Guest post by the Kenosha Public Museum
Shake off the winter cobwebs and take a day trip to discover the world class museums of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Situated on Lake Michigan, the museums are a short car (free parking!) or Metra train ride North.
The Kenosha Public Museum is a natural history and fine art museum that has gained national recognition for both permanent and temporary exhibits. Catch the Transparent Watercolor Society of America’s Juried Exhibition from May 2 through August 2, 2015. The permanent exhibit features animals of the Ice Age, like the Woolly Mammoth dug up right in Kenosha County.
Next door to the Public Museum is the Civil War Museum. It is the only museum to focus on the war from the personal stories of the people from the Upper Midwest. The exhibit features the 360° movie, Seeing the Elephant, which encircles viewers, putting them right in the middle of battle.
The Kenosha Public Museum and Civil War Museum will host the annual Train Extravaganza Weekend from 10am-5pm Saturday, May 30 and 12-4pm Sunday, May 31. All makes of model trains will be on display throughout the museums, and model train club members will be on hand to talk about their hobby and display some of their favorite train cars and scenery. This free event is sponsored by the Kenosha Garden Railroad Society.
To round out your trip to Kenosha, hop on the historic electric streetcar to get to the Dinosaur Discovery Museum. Perfect for kids of all ages, the main gallery of the museum is packed with twenty-six meat eating theropods, including Tyrannosaurus rex. In the lower level, the popular (and free!) Dino Digs are held every Saturday and Sunday from 1-4pm. Donning safety goggles and using paleontologist tools, children ages three and up experience the excitement of excavating a dinosaur fossil in a simulated excavation site. On Sunday, May 17 the museum will feature a Dino Digs Mega Excavation! The digs are taken to another level, and kids learn how to clean real bones.
The Kenosha Public Museum and Civil War Museum are open 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday, 12-5pm Sundays, and closed holidays. The Dinosaur Discovery Museum is open 12-5pm Monday-Sunday and closed Mondays and holidays. The museums are free. Admission to the Civil War Museum’s main exhibit is $9 for adults 16 and older.
Visit us at www.kenoshapublicmuseum.org more information.