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City in Wisconsin, United States
Photo: The original uploader was Kenokewl at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kenosha is Wisconsin's fourth largest city. It is in the state's southeast region. Many of its residents commute to jobs elsewhere, leading to its appellation as "Chicago's northernmost suburb."
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Located on the southern end of the Kemper Center campus, this art museum displays the work of local and regional artists. The building was finished in 1931 and its architecture is an example of the French Renaissance Revival style.
Despite Wisconsin's distance from the battlefields of the Civil War, Kenosha has a museum dedicated to it. The exhibits here focus on the experiences of Midwestern veterans of the Civil War.
Dinosaur museum which also houses the Carthage Institute of Paleontology.
Kenosha's natural sciences and fine arts museum. The lower level houses a large mammoth skeleton, small gift shop, and children's educational room. The upper level houses a taxidermy menagerie and an art gallery.
Built in 1861, this historic mansion sits on the shore of Lake Michigan. Guided tours are offered year round, call the number listed to get the most current times and prices. Seasonal events, such as a haunted house and Christmas concerts, are hosted here.
UWP
Parkside is nestled inside of Petrifying Springs Park. Of interest to the traveler are the two student art galleries, seasonal events, and the theatre where student concerts and plays occur, all of which are open to the public. Check the website for the play line-up and list of seasonal events. The university's theatre program is surprisingly good and the performances they put on are a great way to get your culture fix without breaking the bank. There is metered visitor parking and on event nights there is often free parking.
Why, you ask, is a fast food chain listed as something you'd want to see in Kenosha? Kenosha has a phenomenon that has endured for several decades. Every Tuesday, weather permitting, car enthusiasts from the Kenosha Car Club bring their classic cars to Wendy's locations throughout the city. The owners of the cars are incredibly friendly and very, very willing to chat about their car, show you under the hood, and give a (sometimes not so) brief history lesson. Also Wednesdays at Culver's (8124 Sheridan Rd) starting at 4PM.
This event filled location has three mini-golf courses, laser tag, go-karts, bumper boats, paintball, and an arcade. It's common to see children (and teens) host birthday parties here. Some of the go-karts are faster than others; always pick the karts near the back of the line and to the far side of the track (winners get to take a victory lap, hence these prime karts being at the back). During the winter, the outdoor attractions close but there is still a decent amount available to entertain your offspring.
Pets Park
This park consists of hiking trails that are both paved and unpaved, cross-country ski trails, a golf course, and several large playgrounds. Many of the hiking trails wind up, down and around the pike river and a few of its tributaries. There is also a dog park.
This water park has two pools: a children's pool that has a small water slide and the regular pool that has two slides and a diving board. Entry fees are cash only.
Petzke Park
A playground designed for children of all ages and physical abilities. There are two sections, one for children under 5 and another for older children. The park is designed to be wheel chair accessible and caters to children of all abilities. There is a wheel chair swing, swings with high backs, and a wheel chair accessible merry-go-round. The ground is a soft rubber material and there are ramps to the various play areas.
This is the oldest operating velodrome in the United States. Bike events are scheduled frequently; check the website for the most up-to-date events. There are minimal fees to participate on race nights. Mondays are set aside for stock bike racing (must be older than 3 years. You do not need to be a member, own a special bike or have a bike license), while Tuesday nights have (very slightly) more stringent entry requirements (must be licensed, older than 9, and riding a fixed speed bike).
This water park is open to the public. There are two large slides and a diving board. One portion of the pool is wading level and offers interactive water features, such as fountains. Entry fees are cash only. Lockers are available for $0.50.
Kenosha is a fairly flat city but several parks have large, man-made hills created with the leftover dirt from when the nearby houses were built. Local youth all have favorite places to sled and it can be an excellent way for your offspring to make friends during your visit (or at least tire your child out while you sit in the warmth of your car). Ingram Park (5726 93rd St) has a very large hill with two different slopes of varying steepness. Across from Bradford Highschool (3030 39th Ave), there is a large hill. One side is very steep and goes into a lake, but the other side is a slightly less steep but still decently high slope. Petrifying Springs Park has multiple, natural hills to sled on but the best is the dedicated sledding hill. From Highway 31 (Green Bay Rd), enter the park via Highway JR, just west of UW-Parkside. The sledding hill is on one of the holes of the golf course. It is easiest to use the entrance on JR to get to the sledding area.
This is a drive-in that has been open since 1954. The burgers are excellent but very small. They are only open from March 1st to Labor Day.
They are only open for breakfast and lunch. There is often a wait during the weekend.
