"A Real Magic Kingdom"

"Calliope music played: a Strauss waltz, stirring and occasionally discordant. The wall as they entered was hung with antique carousel horses, hundreds of them, some in need of a lick of paint, others in need of a good dusting; above them hung dozens of winged angels...And then there was the carousel. [He] stared, impressed in spite of himself, at the hundreds of full sized creatures who circled on the platform of the carousel. Real creatures, imaginary creatures, and transformations of the two: each creature was different...all of them brightly colored and more than real: each rode the platform as the waltz came to an end and a new waltz began.

This is how author Neil Gaiman described a part of a truly magical world located in Spring Green, Wisconsin; a hilly area just 45 minutes from Madison Wisconsin. Our stop at the House on the Rock completely enchanted me on our cross country trip, and I am not a guy who typically favors the word enchanted. Unlike the mammoth, glitzy, commercialized theme park created by Disney, I believe the magic embodied by the House on the Rock is more authentic. Because of the House's humble beginnings, genuine creativity, and love for inspiring the imagination, I hope to convince you that the House on the Rock's charisma is more potent than Disneyland's Kingdom.

The House on the Rock was originally built as a private, weekend residence by Alex Jordan in the 1940s. People were intrigued by his unique home perched atop a 60 foot chimney of rock. To discourage public interest, he began selling tickets to tour his 14-room castle which featured an Infinity room. This room extended 218 feet from the house, and 156 feet above the valley floor and was designed to give the optical illusion of a room which extended forever. Despite his attempt at humbly working on his life project, his pay-to-play plan failed. Each year, increasing numbers of curious visitors came to see what was going on at the Rock.

Disneyland, however, had much grander beginnings. Walt Disney and his brother Roy were influential figures in Hollywood. They sought to create a new type of family attraction for tourists to visit. Unlike Mr. Jordan, the Disneys needed to finance their grand plans. Through an agreement with the American Broadcasting Company, they secured the capital necessary to complete the park. Along with this deal, came marketing plans, promotional budgets and all the usual Madison Avenue trappings to entice visitors to this new venture.

From their beginnings, you can see the two attractions were cut from different cloth. For me, the self-starting spirit exhibited by Mr. Jordan is much more inspiring than the corporate Disney story. Comparing their starts is like comparing Thomas Edison to Microsoft. Both have developed numerous of wonderful ideas, but picturing the Wizard of Menlo Park, toiling in his workshop, has a charm that a cadre of developers in Redmond, Washington cannot match.

The House on the Rock was conceived by Alex Jordan. Mr. Jordan did not, however, stop once the house was constructed. He was fascinated by all aspects of human endeavor. Once visitors complete a tour of the house, they continue wandering through and exploring the acres of collections and inventions. Pneumatic symphony orchestras, collections of guns, dolls and organs, life sized whale dioramas, and the world's largest miniature circus are just a few of the collections and curiosities that can be found at the House. And of course, the aforementioned carousel. It claims to be the world's largest at 35 foot tall, 80 foot wide. It features 20,000 lights and 269 handcrafted carousel animals, none of which are a horse! When I walked into the carousel room, I was overwhelmed with sights and sounds. The spinning lights, whirling colors and whimsical calliope music took me to another place. A place where creativity reigned, anything was possible and even grown men from New Jersey could be enchanted.

Disneyland is a very unique place. But from a well financed entertainment giant, I would expect such mainstream, pop-culture display. Disneyland is logical and well organized. Visitors are herded through the park and every aspect of their visit is under the control of the Disney Imagineers. These experiences are well engineered for fun, but often don't leave room for the individual to imagine. Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorite rides, but its story is linear and relatively predictable. When riders leave their boat, they might be humming the yo-ho theme, but it's on to the next ride. I've never heard statements like "I wonder what..." or "It was amazing that..." in the gift shop after a Disney ride.

Stimulating the imagination is what I believe both Disney and Alex Jordan had in mind when they designed their parks. Fundamentally, I suppose I am questioning the motive behind their endeavors. The rhyme or reason is left to the beholder at the House on the Rock, like an abstract painting. Disneyland, on the other hand, lays clear the route. Mr. Jordan invites his visitors, albeit an initially reluctant invitation, into his home and make of it what they will. Each person brings their own interests and eye for aesthetic. Each person will take home their own interpretation and experience. Disney on the other hand, ensures a consistent experience for every visitor.

In the same way that I prefer a homemade ice cream or cheesecake, with its chunks and quirks over a perfectly processed Pepperage Farms cake, I prefer the open ended, unique, and truly magical world, in the hills of Wisconsin over the stereotyped fantasy castle in Anaheim.

So if you ever find yourself cruising across the country and you see signs for Spring Green, Wisconsin, I hope you will remember this speech or at least the existence of this truly Magical Kingdom…waiting there, quietly on a rock, for those with a thirsty imagination and an appetite for the extraordinary.

Sources:

Disneyland Wikipedia

House on the Rock

Neil Gaiman

My Visit