After a superb breakfast and a tour of the impressive Schreiner’s Restaurant kitchen, we thanked Paul Cunningham and then headed out to view an awesome church, have lunch and see some Clydesdales! (Read more about Friday Night in Fond du Lac.)
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St. Paul’s Cathedral
Now I will be the first to tell you that touring churches just could be last on my list of things to do. But I must also tell you that I have now discovered an exception to that statement. Ms. Ruth Spoerri gave us a most delightful and interestingly anecdotal tour of one of the most incredible structures that I have seen.
St Paul’s Cathedral has some fabulous examples -both in marble and in wood – of German sculptures of the disciples and American wood carvings, along with beautiful paintings, adorn the interior of this church that dates back to the mid 1800’s. Ms. Spoerri is a living encyclopedia with a wealth of historical knowledge and is happy to share it with visitors. I was left with a whole new attitude toward churches and history.
We departed the church and took a short drive around the city to view some of its other historic places, its colleges, industries (Mercury Marine Headquarters are also located here!) and fine old homes – many in the Victorian style.
Juke Box Charlie’s
We then decided to stop for lunch at a really neat little venue called Juke Box Charlie’s, a casual, 50’s and 60’s-themed restaurant sporting a 2-story neon juke box and plenty of large-screened TVs on which to watch your favorite sporting event.
An interesting menu – ditto on the atmosphere – and large portion sizes, coupled with prices that are easy on the pocketbook make this a restaurant worth putting on your list. By the way, make sure to order the homemade potato chips – they are fabulous! (Note: Juke Box Charlie’s is now closed.)
Our next stop makes it to the top of Heidi’s all-time favorites list!
Larson’s Famous Clydesdales
After lunch we headed west out of town to Larson’s Famous Clydesdales. Only about 20 minutes from Fond du Lac (in Ripon actually), Cal and Judy Larson put on a show that you don’t want to miss! It is perhaps the quickest 90 minutes I have experienced lately, but a memory that will last a lifetime.
Clydesdales are fascinating horses to begin with. I mean, everybody has seen them in television commercials in association with a certain beer. But have you ever been “up close and personal” with a Clydesdale? Well, here is a great chance to do just that. Just being in proximity of a horse that is 18 or so hands tall is one thing, but being able to actually touch them is quite another. This is especially true if the one that you touch is a newborn! And the Larsons always guarantee to have a baby Clydesdale available.
At the time we visited, there were a total of 11 Clydesdales there; two of them were yearlings and one was a five-day old foal. You’ll definitely want to see the Larson’s Clydesdales. It’s a great show at a horse farm that is as clean as any I have ever seen, and the horses are obviously quite happy there. Larson’s is open 6 days per week from May 1st through October. All I can say is – this is a “don’t miss it” kind of place!
