Celebrating American Design:
Prairie Architecture and Wood Type Craft
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Registration deadline is July 15
Join us on our visit to Two Rivers, Wisconsin on the banks of Lake Michigan where we will tour a Frank Lloyd Wright house and the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum.
Note that this field trip is being organized by PLATO and there will be three pick-up stops in Madison: East Towne Sears, Capital Lakes, and Oakwood Village University Woods.
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Still Bend
Join us for an guided tour of Still Bend, Frank Lloyd Wright’s visionary “Dream House” brought to life. Nestled along a bend of the East Twin River in Two Rivers, this 3,000-square-foot home offers a rare glimpse into Wright’s revolutionary design for the modern American family.
In 1938 LIFE magazine invited Frank Lloyd Wright to participate in an article called “Eight Houses for Modern Living” where he was to design a "dream house" for a typical American family. Of the plans Wright submitted to Life magazine, Still Bend is the only one that was actually built, making it a one-of-a-kind destination for architecture lovers and history buffs alike
This house is a unique, two-story Usonian home—Wright’s innovative, affordable design for middle-class families, featuring open floor plans, in-floor heating, and signature Wright furnishings.
The house’s 65-foot-long recreation room, original Wright-designed furniture, and stunning riverside setting create an atmosphere of tranquility and inspiration
To learn more about Still Bend, see
Wikipedia article on Still Bend
Conde Nast Traveler: My Favorite Airbnb: A Frank Lloyd Wright House in Two Rivers, Wisconsin
If you have Netflix, Still Bend was featured on season 2, episode 1 of The World's Most Important Vacation Rentals
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Hamilton Wood Type
& Printing Museum
Experience the sights, sounds, and stories of American graphic design and printing like never before. The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is a one-of-a-kind destination—the world's largest repository of vintage wood type and the country's biggest typographical museum.
- See working presses and type in action
- Get hands-on with vintage tools and materials
- Explore the artistry of letterpress printing
- Learn about the legacy of Hamilton Manufacturing, once the largest wood type producer in the country
- Discover how designers, artists, and printers are keeping this craft alive today
Whether you're a history buff, a design lover, or simply curious about how printing shaped communication, this tour will leave you inspired. Walk among thousands of drawers of type, admire stunning posters, and even try your hand at printing!
We will have a 90-minute guided museum tour with a hands-on letterpress printing experience. Following the guided tour, each participant prints a poster (with hand-set wood type) to take home.
From a review on TripAdvisor: "My wife and I loved this place. It tells the story of a little known industry founded in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Wood Type and wood cut illustrations were used in the past to print posters, advertising, and flyers. Banner headlines for newspapers were printed with wood type rather than lead. The Hamilton museum has well over a million examples of wood type, it also displays and explains the processes required to convert maple logs into usable type and printing blocks. On displays are huge saws, sanders, pantographic routers, flat presses, letter presses, linotype machines and of course all the output of those presses. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We were so glad we visited."
To learn more about the museum see
https://woodtype.org/pages/press
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Lunch
Lunch is included in your registration fee and will be at Cool City Brewery
Lunch consists of
- Signature Cool City Smashburger (the vegetarian option is an Impossible burger)
- Soup Flight - 3 small cups of soup (on a flight board to each individual giving everyone a variety to taste. The soup flights always include a vegetarian option.
- Salad (served family style in large bowls on the tables with dressing.
- Fountain drink, iced tea or 5 oz. draft beer
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Miscellaneous
Cost: $116 per person and includes bus transportation, driver tip, admission fees, and meal.
Registration Policy: PLATO will refund an event fee if cancelled prior to the registration deadline of July 15. Refunds after the registration deadline are only processed if a wait-listed registrant can attend or there are extenuating circumstances. We encourage you to register early so we know if we have enough people to make the trip financially feasible.
Dress Appropriately: You should dress appropriately for the weather (i.e., comfortable, closed-toed shoes, umbrellas, raincoats, jackets, hats and gloves).
Accessibility: On the bus, you must be able to climb steps to board and exit the bus. If you need assistance, we require that you bring a friend to give you a hand.
Non-Member Policy: Members must register their guests. Each PLATO member is entitled to bring one non-member guest per bus trip. Members may bring more than one guest near the registration deadline date if seats are available. Check with trip organizer.
PLATO Membership: PLATO membership is $60.00/year and all memberships renew on July 1.
Mail-In Registration Form: Print, Fill-In, and Mail this Form for those who wish to register off-line and by check.
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Bus and Travel Details
We will have a 56-passenger Van Galder/CoachUSA bus. Please arrive early at your boarding stop so you don’t miss the bus. When everyone is aboard and seated, we leave. Arrive early and we will all arrive at our destination on time to begin our adventure.
– Don’t be late. We can wait just 5 minutes at any one location.
- Our bus is equipped with WiFi and toilet facilities.
- Social Distancing will not be available on the bus.
Itinerary
Leave Madison
6:45 AM Bus arrives at Oakwood Village University Woods, 6205 Mineral Point Rd
7:00 AM Departs Oakwood Village University Woods
7:25 AM Departs Capitol Lakes - 333 W Main St (Free parking only in ramp’s uppermost “S” Level)
8:00 AM Departs East Towne Sears parking lot - (Across from Culvers under Lamp Post 10)
Two Rivers
10:15 AM Arrive Hamilton Wood Type Museum
12:00 PM Depart Hamilton for Cool City Brewing
12:15 PM Arrive Cool City Brewing
1:15 PM Depart Cool City for Still Bend
1:30 PM Arrive Still Bend
2:45 PM Depart Still Bend for Madison
Arrive Madison (Estimated)
5:15 PM Oakwood Village University Woods
5:45 PM Arrives Capitol Lakes
6:15 PM East Towne Mall
For further information, contact trip organizer, Bob Shaw, robert.e.shaw@gmail.com , 608-255-3486
