Kenosha - Civil War Museum

Have traveled to or through Kenosha for years and I must say the city and residents have really made enormous changes especially to the downtown and lake shore areas.  

Our latest trip in early October was to see the new Civil War Museum which by the way is a must see.  But before I take you there let me give you our route.   We totally wanted to avoid any interstate system and the orange barrel scenery so opted to take Hwy 12 to Hwy 11 to Hwy 142 straight into Kenosha.   Wonderful rural country side and with the fall colors and decorations the drive was spectacular.  

To me Kenosha has always seemed like a dusty gray lady.  A lot of dust has been shaken off -  the downtown has a bright new sheen, and the lake front many beautiful parks, and attractions.   Along with the Civil War museum you will find the  Kenosha Public Museum,  an historic light house, and a cable car that you ride to take in these sites.    Let me not digress to far away from our destination. 

The Civil War Museum is located at 5500 First Ave and to say the least was a far cry from what I was expecting.  Its concentration is on the Wisconsin civil war involvement. You will find displays of memorabilia and clippings, but the uniqueness of this museum is how they are displayed and presented.  Motion sensor technology gives you an interesting perspective of the war and how it affected everyone.  The museum depicts the sentiments of before the war, the war itself and the conditions after the war.  

There is a passenger train staged for just prior to the war.  As you sit down next to each passenger they tell their stories – their destinations, their fears, and hopes.  

In the center of the museum you will find a theater where at set times a civil war video is displayed – and what a video it is.   You are surrounded by a moving screen that makes you feel right in the scenes depicted.  I swear one time I could smell the smoke from the gun powder.  I was just an amazing presentation. 

As you walk through the display you will enter into a paddle boat – where like the train as you approach the passengers start relating their stories.  The tone of these is much different than those of before the war. 

The last area of the museum depicts a post civil war town.  The most interesting part I found of this area was an interactive board that displayed names of people who survived the war and what they did after.  

I so highly recommend a visit – it will change your perspective on many things. 

We had to feed the beast so opted for something other than our usual stop at Franks Diner (although good) – just in the mood for something different.   What we found was right by Lake Michigan and an amazing find it was.   The Boat House Pub an Eatery at 4917 7^th Ave – was only a few blocks from the museum.  It really is a converted boat house with all kinds of seating options.   The menu is diverse and the food excellent.   My husband’s burger he claims melted in his mouth and had tremendous flavor.   They served blue gill (and a lot of it per serving) which was pure joy for my sister.   We tried two different soups (clam chowder/chicken tortilla) – both hearty and excellent.   A return visit will be in our future. 

After exploring the Kenosha streets a bit more we then headed home via Hwy 50 to Lake Geneva.  We did not have any dessert (way too full), so stopped for ice cream cones at Kilwins located at 772 Main St.  I am going to admit that the prices in this place can take your breath away but I figure the prices any place in Lake Geneva will do that – so it is a good thing that their candy and ice cream are superb and we all deserve a treat on occasion.  

Once the cones were devoured we headed home via Hwy 14 – another great road trip in the bag.   Hope you find your circle route to Kenosha very soon.