Burlington, Wisconsin -
Sci-Fi Cafe and Earth Mysteries Museum

I visited the Sci-Fi Cafe and Earth mysteries museum in October. I must say the Vortex Conference was very enjoyable. The owner, Mary, is very knowledgeable and very easy to talk to, as is her husband Brad. The place radiates a cozy, home-like atmosphere. I also loved the boutique they have set up across the hall. There is so much to look at! What made me more comfortable as well is that you can see them prepare your food. To any paranormal or UFO enthusiast, researcher, or Sci-Fi buff, I recommend the Sci-Fi Cafe. [Abby Jones, 11/15/2011]

My friend and I stopped by this place because we were in the area, and I had visited once before in 2008. There was an author's convention (of sorts) going on, with several of them at tables just hanging out and talking about everything from God and the ancient pyramids, to ghosts and UFOs. We ended up buying two books, and had them signed, which was really neat. It had such a homey vibe that we stayed long after lunch, and into dinner hour. The shakes and smoothies we ordered were outstanding, and the burgers were delicious.

If you are looking for something ordinary, then this place probably isn't for you. But if you like things that are a bit unusual, and can appreciate an ancient mystery or two, then I would highly recommend stopping by the Sci Fi Cafe [Anonymous, 11/12/2010]

I visited the Sci-Fi cafe with a few friends in October -- difficult to find because of the small sign out front. Upon entering, it was immediately awkward. We were greeted by a man who told us to sit anywhere. The room was crowded with various dusty items, including a multitude of troll dolls.

My husband asked for a banana smoothie, to which the man replied, "Problem. I don't know how to make smoothies." I ordered a salad. "Problem. I'm not sure I can make that." He then checked the ingredient list and confirmed he could in fact make it. One of my friends ordered an breakfast muffin (which was the last muffin available). The man came back a few minutes later, "Problem. We're out of bacon."

The UFO pancakes weren't very good and had M&M's scattered on them (apparently they were supposed to be lights).

In conclusion, the place scared the crap out of us, and we laughed non-stop to subdue the panic. [Anon, 10/02/2010]

A friendly little cafe, gift shop, museum and research center. Stop in and discuss ghosts, aliens and all things paranormal over sandwiches, coffee and ice cream. The cafe (I believe the building is haunted) is decorated with anything and everything that pertains to the paranormal and sci-fi movies. The museum is small and bursting with related information. They also offer haunted woods tours and historical Burlington tours.

Upon our visit, we came to find out that is Burlington is one of the most haunted cities in the US. Apparently it is the home to vortices. [Dee, 07/23/2009]

[RA: They claim to be the only Sci-Fi cafe in the midwest. They also sell Alien Chocolate lollipops with bug-eyed ET heads. The museum has an "ancient electroplated gold rock" -- a relic from mysterious prehistoric Wisconsin. And apparently it's part of Burlington's annual Vortex Conference.]