kenosha history center

if you only have 30 minutes, perfect!!! kenosha history plus old maps and the Nash cars, neat!!! full gift shop with stuff you don't always find.

Interesting museum and very friendly staff. No entry fee, just a donation if you would like.A few old cars too. Easy parking nearby and the local areal is very pretty. There are 6 or 7 museums downtown near the waterfront so one could spend a couple days in the area. I was also impressed by all the open space at the waterfront in Kenosha. We made a point to see the area on our way from Chicago and Milwaukee and are glad we did.

This is a very cool museum about the history of Kenosha. They have The Rambler Gallery show casing the history of the manufacturing industry of the area, there is a wonderful display of vintage toys and exhibits throughout that change through the year and make it an interesting stop any time. I found that my younger ones bored easily though, exhibits are really geared for an older audience.

The displays are very well done and extremely interesting about the Kenosha area history. A very enjoyable visit. Not too much so it overwhelms, but enough artifacts to keep it interesting. Good for all ages.

An absolute must for anyone who'd like to know a bit more about Kenosha's history. The Rambler Gallery highlights our auto manufacturing legacy. Exhibits change throughout the year, so visit often!

The shared accounts of what Kenosha was and how it became is amazing. It is a hidden gem in Kenosha.

PROS: Free; ample parking; right by lake Michigan and the beach; has 2 lighthouses in close proximity with each other; kind docent ; small exhibit about the early days of Kenosha and a great exhibit featuring the Rambler and AMC car company; there are also an old time fire truck and bicycles ( the ones with the giant front wheel). It’s a relaxing 1 hour stop. CONS: We wished the lighthouse opened earlier in the year (we’re missing it by 2 weeks), otherwise it’s a great little museum.

WOW What a great place to visit over the Christmas holiday when in town visiting. Even if you are a local and have some time off during the holidays. Don't forget to visit here. Have you picture taken in their historic 1870's era sleigh.

The history center is a "hidden gem" in Kenosha WI, near the north pier and right next to a historic light house on Simmons island. The history center will give you an idea of what Kenosha looked like in the "old days" and has a wonderful map on the wall of what the streets used to be called back then, in old Southport WI. (that was the old name for Kenosha) The exhibits change every year...but that makes it nice to go back and see what's now being displayed! I love it there and enjoy returning at least every year to see the new exhibits. Check it out...you won't be disappointed! Not really for infants/toddlers, but school age children will enjoy it. Entrance fee is a donation to the center.

If you are in to local history make it a stop. It was enjoyable but since the day was great outside we spent most of the time outside and walked the pier. The light house just behind history center was neat. It happened to be closed but we got good pictures anyway. Overall a nice stop and plan to go back maybe next month.

To see what things were like when Grandma and Grandpa were their age. LIttle kids might not have enough for them. Good exhibits.

We visited this museum on June 22th. There is parking in front of the building. They made copies of old shops, but you can only watch thru the windows. The most interesting part is the changing exhibit. Until end September 2013it is about locale car plants. You will see a 1917 Jeffrey, 1902 Rambler and 2 prototypes of AMX.

What a Cute place to visit! We walked over from our hotel, stopped took some pictures of the Southport lighthouse. Unfortunately due to the season we visited the lighthouse keeps house was not open to tour, but we stopped in the history museum. We saw their banner on the building that morning when we went to watch the sunrise off the lake. Reminded me of the town of yesterday at the MSI in Chicago, or House on the Rock, but the cool connection was these displays were related to Kenosha specifically. Loved the old time outfits and hats in the front area, and the bicycle shop in the big room. Not being from the area it was great they showed pictures of the building when it was the water treatment plant, so it was a nice way to see how they re-pourposed the building to make it something everyone could enjoy. They gave some great history on industries that helped form Kenosha, as well as coporations that are still there. I felt I learned a lot while there!

Another example of senseless government waste! Nothing to see or do. Employment project for pork lobbies.

The Kenosha History Center is the hub of a remarkably active Historical Society that maintains this facility, the Southport Light Station and three other nearby museums. Not many cities can boast of such an interest in its past. When you go in, look for a newsprint style of handout in the info racks and you’ll see what I mean — you’ll see more activities and special exhibits listed than you can shake a stick at.The History Center is open Tuesday thru Sunday (10:00 am weekdays, noon on Sunday). You can find their hours and location on their web site — here’s the addresshttp://www.kenoshahistorycenter.org/index.htmlThis is an excellent web site that should be checked out before you visit. Also, call ahead to arrange tours and determine lighthouse hours, etc. You can drop people off in front of the door and park on the street or there is more parking just across the street.For access to their extensive archives, call ahead to make arrangements as the archivist’s time is limited. (I won’t quote the hours here because they may change.) The archives contain newspapers, documents and photographs of genealogical and historical interest. If memory serves me, the archives are not accessible to people with mobility issues — call ahead to find out for sure. I think there were a couple of steps up to that room.The light station (Southport Lighthouse and Lighthouse Keeper’s residence) behind the History Center has seasonal hours — usually open weekends from May to October as of this writing. It was closed on the days I was there.The History Center itself has three exhibit areas. I felt two of the areas were very disturbing because there are things that remind me how old I am. In the huge Lobby area there is an exhibit of toys and games. The problem is that I played with some of those toys when I was a kid!! And the Rambler Legacy room has a Nash Rambler in it just like the first car I ever drove!! Am I really so old that my stuff is appearing in museums???The Lobby has a reception desk and small gift shop crammed in with a host of eclectic displays that are interesting to wander through. It looks as thought they are all waiting for space in a bigger museum. And check out the hallway with its photo montages and old map.The Yesteryear Gallery is a trip back through time with very small, but well done, dioramas and displays. Again, they too look like they are waiting for bigger spaces.And lastly, the Rambler Legacy Gallery which has what looks like a bright, shiny Rambler right off the assembly line. There is also a 50s diner, old fire fighting equipment and many other dioramas. One of those dioramas had a dentist’s chair and an old dental drill right out of my nightmares. I remember those old, belt-driven drills all to well.Give yourself 1 or 2 hours to skim through. If you dwell on reading descriptions it can be longer. I saw no lockers or places for strollers. (Some of the aisles are a bit narrow for strollers but most are OK.) I did not see any place to eat nor did I see any vending machines. There are restaurants within a few blocks of the building.