No visit to Wisconsin is complete without time at Taliesen, Wright’s home, studio, laboratory, and school. Nestled beside the Wisconsin River, Wright’s home was where he lived and worked, taught apprentices, and created and refined an architectural language that treated buildings as part of the landscape rather than being separate from it.

For Japanese visitors, the Wright connection is especially clear. Famously mesmerized by his visit to the Japanese pavilion at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Wright became entranced by Japanese design principles. His work on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, one of the few major buildings to withstand the Great Kantō Earthquake, remains among the most enduring architectural bridges between Japan and the United States.

Note: We recommend you arrange your visit to Taliesen well in advance. If you want to drive by en route to Pepin from Madison, you can stop in the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor’s Center and take pictures of the magnificent structure from the road. You can also make Taliesen and nearby Spring Green a fun overnight. Canoe the Wisconsin River, hike the beautiful trails at Governor Dodge State Park or Bethel Horizons, or tour the quirky but delightful House on the Rock, one of Wisconsin’s most popular tourist attractions.