Top Things to do in Wisconsin
Top Hotels in Wisconsin
- 1. Drury Plaza Hotel Milwaukee Downtown
- 2. Hilton Garden Inn Milwaukee Downtown
- 3. Harbor Shores on Lake Geneva
- 4. Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
- 5. Hampton Inn & Suites Madison / Downtown
- 6. Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club
- 7. Radisson Hotel & Conference Center Green Bay
- 8. Radisson Hotel La Crosse
- 9. Hyatt Regency Milwaukee
- 10. Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, La Crosse, WI
Things to do in Wisconsin, United States: The Best Military Museums
When you think “adventure travel” you probably think of far-flung places like Belize and Alaska—not Wisconsin. But if you’re an outdoor adventurer, you’ll find plenty of places to explore in Wisconsin. A vacation in Wisconsin can put you close to the Kettle Moraine State Forest, which has excellent biking trails. Or choose Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands—kayakers will love exploring Lake Superior’s many caves and shipwrecks.
Packers fans don’t wear those cheese-wedge hats for nothing! Foodies will love tasting as many of Wisconsin’s artisanal cheeses as possible. Either drive from cheesemaker to cheesemaker, or choose a Wisconsin vacation in a town with a good farmers’ market—then the cheesemakers bring their wares to you. And what goes better with artisanal cheese than craft beer? In Milwaukee, visit the Lakefront and Sprecher Breweries for tours and tastings.
Wisconsin Dells is a classic family vacation destination. A vacation in Wisconsin Dells will put you close to all the excitement—you’ll have to tear the kids away from the theme parks, wave pools and water parks in Wisconsin Dells!
Lake Geneva boasts clean beaches, golf, and a small-town feel that definitely appeals to city dwellers—it’s a popular getaway for residents of Chicago.
Restaurants in Wisconsin
1. Wisconsin Maritime Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 502 reviews
Welcome to a great place to learn, play and explore the rich maritime history of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum offers visitors a unique place to spend hours learning about the sailors, shipbuilders and submariners who made that history, and to have some great family fun! Founded in 1970 as the Manitowoc Submarine Memorial Association, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum has grown into one of the largest maritime museums in the Midwest. In addition to commemorating the maritime heritage of the Manitowoc-Two Rivers area and the submarines built here during World War II, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is now a leader in preserving the maritime history of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.
Reviewed By Localgirl252 - Menomonee Falls, United States
Tour a WWII Gato class submarine the USS Cobia. 28 subs were built in this ship building town. The Maritime museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and is the largest maritime museum in the Midwest. Make sure you view the short video before touring the Cobia. Exhibits include ship building, ship trade on the Great Lakes, a Wisconsin built boat display, ship models, a engine room, a children’s activity room and dive sites of Lake Michigan ship wrecks. Plan 2 to 3 hours here. The Cobia has an overnight program for children and adults.
2. Portage WWII History Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 154 reviews
We will be closed until further notice due to Coronavirus Concerns. In the 2-1/2 hour tour you will scratch the surface of this Museum's content. Walk through areas pertaining to the Home front, Holocaust, German, Japanese, and tons of American artifacts. Several Rare pieces that will leave you speechless. Please read the comments left by our guests here on tripadvisor.
Reviewed By RoutyYates
A good friend and I are interested in history and we live about 100 miles apart so we look for interesting venues and meet up in museums and historical sites to see what we can learn. On Feb 29th, we descended on this unique museum and were very impressed with the 2-1/2 hour guided tour (which actually wound up being 5-1/2 hours long). The Curator, Brett, literally brought history to life for us as he showed interesting artifacts and told unforgettable and spellbinding stories of the ingenuity, intrigue, triumphs and tragedy of war. The contacts he made while amassing his collection are simply amazing and there are artifacts in the museum that simply don’t exist anywhere else. Brett is very passionate about preserving these truths as a way to honor the men and women who fought tyranny, often forfeiting their lives. One small room is respectfully set aside to honor the victims of genocide, and is, in my humble opinion, not a place for young children. That being said, it truly IS a place every adult SHOULD see, as the horrific actions of a society gone mad must never be repeated. Even in that room, Brett shared a story of hope. He will present an artifact which saved 3 lives- otherwise destined for execution. I am writing this two days after my visit, and I must say I am still deeply moved by the human drama, often in the face of impossible odds. Some of the coincidences mentioned would beat statistical odds, but strange things happen in the confusion of a world at war and it’s aftermath. Brett also showed artifacts connected with airmen who were quite playful and kept a great sense of humor and their indomitable spirit prevailed in the face of overwhelming circumstances. I hope I have stirred some interest in this remarkable little museum. I highly recommend it to history students and patriots. This has been a valuable experience for me - one I will not soon forget. I would actually recommend this to visually impaired persons because Brett describes events and artifacts so well, and brings history to life with intellectual clarity. Thank you Brett.
3. Wisconsin National Guard Museum
4. Rusk County Historical Society Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 6 reviews
The Rusk County Historical Society was incorporated in 1955 and is a non-profit organization. Come and view over 9,000 artifacts from Rusk County's past. The museum is open from 12:30-4:30 on weekends Memorial Day through Labor Day. Located inside the Rusk County Fairgrounds in Ladysmith, WI.
5. Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 240 reviews
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum acknowledges, affirms, and commemorates the role of Wisconsin citizens from Civil War to present military history.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
In our travels from coast to coast, my wife and I love to visit art museums and history museums. In Madison, Wisconsin, we visited the Wisconsin Historical Museum, the Chazen Museum of Art and the Overture Center for the Arts. Then one of the docents at the Chazen asked: "Have you been to the Veterans Museum?" Now we have. We would have been disappointed if we had missed it. Located at 30 West Mifflin Street, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum was founded in 1901 and has been housed at this site since 1993. Dedicated to the soldiers of the state of Wisconsin, it is composed of two galleries that chronicle the history of their service in the nation's wars from the Civil War to the Persian Gulf War to the War on Terror through exhibits, videos, maps, photographs and dioramas. The 19th century gallery showcases Wisconsin's involvement in the Civil War, including a large diorama depicting the Battle of Antietam. Three Wisconsin regiments formed part of the famed Iron Brigade that fought in most of the major battles in the eastern theater, including Antietam, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and Petersburg. In the 20th century gallery, see exhibits that illustrate Wisconsin's roles in the Mexican Border campaign, World War I and World War II and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf conflicts. Many historical firearms and three full-scale aircraft also are on display--a Sopwith Camel from WW I, a P-51 Mustang from WW II and a Huey helicopter from the Vietnam War. Even if you aren't from Wisconsin, a visit to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum is a very sobering and educational experience.
6. Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 101 reviews
This museum honors World War II flying ace Richard Bong and all veterans.
Reviewed By MandySSS - Minneapolis, United States
The museum is small but filled with history of World War 2 and the history of who the museum was named after, Richard Bong. A true American hero who shot down more planes than any other American in the war where is count was 40 and went on to be a true hero of his generation. A lot of Nazi artifacts as well as other countries that are on display. If you are into history especially World War 2 you will love it!! A bit spendy but worth the extra few bucks spent.
7. Civil War Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 262 reviews
The accredited Civil War Museum opened in 2008 on Kenosha Wisconsin's scenic lakefront campus. 57,000 Sq Ft covers American Civil War history like no other, offering the enthusiast a chance to learn about the contributions of the Upper Middle West. Already acclaimed for their permanent exhibit featuring life-scale, interactive exhibits, and audio and video technology. Introduced in 2013, the award-winning 360 degree film "Seeing the Elephant" is a 10 minute long glimpse into the life of a mid-western soldier, from recruitment, to training, through battle and finally returning home. See also the Veterans Gallery commemorating soldiers from each war fought by the US.
Reviewed By ellenbee56 - Bechtelsville, United States
My husband and I recently traveled from PA to spend a week exploring the Milwaukee area and spent one afternoon visiting here. It made a perfect combo visit with the Kenosha Public Museum (reviewed separately) right next door; there is plentiful free parking and a reasonable admission charge. This museum presents the Upper Middle West Civil War experience, using interesting and immersive displays arranged in a circular loop. All of the exhibits were well designed and engaging, with good artifacts and informative signage throughout (using 19th century handbill-style placards). Also throughout, one encounters various full-size figurines in period clothing, many of whom speak to you upon approach, lending an immersive quality to the exhibits. (The best example is on the train, where you can sit next to any of a dozen different passengers and hear individual narrative). A favorite gallery for us was “State Contributions” where we learned how quickly and unexpectedly some brand-new American states were caught up in the Union cause. Every hour a short 360 degree movie played (we learned at Old World Wisconsin the next day that it was filmed there!). The artifacts on display in the Veterans Memorial Gallery were interesting as well, although it was too dark in there to really see the soldiers in the center of the room. We highly recommend a visit to this museum; we spent 2 hours here and thoroughly enjoyed it. We have not been huge Civil War history buffs up to now, but after visiting great venues like this museum, we are becoming much more so!
8. Fort Crawford Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 35 reviews
Being the second oldest community in the state of Wisconsin and the oldest on the upper Mississippi River we have alot of history in our community. We have two historical museums. The Fort Crawford Hospital Museum gives information about Dr. Wm Beaumont, a post surgeon here at the Fort, the different treaties signed here, Blackhawk's surrender, surgical diaramas, a display of an old dentist office, display of an old pharmacy, etc. Our Museum of Prairie du Chien has displays and information of the War of 1812, Clamming and the button factories that were here, an iron lung, etc. We do have scavenger hunts for the younger visitors for both museums, to help keep them interested and busy.
Reviewed By 759valeriek - Clare, United States
The hospital was our favorite part. Lots of civil war history and they had a lot of great items. The also had amazing diaramas. The lady running the gift shop was informative and very friendly.
9. War Memorial Center
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 43 reviews
Experience the stories that built our nation. The War Memorial Center was never intended to be a static veterans memorial. Our founders—the Milwaukee community—envisioned something more. Rather than build another flagpole or bench, the people of Milwaukee wanted a living memorial to “Honor the Dead by Serving the Living.” Our educational experiences will bring to life this memorial and tell the stories of the veterans who served and sacrificed for our freedom
10. The Wisconsin American Legion Museum and Learning Center
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