Located in a historic 1920s "diner car" it has been featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives." Waits can be long, especially on the weekends. However, all of the food is home made, so the wait is worth it. Expect big portions at reasonable prices. Open only for breakfast and lunch.
This place has been in business for years and is extra popular with senior citizens. This is a "Greek" style restaurant (which means that they serve everything and have gyros available). The food here is mediocre, but it's clean and cheap. The portion sizes are average and the coffee is acceptable.
This restaurant offers diner-style breakfasts. The chefs here are very proud of their copious usage of butter. If you order eggs, you will get one-plus the number you ordered. This includes omelets, so plan your order accordingly as it is easy to order too much food by accident. The coffee is terrible. The staff are incredibly friendly and almost always will help you construct an order so it is the cheapest it can be by utilizing all manner of specials and combos voodoo.
Open 24 hr, offers very cheap, greasy food and awful coffee. This is an excellent place to nurse an impending hang-over. Most bar-hopping locals that end their night in this area will congregate here after the bars close at 2AM. The staff does not care about you; remember that you are not here for them, you are here because the food is cheap, they are always open, and you need to sober up before your day-job or flight in a few hours.
One part restaurant, one part concert venue, one part bar, and one part cheese mart. You can definitely get your fill of Wisconsin without travelling far from I94. The restaurant food isn't anything special but it's a good place to try local delicacies such as brats and cheese curds. The beer selection is extensive. Check the website for the most current listings of which musicians are playing and for any special events.
This a bar and burger joint that has a nautical theme. The burgers on the menu have unique combinations of toppings and the mac 'n' cheese is excellent. If you order bacon on your burger, adding a bit of peanut butter is highly recommended. The beer selection is decent and there is a large selection of whiskey. There is very limited seating and sharing a table with a party of strangers is common. If you see an opening at a table that will fit your party, simply ask those already seated if you can sit there. There is no waitstaff here: you fill out an order sheet and befriend one of the bartenders or chefs to get food and drink. Parking is difficult. There is a parking lot to the north, across the street. You can park on the side road and there is more street parking on the road behind the building. Persons under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or a spouse over 21.
This place serves Americanized Mexican food. The margaritas are a specialty. This restaurant has an excellent atmosphere with dimmer lighting and is diagonally across the street from a beach. Outdoor seating is available in the summer.
Chicken Palaces serves chicken, tacos, burgers and more. In the same building is La Michoacana, which offers desserts. Everything has a Mexican twist and the majority of the menus are in Spanish with English subtitles. The paletas (a frozen popsicle, which here are either water or milk based and filled with fruit) are absolutely fantastic and refreshing on a hot day.
This is an authentic Mexican eatery. The interior has minimal decorations and cafeteria type seating. There is delicious soup and chips served with every meal. The tamales are fantastic.
Pimmy's serves food authentic to Bangkok and parts of Issarn provinces in Thailand. This place has a cozy, café atmosphere and not much seating. There are lunch specials on curries. Take-out is available.
Serves Americanized Chinese and authentic Vietnamese food. From the Vietnamese menu, the Phở is phenomenal. From the Chinese menu, the fried rice and Mongolian beef are recommended. Dinner portions easily feed two people. Try some Vietnamese style bubble/boba tea during your visit (the best flavors are taro and mango). The interior is set up in a café style with light colors and an atmosphere that invites staying a while. Take-out is available.
This is one of the best sushi places in south-east Wisconsin. They also offer Japanese fusion dishes and authentic Korean food (the owner is a native of South Korea). The interior décor is terrible and only cafeteria style tables and seating are available. It's better to order take-out as the wait times inside can be quite long and the service is slow (but very, very kind and friendly). The neighborhood is a little "rough", so ensure you lock your car doors and keep valuables out of sight.
This is a drive-in that has been in business since 1945. They are open year round. The food is typical American fast fare with burgers, fries, and root beer whirls. They make their own root beer and you can purchase it by the gallon. The Spot is cash-only. There is an ATM at the side of the building, though it is sometimes out of order.
Warehouse themed décor and interior architecture. They serve nicer versions of typical bar food such as wings, burgers, and flatbread pizzas. Their specialty are fries which have a variety of different toppings and sauces drizzled over them. The sweet potato fries are particularly good. The beer selection seems to favor the big name local/Wisconsin brews and domestic beers. Flat screen TVs playing sports channels are scattered around. They are family friendly.
Among locals, this place has a reputation of being "fancy". They serve prime rib and authentic German food. Reservations and dressy clothes are recommended, especially around Valentine's and Mother's Day.
Pizzas made here feature generous toppings. Cornmeal is used to prevent the crust from sticking to the bottom of the pan, which adds a nice texture and crunch. It is more expensive compared to other pizza locations. Take-out and eat-in is offered.
