Nothing quite like the place where “mustard happens.” At the not-nearly-famous-enough Mustard Museum (7477 E. Hubbard Ave., Middleton, 800/438-6878, www.mustardmuseum.com [1], 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, free), just outside the gravity pull of Madison’s western fringes, you’re greeted at the door by cheery, delightfully irreverent hosts, their lapels exclaiming, “Just let us know if you need any condiment therapy.” And all this because of one of those accursed, classic Boston Red Sox September Swoons—Bill Buckner’s infamous boot of that World Series Game 6 groundball, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for the hapless Bosox. Barry Levenson, a lawyer before that moment, became an apostate to the game. In a scene from a twisted Field of Dreams, Barry wandered into a late-night grocery store where the mustard jars were heard to say, “If you collect us, they will come.” (Umm, OK.) So he opened this eccentric museum featuring the underappreciated spice. What better place to open a mustard museum than a state where bratwurst is king? All kidding aside, this is a serious place, with more than 2,000 mustards on display. It’s also the world’s largest mustard retailer—400 to buy and 100 to sample. Ladysmith, Wisconsin’s own Royal Bohemian Triple Extra Hot Horseradish Mustard, is the hottest. The museum has even sponsored National Mustard Day, heretofore known as August 5. One of the most enjoyable stops in Wisconsin, the Mustard Museum is a must-see.
Links:
[1] http://www.mustardmuseum.com