After leaving Eau Claire, Shae, Truffles and I made our way northeast to Phillips. We’d booked an Airbnb about 15 minutes north of Phillips, a city that’s home to only 1,500 people.
Phillips is also home to Wisconsin Concrete Park, an outdoor museum / sculpture park that contains more than 200 sculptures. Even better, the park is free to visit.
Local sculptor Fred Smith lived on the property where the park’s now located and started creating the concrete sculptures in 1948. He built hundreds more over the years, but the majority of them were subsequently damaged in a storm after he passed away in 1976.
Many of the sculptures have been restored in recent years, so there’s plenty to see on a visit to Wisconsin Concrete Park.
When you arrive at the park, you’ll see a sign asking you not to touch or climb on the sculptures.
That’s understandable seeing as they don’t want the sculptures damaged, but there’s an additional – and likely more important – reason they don’t want anyone touching or climbing on them.
That’s because most of the figures are created with not just concrete, but with broken glass embedded in it.
There are several park ranger / soldier-looking sculptures dotted around…
…along with all kinds of animals.
There are also plenty of concrete sculptures featuring both people and animals, ranging from a horse and rider…
…to a cow being milked by someone called Mable…
…and even a scene from Ben Hur.
Wisconsin Concrete Park has sculptures of other humans…
…and even non-humans.
There are even sculptures dedicated to the Statue of Liberty…
…and Marines raising Old Glory on Iwo Jima.
Wisconsin Concrete Park is found on Highway 13, so it’s a great highway attraction to stop at if you’re traveling along that road. If it’s lunchtime when you visit, there are some picnic tables and a restroom you can use.
If you need to stretch your legs a little more, there’s a half-mile long nature trail. When visiting in the summer, you’ll want to use bug spray as there were tons of mosquitoes in Phillips during our stay in July.
There’s plenty of parking for cars, along with a separate parking area for buses and RVs.
If you’re artistic and will be staying in the Phillips area for a little longer, Wisconsin Concrete Park runs several workshops and events throughout the year. Most of those sessions at Friends of Fred Smith Studio are paid, although some are free.
Before leaving the park, you might also want to check out the Historic Smith House that’s on site. Featuring a gallery and gift shop, it’s open 10-4 from Memorial Day through to October.
Final Thoughts
If you’re traveling along or near Wisconsin’s Highway 13, Wisconsin Concrete Park is definitely worth a stop. It’s a one-of-a-kind outdoor sculpture museum that’s perfect if, like us, you love finding quirky things to do on a road trip.
With more than 200 concrete sculptures, there’s plenty to see and it’s a strangely fascinating – and free – attraction.
Address
Wisconsin Concrete Park, N8236 State Hwy 13, Phillips, WI 54555. Here’s a direct link to it on Google Maps to make it easier to get directions.
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