Oddball Wisconsin: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places (Oddball series) | 
| Author: Jerome Pohlen
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.94
You Save: $6.01 (40%)
New (24) Used (10) from $8.75
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 328049
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4
ISBN: 1556523769
Dewey Decimal Number: 917.750444
EAN: 9781556523762
ASIN: 1556523769
Publication Date: April 1, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Chatty Belle, the World's Largest Talking Cow. The Mendota Monster. Apostles on Parade. The UFO Capital of the World. Romeo, the clown-stomping elephant. Car-washing octopi. Other travel guides suggest the same old scenic driving tours, homey bed-and-breakfasts, and the best fall foliage—Oddball Wisconsin offers offbeat travel destinations and little-known historical tidbits. Where was Liberace born? What is a hodag and where do you catch one? Who invented the hamburger? And will a Polka Hall of Fame ever be built? This is the guide to the real Wisconsin, birthplace of the snowmobile, the typewriter, and the ice cream sundae, home to Jimmy the Groundhog and home of the Rudolph Grotto and Wonder Cave—the state where people proudly wear the moniker “cheesehead.”
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| Customer Reviews:
On, Wisconsin, indeed. June 22, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is one of the most enjoyable books I've ever read about my home state--in the midst of so much (generally) endearing weirdness, Jerome Pohlen manages to capture the spirit of this place better than any "Discover Wisconsin" ad campaign I've ever seen.
Pohlen casts a broad swath over the entire state, even above Highway 8 "up nort" (a lot of people tend to forget that we even exist, so it's always refreshing to find someone who hasn't), in search of the strange, the homespun, the downright wacky, even the morbid. And he finds it in spades. Whether you're a local Sconny looking for some ideas for day trips, or an out-of-stater passing through on the way to the Dells, there's something in this book that you'll feel compelled to stop & see. Well, if you're into fiberglass oddities and going somewhere other than Door County, that is.
Love this book June 7, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a fun and interesting book about Wisconsin.
Each chapter, according to areas of the state, gets better and better. I couldn't put it down!
I Love This Book ! October 1, 2002
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you have an appetite for the curious or offbeat, this book will fill the bill. I don't have plans to visit all the places and things mentioned in this book, but just sitting and reading it was a hoot. Not just a guide to the oddball, but histories and trivia are included. This is Wisconsin at its best.
 Road tripping through Wisconsin's unusual side July 11, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Most people when they go on vacation go to national parks like the Grand Canyon or theme parks like Disneyland. How many would go to see the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame with a giant embalmed worm on display? Or how about the world's biggest corkscrew? A serial killer's grave? The author saw these things and more in Wisconsin and compiled them into this book. It's an enjoyable journey through Wisconsin's strange side and is recommended for die-hard road trippers or those interested in America's stranger side.
Cheeze Heads Unite! May 12, 2001
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Where does this guy get all this information? I thought the book would only be full of goofy things like monolithic cheese monuments and the world's largest six pack. Although it has that in spades, there are also plenty of historical places to see, like the shrine to the birthplace of the Republican party and the grave of Edward Gein, inspiration for Silence of the Lambs. Growing up on the west coast, we used to watch movies about the midwest and say things like, "Wouldn't you go absolutely insane in some small town out there?" Oddball Wisconsin has answered my question. This is a great book if you're in the area or just want to get out of Chicago for a while.
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