Add Kenosha to your Midwest road trip this year. Located in the southeast corner of Wisconsin on the Lake Michigan shore, you can start exploring the community through its food culture. From gastropub offerings of craft beer and fried cheese curds to fine dining experiences with wine flights and tapas-style small plate cuisine, there is something for every taste and budget. Visit old-fashioned supper clubs and diners, a cheese castle, craft breweries, and year-round farmers’ markets.
Locally owned restaurants are plentiful – many are family-owned with multiple generations on staff. This makes the dining experience extra special with locally sourced food, fresh ingredients, seasonal menus, and customized dishes. In late February each year, the community’s delicious dining scene is celebrated with Kenosha Restaurant Week.
Come for the food and stay to explore! Downtown Kenosha is located just steps from Lake Michigan. Its shopping and dining district is a mix of historic charm and modern vibes, with multiple opportunities to get on the water. Ride an authentic Electric Streetcar along the harbor!
Kenosha is a community full of history and culture. Three historic districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places – with a fourth one listed as a locally designated historic district. A plaque in the Library Park Historic District notes the 1915 birthplace of acclaimed actor, writer, director, and producer Orson Welles.
Within a one-mile radius are five memorable museums. At the Civil War Museum, learn the contributions of the Upper Middle West – Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, and Ohio – to the Civil War. View “Seeing the Elephant” which focuses on the personal experiences and accounts of citizen soldiers. The museum is one of just a handful of venues nationwide using 360-degree movie technology. Broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis is the narrator.
Dive into Kenosha’s extensive automotive history at the Kenosha History Center. Currently on display is the 1962 Rambler American from the “3rd Rock from the Sun” television show, which is part of the museum’s collection. The next Kenosha Homecoming Car Show, hosted by the museum, will be held in July 2025.
See the famous excavated-in-Kenosha mammoths at the Kenosha Public Museum. Travel back in time 237 million years ago to the present at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Climb a lighthouse at the seasonal Southport Light Station Museum.
Pedal Tours in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Take a pedal tour through downtown, laugh out loud at a comedy show, see a theater production, attend a concert, go axe throwing, and more. Enjoy art galleries, DIY art studios, and outdoor art. See the sculpture that commemorates the second stop on the Winter Dance Party Tour (Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Dion and the Belmonts). In the summer, visit Bristol Renaissance Faire for an immersive living history experience.
Outdoor adventures include skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing at Wilmot Mountain and ziplining at Boundless Adventures, an aerial adventure park. Be sure to bring your bike to experience more than 150 miles of dedicated bike lanes and signed routes in Kenosha County – as well as the oldest operating velodrome in the country.
Go take a hike! Trails, nature programs, and more can be enjoyed at Bristol Woods Park with its Pringle Nature Center, Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum, and Richard Bong State Recreation Area. The Charles and Kathryn Heide Observatory is located at Hawthorn Hollow and houses what is currently the largest public-serving telescope in southeastern Wisconsin. Enjoy birdwatching at Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area, which has been designated a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention.
Use VisitKenosha.com to start planning your getaway to Kenosha.