By Amanda Wegner | Photo by James Kicmol
When you look north while driving along Highway 151 through Verona, a bright splash of color will catch your eye. Seemingly from nowhere, an expanse of rich red, punctuated by bright white window frames, punches up from the horizon.
It’s the Barn, one of the many mystical, magical buildings housing staff supporting the development of healthcare software on the Epic Systems campus. It is also open for public exploration via a self-guided tour of Epic’s 1,670-acre campus. With campus buildings connected by a network of tunnels and enclosed skyways, winter presents a prime opportunity to schedule a visit to escape the dreary and enter the dreamy.
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!?!
On a recent afternoon, my partner and I headed to Verona for our pre-scheduled self-guided tour. I selected a 4 p.m. slot on Thursday, which is not recommended, as tours end at 5 p.m.
Navigating the campus we dodged Cow Bikes, which employees are free to use to move around the property, we arrived at Epic’s Intergalactic Headquarters. Be on the lookout for nursery rhyme character Humpty Dumpty, who sits as a sentry outside the entrance.
After signing in at the front desk our greeter informed us that each campus takes about an hour to explore and asked which one we wanted to visit. On a whim, we selected the Storybook campus. He confirmed that we made a good choice.
With a tour packet in hand and some brief directions, we headed to King’s Cross, the starting point for the Storybook campus tour.
While the indoor tour is a delight in itself, the grounds are also well worth the visit. With six campuses to explore — Prairie, Central Park, Farm, Learning, Wizards Academy and Storybook — each has a distinct look and plenty of outdoor art. On our walk we find a snake sculpture hiding in the landscape and a steed crafted of horseshoes, standing at the ready.
Once we arrive at King’s Cross, so named for a major rail hub in London, we enter and walk through a graffiti tunnel, the Roundhouse and past the railcar. We then set our sights on a psychedelic Cheshire Cat painted in the window of Alice, the first stop on the tour.
Just a few feet in, my partner’s eyes opened wide, and his first words were one part question, one part exclamation: “What is going on here?!?”
Drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the first room has a Queen of Hearts theme, including a large heart-shaped hearth. But look right, and things suddenly turn topsy-turvy with an upside-down staircase. It is both a visual delight and overload. And just the start.
Near the heart-shaped hearth, we met a group talking excitedly.
“It’s more than I expected it to be,” says Jean Binversie, who was visiting with sisters Jody Reisler, Judy Jelinek and Jayne Nilles. “It’s like an art museum and a fantasy world in one.”
The sisters, originally from Kiel, WI, unanimously agreed it was best to plan ample time for a self-guided tour. “We’ve been here two hours. There’s just too much to see and things hidden in every corner,” says Nilles.
HUSTLING ON
Cognizant of our limited time, we turned to our Storybook tour packet after chatting with the sisters. Each tour packet provides clear written instructions and reference photos to navigate the buildings; there is also a BINGO card featuring highlights of the campus.
Following the white rabbit hallway, we began down a series of corridors marked by individual offices. Peeking in, we could see staff hard at work and collaborating in meeting rooms. Initially, it felt a bit voyeuristic, but it’s clear that staff are accustomed to seeing tour participants traversing the hallways. In fact, several stopped to ask if we needed directions when they saw our noses in the tour packet.
Since tours are available during working hours, a rule of the self-guided tour is to remain quiet in the hallways to avoid disrupting employees. For this reason, I recommend that families plan a weekend visit; with so much to see, children may have a hard time containing their excitement.
After Alice, we arrived at Oz, which, accordingly, calls on scenes from The Wizard of Oz. Here, you can take a quick detour to Munchkin Country before hopping back on the yellow brick road (in the form of carpeting).
From Oz, you head to Monster Land, which offers a detour to Castaway, which opened in 2022 and is meant to resemble a shipwreck reassembled as a building. Returning from Castaway, you hit Sci-Fi. Through the Storybook buildings, it’s clear that staircases provide great fodder for design and intrigue; to move from Sci-Fi to Mystery, a “trip” on the rocket staircase is required.
Mystery pulls in motifs from Clue, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. This building leads to Jules Verne, evoking under-the-sea vibes, including a massive set of blue tentacles, à la Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, crawling up the staircase. After escaping the tentacles, grab a golden ticket and make your way through the Chocolate Factory, a sensory menagerie that even Willy Wonka would appreciate.
The penultimate stop is Grimm and the Gingerbread House, where you’ll meander past the Frog Prince, Rapunzel’s luscious locks, candy poles and apples that are best left to Snow White. Arriving back at Alice, look for the Rabbit Hole, one of two slides hidden away on the campus.
With the clock just past five, we stepped outside and opted to wander a bit longer around the grounds of Wizards Academy. Depending on one’s age, this campus feels like either a stroll through an old university campus or a Harry Potter movie. There are plenty of photo opportunities through this campus, though you may need to explain what a phone booth is to younger tour-goers in your group.
With the sun starting to drop below the horizon, we head to Humpty Dumpty with a promise to return and explore more of the campus. With so much surprise and delight, one visit will never be enough.
Extend Your Verona Visit
Couple your self-guided Epic Systems campus tour with a few extra stops in Verona. Here are some suggestions:
- Verona Public Library: The library features massive 35-foot floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a wildflower prairie, so settle in with a few books and enjoy the view.
500 Silent St., veronapubliclibrary.org - Orchard: This farm-to-table gastropub is an extension of The Cider Farm, an organic orchard in Mineral Point. Enjoy one of their handcrafted ciders with some lunch or dinner.
881 W. Verona Ave., orchardrestaurants.com - The Sow’s Ear: Known as “the Midwest’s first café and yarn shop,” grab some new knitting supplies or sit a spell with a sandwich or coffee.
125 S. Main St., knitandsip.com - Kate & Toot’s: Best following an adults-only tour, this self-serve wine bar gives your tour group the opportunity to find their new favorite white or red.
109 S. Main St., tootandkates.com
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