Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
10 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
14 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
21 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
21 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Wisconsin Soldiers Grove Bathtub Spring

Bathtub Spring

A roadside spring pooling in an old bathtub where anyone can stop and sip.

Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin

Added By
LaLoba
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Drink cool natural spring water out of bath tub springs.   LaLoba / Atlas Obscura User
Drink cool natural spring water out of bath tub springs.   LaLoba / Atlas Obscura User
bath tub springs  
The bathtub by the side of the road.   Map data ©2017 Google
  LaLoba / Atlas Obscura User
You can still see the old bath tub that sank   LaLoba / Atlas Obscura User
Water was very cold and refreshing.   rubeodos / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Alongside a country road in Wisconsin's rural Star Valley, cool, clear spring water bubbles into a lichen-covered bathtub. Anyone is welcome to drink from it (at their own risk).

The spring used to be property of the Swiggum Farm, which used it to chill milk before transporting it to a creamery the next day. The family drank from it too—the farm didn't have running water until the mid-20th century, but it was no matter because their own personal spring was always bubbling. Drivers would stop to fill their jugs with water. Once or twice strangers even stored six packs of beer overnight alongside the Swiggums' milk. 

Sometime after the Swiggums sold the farm, a mysterious someone stuck a pipe into the hillside spring and hauled an old fashioned porcelain tub out to collect the spring water. There are even two tin cups on a chain for those in need of refreshment. 

No one knows who placed the mysterious bathtub here. The original tub sank into the boggy ground, but was replaced by another. The water is reported to taste sweet and slightly mineral. The government declared it unsafe to drink from, but that doesn't stop the many thirsty passersby who stop to swig from the bathtub spring. They point to Pearl Swiggum, former owner of the neighboring farm and a columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal, who famously lived to the ripe age of 101, drinking spring water for most of her life.

Related Tags

Spring Water Hidden Farms

Know Before You Go

Between Viroqua and Soldiers Grove, WI in Star Valley near Troll Toppem Road.The bathtub is at the exact coordinates listed where McManus Road meets the main C road.

Community Contributors

Added By

LaLoba

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, MagnumPI, rubeodos, jessicahawk

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • MagnumPI
  • rubeodos
  • jessicahawk

Published

May 9, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://theyellowfarmhouseonthehill.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/past-troll-toppen-road-to-bath-tub-springs/
  • http://lacrossetribune.com/stories/news/on-wisconsin-there-s-something-mysterious-about-the-water-in/article_6a24e07f-5fc0-5694-b3e0-ef64f5870598.html
  • http://www.findaspring.com/locations/north-america/usa/bath-tub-spring-soldiers-grove-wi-54655/
  • http://www.realworldsurvivor.com/2013/03/01/driftless-organics/
  • http://host.madison.com/wsj/pearl-s-retiring-as-popular-columnist-hits-she-calls-it/article_6826eeea-bccf-534e-98b3-b8e1bc543bca.html
Bathtub Spring
51465 Co Rd C
Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin
United States
43.389863, -90.886145
Get Directions

Nearby Places

A.D. German Warehouse

Richland Center, Wisconsin

miles away

The Painted Forest

Woodland, Wisconsin

miles away

World's Largest Six-Pack

La Crosse, Wisconsin

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wisconsin

Wisconsin

United States

Places 182
Stories 29

Nearby Places

A.D. German Warehouse

Richland Center, Wisconsin

miles away

The Painted Forest

Woodland, Wisconsin

miles away

World's Largest Six-Pack

La Crosse, Wisconsin

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Wisconsin

Wisconsin

United States

Places 182
Stories 29

Related Places

  • Brow Burn, Scotland

    Brow Well

    Mineral well linked to the final days of a beloved Scottish poet.

  • A tiny remnant of the “vegas” for which Las Vegas was named.  The Boy Scout chimney is in the background.

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    Springs Preserve

    The birthplace of Las Vegas is now preserved as a historic and natural area.

  • Bronze hen near the spring.

    Sønderborg, Denmark

    Hønekilden (The Hen Spring)

    This enchanting spring, steeped in local lore and a touch of royal history, was said to be the place where newborns were collected, rather than being delivered by storks.

  • The entrance to the crack

    Homosassa, Florida

    The Crack on the Chassahowitzka River

    A hidden paradise in one of Florida’s most unique rivers.

  • Three Sisters Springs is the only place in the United States where visitors can legally interact with wild manatees.

    Crystal River, Florida

    Three Sisters Springs

    This natural spring is the winter home to the largest gathering of manatees in the world.

  • Rock Springs Run winds through a lush segment of semi-tropical forest.

    Apopka, Florida

    Rock Springs

    Approximately 65,000 gallons of crystal clear water pour out of this headspring every minute.

  • A large mineral column within a dark cave

    Garrison, Utah

    Crystal Ball Cave and Bates Family Ranch

    This prehistoric karst cave is situated near a working ranch and historic warm springs.

  • The spring and memorial marker

    Columbia Falls, Montana

    Shepard Memorial Fountain

    Crystal clear, drinkable mountain spring water by the side of the road.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.