Wind Point Lighthouse stands 108 feet tall and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Wingspread, a residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, adds a second architectural connection. Together, these sites offer a cultural trail for your explorations, alongside museum history, art collections and very different themes such as wildlife watching, fruit and water activities.
Museums and Architectural History
The Racine Heritage Museum traces its origins to the Old Settlers Society, founded in 1870. That date belongs to the history of the society, not the building: the museum is housed in a building erected in 1903 with funding from the Carnegie Foundation. This makes it possible to view the institution’s early beginnings and the later museum building as two distinct periods in time. The Racine Art Museum has a different focus: its collection includes more than 15,000 works, ranging from modern and contemporary works on paper to contemporary craft and design, as well as other art forms. It is described as the largest collection of its kind in North America.
RAM Wustum offers exhibitions, art classes and community programs. It is a location of the Racine Art Museum. The museums’ offerings are therefore quite distinct: here, exhibitions and community programs sit alongside a large collection spanning various art forms, while the Heritage Museum links its institutional origins with a building from the early 20th century.
Landscapes and Wildlife
Tichigan Wildlife Area covers 1,562 acres in northwestern Racine County and offers opportunities for bird and wildlife watching. Racine Zoo currently cares for about 75 different animal species and more than 300 individual animals from Wisconsin and around the world. It is located in a 32-acre park on the shore of Lake Michigan. These are two distinct ways to encounter wildlife: observing it in a large natural area and discovering the diversity of species at the zoo.
DeKoven Center also brings landscape and architecture together. Its 11-acre campus lies along the bluffs of Lake Michigan and includes gardens, wooded areas and architectural treasures. For those interested in architectural details, the campus offers a place where architectural features and landscaped and wooded areas come together, alongside the historic buildings and museums.
Fruit, Beach and Water Activities
On its 78-acre farm, Apple Holler offers pick-your-own apples, peaches and pears. Guided tractor tours of the 78-acre property are also available. There are two types of cider: freshly pressed cider made from the farm’s own fruit trees and frozen cider. Pick-your-own fruit and tractor tours are different activities; the two cider products add another aspect centered on the farm’s own fruit trees.
North Beach in Racine County has 50 acres of sandy beach and includes the Kids Cove playground. This adds a distinct beach and playground focus to the range of experiences. By comparison, the activities mentioned at Tichigan Wildlife Area focus on bird and wildlife watching. Depending on whether you are looking for a beach setting or nature watching, these themes are clearly distinct.
The Root River flows through the city of Racine, where it is used for fishing and is suitable for canoeing and kayaking. Both fishing and paddling take center stage on the river. Together with the sandy shore at North Beach, this creates a contrast between activities on a river and a visit to a large sandy beach. As you plan your trip, you can weigh up culture, wildlife watching, fruit experiences and water activities.
Discover more destinations: Sturtevant, Racine, Caledonia, Tichigan, St. Croix County, Pierce, Oconto County, Kenosha County.
Return to the main travel overview: Wisconsin.
