Usually my cousins make an annual trip to Door County. This year they decided to skip Door County and visit the Driftless Region on their yearly trip to Wisconsin. When I saw their itinerary, I asked if I could join them the day they were going to go to Taliesin. They agreed and we made plans to meet up.
Taliesin is Frank Llyod Wright's Home and Studio in Spring Green, WI. It is open for tours April-November. There are four different tours you can take each of varying lengths and costs. We opted for the Highlights Tour which was 2.25 hours and cost $70. They do not allow kids under 8 are allowed on any of the tours.
The tour starts at the Visitor Center where they go over ground rules before busing you over to the property.
Our tour started with a visit to Hillside, which was Frank Lloyd Wright's school. We saw the assembly hall, drafting studio, and the expansive theater. Our tour guide was wonderful and explain the design behind everything plus all the unique features of each of the rooms.
Of the three rooms we saw, the theater was my favorite especially since it was uniquely designed. Even the seating was very unique. The curtain was designed by the students as a gift and illustrated the property.
After finding Frank's boot print in the stone and learning about the windmill and Japanese bathing tub, we headed up to the Taliesin home.
Taliesin was built, rebuilt, and added on to from 1897 to at least 1957. We saw several rooms of the house. A guide led us to each room but our tour guide was the same one from Hillside. He was just as informative here as he was at the school. He continued to tell stories about Frank Llyod Wright and his family. You really learned a lot of him as person and an architect.
Frank liked low ceilings as you came into a room. I mean really low.
We saw his personal drafting room and hidden safe.
The living room and Loggia. We joked about how uncomfortable and difficult to get out of the chairs were in his house. These chaise lounges were probably one of the more comfortable looking pieces
Mrs. Wright's Bedroom -- the last Mrs. Wright I should say. As well as Frank's bedroom.
At first I gulped at the $70 price tag at the tour they picked out. After taking the tour, I felt that it was definitely worth the price. We decided the Highlights Tour was the right choice for us. We saw just about everything, didn't have to do too much walking, and nothing really was skipped over like some of the less expensive, shorter tours.
After our tour, we grabbed lunch at the restaurant on site. This was the best option since there really is not many places to eat at in Spring Green. I had a grilled cheese and my cousins had club sandwiches. Everything was very good and reasonably priced. The cookies were amazing.
There was a list I saw on Facebook earlier this summer about the Highest Rated Things to do in Wisconsin according to Tripadvisor. Of the 30, I now have done 23 or 24 since Taliesin was on that list. If you have never been, I highly recommend checking it out. You will learn some interesting facts about Frank Lloyd Wright and his legacy. Next on my list is to complete the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail in Wisconsin and see Taliesin West in Arizona.
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