A lakefront hotel/campground with mini-golf and a poolside bar was all the reason I needed to map our route home through Two Rivers, WI.

After a fun-filled week with friends at their delightfully eccentric lake camp near Rhinelander, it was time to head south. Lake Michigan beckoned with promises of cool breezes and swim-up Spotted Cows (IYKYK).

Named for its location at the confluence of the Mishicot and Neshota Rivers, Two Rivers is connected to its better-known neighbor, Manitowoc, by a 7-mile long lakeside path. Following that trail northward from our richly-amenitied campsite (expectations adjusted for latitude), we soon found ourselves on the doorstep of Hamilton Wood Type Museum.

The fates got this one a bit TOO on the nose. I'm a type nerd. I collect fonts. A defining moment of my education was drawing an entire font by hand. On vellum. With Rapidograph pens, french curves, triangles, and straight edges. It was a legendary, harrowing assignment that instilled a deep understanding of letterforms which has stuck with me for 40+ years.

Anyhow. I was completely undone by the place. A floor-to-ceiling collage of wood type greets you at the door but there's so much more to see. In its displays, histories, demonstrations, and contemporary work, I recognized my people.

A favorite exhibit illuminated the process and people converting classic Hamilton Wood Type fonts to digital. If you've visited a Wawa gas station you may have noticed HWT Artz, a historic Hamilton typeface, lovingly rendered by Erik Spiekermann.

I was only in Two Rivers for a day but that was enough to have me plotting a return. Between house renovations, a fledgling jewelry business, and an elderly K9, I may have forgotten the joy of discovery. It was nice to be reminded of how kind serendipity can be.

See: The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is a living history museum offering classes, events, a gallery and more.

Experience: We didn't take the SS Badger Carferry from Manitowoc to Ludington but I love that we could have! The stargazing on the new overnight service would be amazing.

Shop: Having a friend who is a local really pays off when they take you to a neighborhood gem like the Briar House in Rhinelander. It's a coffee shop, book store, boutique, and gift shop with Up North hippie vibes and I'm still thinking about that blueberry lavender iced tea.