There’s a story behind the name: Mario decided to use a nickname that he and his wife used for each other and their son, Mario Jr., taking the first three letters from their names (M–A–R), and making it plural. There was even a Mars Castle Motel at one point in time, but it didn’t last.
With each move, Mars also grew in scope, going from a simple cheese market to a lunch counter and cafe, then a supper club, and today the site includes a tavern. Over the years the business was forced to move twice-once due to a fire and again because of an interstate expansion. In 1947, Mario and his wife Martha established Mars Cheese Castle in an old schoolhouse in Kenosha. He witnessed the success of the businesses along it and decided he would open a family cheese shop along the interstate that was being built back in Wisconsin. Inspiration for the business struck when Mario Ventura visited California and saw the interstate highway for the first time. Mars has been serving up cheese for nearly 75 years. | Photo: Darienne Stiyer Three generations of royalty | Photo: Darienne Stiyer The Mars Cheese Castle’s current location. In the state where cheese is king, the Mars Cheese Castle certainly looks the part.
Its sandy stone facade, complete with a guardhouse, flag-festooned turrets, and a drawbridge-inspired entrance, acts as a beckoning beacon to roadtrippers from all over the country. It is designed to be exactly what the sign proclaims it to be: A medieval chateau among 21st-century warehouse buildings. Located in Kenosha across the interstate from a sprawling Amazon Fulfillment Center, the Mars Cheese Castle is hard to miss no matter where you’re arriving from. When I visit, cars parked in front of the Castle sport license plates from all over the Midwest: Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.
In May, 2001, the rock band Weezer even held a record signing event at the Castle. Kennedy, Johnny Cash, and basketball coach Al McGuire are among the more famous visitors who have stopped by the Wisconsin cheese shop. Mars has long been a destination stop for travelers driving along I-94 and has attracted some high-profile customers throughout the years. On the off chance your interest isn’t piqued by the looming sign, the building situated next to it should do the trick. At a whopping 80 feet tall, the Mars Cheese Castle sign towers over Interstate 94. On the drive north from Chicago to Milwaukee, there is one roadside sign that stands above the rest-literally.
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