YOU HAVEN'T LIVED HERE UNTIL ...: You've seen a ball roll uphill in the
UP

The Mystery Spot, a small plot of land in the woods, has been in
operation for 51 years. (Mystery Spot)
Where can we see that? At the Mystery Spot, of course.

The what spot? It's a classic roadside attraction in the Upper Peninsula
where the laws of gravity supposedly are suspended along with the
disbelief of adult visitors. The Spot has intrigued three generations of
children and their parents. It is well known, even among disbelievers,
because of its ubiquitous pamphlets and the brightly painted highway
billboards across northern Michigan that sport big question marks and
such enticing words as "WEIRD!" "AMAZING!" and "BAFFLING!"
How popular is it? The Spot has been in operation for 51 years and
claims to have had nearly 3 million visitors.

What's the attraction? The Spot is just that: a small plot of land in
the woods with a tilted wooden shack, a maze, a gift shop, mini-golf and
an arcade. The so-called mystery centers on the shack, in which perky
Mystery Spot employees demonstrate how balls appear to roll uphill, a
tall boy appears to be shorter than his younger sister, and an adult
sits on a chair that appears to be tilting erratically. The Spot says
its history stems from the 1950s, when three surveyors from California
stumbled across the Spot where their surveying equipment didn't work
properly. Weird! I want my mommy!

What's really going on there? We don't want to be spoilsports, but in
talking about Mystery Spot phenomena, the emphasis is on the word
"appear." There are similar spots across the United States and various
explanations floating around the Internet.

Location: Five miles west of St. Ignace on U.S. 2. Phone: 906-643-8322.

When to visit? Open rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 15 to June
15; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 16 through Labor Day; from 9 a.m. to 7
p.m. Labor Day through the third weekend of October.

Tickets: $7 for adults; $5 for kids under 12.
For more information: www.mysteryspotstignace.com.

By Bill McGraw