They offer Calabrese-style Italian dishes and steaks. At least that's what they say they offer: most locals just order the pizza, which has a flavorful sauce and a crust that is the perfect thickness. Dine-in and carry-out is offered.
This restaurant has been in business for several decades. Within the past five years there have been suspicions that the sauce recipe has changed, resulting in a less delicious pie. They also offer other Italian dishes, such as home-made ravioli and lasagna. Take-out and eat-in is available. They are closed on Mondays and for an entire month in the fall, during which the owners visit family in Italy.
A nerdy-cool "barcade". The exterior and interior are covered in video game homage murals. The drinks are named after Mortal Kombat finishing moves. This bar also has a few hookahs. The arcade cabinets are free and feature a wide variety of classics. Pool and darts must be paid for. This bar has some interesting hours of business. Sometimes they close for a night, just because (this is rare, but frequent enough to warrant a heads-up). Make sure you have secondary plans lined up and do a "drive-by" to make sure they are open the night you want to visit.
This is a gay bar, but it's the only place in town that has a dance floor so folks from all points of the spectrum congregate here. Among the locals, it has a slight reputation of being trashy. They do events, theme nights, and often have a live DJ.
This place has a fun tiki bar theme and is recommended if you like fruity drinks. Several of the bartenders are heavy handed.
This is a clean, friendly sports bar next to I94. During the summer they have cook-outs and sports events, like volleyball tournaments. There is a grill menu available.
The atmosphere here is homey with décor that features dark wood, stained glass windows and tiffany style light fixtures. The lighting is dark, there are booths in one section, and the stools for the bar are actually comfy. This place is known for its variety of Long Island iced teas. They also offer decent burgers and other grilled or fried food. There is limited parking in the back of the building and an additional parking lot to the west of the building, on 34th avenue.
Industrial-chic bar carries small-batch beer brewed on-site. Occasionally there is live music. Also hosts an annual homebrew competition and several seasonal events.
The hotel is considered quite nice by local standards. It has a beautiful view of the harbor and Lake Michigan. It's located in the middle of the downtown area and within a ten minute or less walk to most of the downtown restaurants and museums listed here. It's close enough to the train station that it would be feasible to stay here, be entertained and fed, and visit Chicago without needing a car (this is all something that can't be said for many other locations in the city). Other than that, it's just ok, a stay here isn't going to wow you. The rooms are mildly dated but clean. It has a pool and a gym. Some rooms allow pets. All rooms are non-smoking.
This store has been open and family operated since 1912. Shopping here is like a step back in time service-wise. Most of the shoes are not fashionable models since the store specializes primarily in comfort and foot health. They also do custom fittings and orthotics. The shoes can be expensive, but they are high quality and should last many years.
The outdoor portion of the farmer's market has grown significantly in the past few years. During this time, the market takes up the entirety of 2nd avenue, near the museums, and the park adjacent to it. There are crafts for sale, in addition to the normal seasonal fruit and vegetables. Live music is played and it is a dog friendly event. Check the website to get the most up-to-date information on whether the event is taking place as there are sometimes closures due to holidays or inclement weather.
No-one knows what Mars has to do with cheese or why it's in a castle. The vast selection of Wisconsin's finest and most famous dairy product prevents us from asking too many questions. In addition to an ungodly amount of cheese, the castle has imported chocolates, wine, local and imported beers, a deli, and touristy kitsch. Even if you don't buy anything, it's a nice place to stop, stretch your legs, and take a picture in front of the big sign.
This is an outdoor strip mall that has designer brand stores and outlets. Sales tax in Wisconsin is significantly cheaper than Illinois and the location near the interstate and state border means that this mall is frequently very busy. People from Illinois often shop here, so expect navigating the parking lot to be frustrating.
It's not expected that you'd buy a motorcycle during your stay, but Uke's has a massive collection of riding boots, leather goods, and branded apparel from this Wisconsin institution. If you can't get further north to Milwaukee to buy your Harely-Davidson souvenir, visit Uke's.
By bike
Many of the streets are being redone to include bike lanes. Bike culture has not yet kept up with these new lanes and occasionally you will find cars driving in or overtaking from the dedicated lanes.
By bus
By car
There are some things to keep in mind when navigating or receiving directions on Kenosha roads. Kenosha is a planned city: roads are laid out in a grid. Streets run east-west, avenues run north-south.
By taxi
Taxi services in Kenosha are not nearly as useful as they are in larger cities. They often quote pick-up times of over a half hour, show up late, or don't show up at all.
By streetcar
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Milwaukee · International · MKE
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