visit.

“We love traveling on two-lane highways and backroads. That’s where you find a lot of quirky things,” said Tom Manus of Eau Claire, co-author with his wife, Kristi, of “Secret Wisconsin: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.”

The couple shared some of their favorite unusual attractions with WPR’s Robin Washington on “Morning Edition” in advance of their Nov. 25 reading and book signing at White Bird Creations in Spooner.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Robin Washington: Which came first — the book idea or the visits? 

Tom Manus: The visits came first. We’re travel writers for online and print publications. We compiled this list throughout the state for years, and eventually we had a publisher that wanted us to write a book. They finally nailed us down.

RW: How many did you see before you said you had to write it? 

Kristi Manus: We have a list of over 500 things already for our next edition. We probably could do a second edition and a third. This is our passion. 

RW: Tell us about the concrete Park in Phillips. 

TM: It’s something that people drive by every day. It was created by a lumberjack, Fred Smith. He was quite a quirky guy, and one by one, he built these concrete figures. He also had a tavern there, which is still in operation. He saved all the colorful bottles and put them in the concrete statues. The tavern is still open.

KM: Now they put on art classes. Tom and I actually took a felt art class and had a blast. 

RW: You have an entry for Luck, Wisconsin as the yo-yo capital of the world.

KM: Who doesn’t love a yo-yo? Duncan Yo-yos were originally produced in Chicago, and they were running out of lumber there. So the head of Duncan moved his whole operation to Luck, and basically everyone in town was working at the yo-yo factory.

There’s a museum there that houses all kinds of yo-yo memorabilia, and also the world’s largest yo-yo.

People were getting bored with yo-yos, so they switched from wood to plastic, and that’s when he sold off the company and they moved out of Luck. 

RW: You list a bar in Spooner with a rather unusual piece of presidential memorabilia.

TM: When John F. Kennedy was campaigning in Wisconsin, he went to this bar and he had a drink. The bar saved the glass that he had the beer in, and they have a little display with it.

But when you drink, of course, you usually have to go to the bathroom. So there’s a plaque on the door of the bathroom, and they have a sign above the urinal commemorating the presidential visit. 

RW: Some of the quirky things you included are customs and traditions, not necessarily attractions. 

TM: Yes. In Sheboygan, there’s a proper way to eat a brat, and if you don’t eat it the right way, there could be some big disagreements. You eat it on a hard roll with some brown mustard and a little bit of onion. That’s a tradition that’s been going on forever. There’s also the brat oath that you can take. They have it posted at the Sheboygan Visitor Center. 

RW: As you said, you’ve got enough material for at least a second book. But are weird or quirky attractions indigenous to Wisconsin? Every state has something on the roadside. 

TM: We’ve lived all over the country and we’ve traveled to 48 states. But Wisconsin is by far the quirkiest state that we’ve seen.

KM: Anywhere in the world! We’ve been all over the world too, and Wisconsin people are very unique. 

If you have an idea about something in northern Wisconsin you think we should talk about on “Morning Edition,” send it to us at northern@wpr.org.