There are two lighthouses that protect Racine's harbor. It's a solid 2 mile walk from one to the…read moreother or you can just visit one and photograph the other from there. That's what I did this evening. On the south side with the Christopher Columbus Causeway is the Racine Harbor Light, a simple skeleton at the end of a long pile of riprap that protects it and the harbor from the waves. It is possible to walk all the way to it if you do it right - there is a pathway through the stones about 200 yards to the south. I missed that and could only see the light from the Racine Overlook. Extremely windy this evening! But that meant that I was able to see the Racine Breakwater Lighthouse. In the mid 1840s, a 600 foot long pier was built here and then extended over the next several decades until it reached its final length of 1700 feet in 1895. It is a red-painted steel structure on what looks like very spindly legs. It was completed in 1901 though is now deactivated. There is a pathway along the breakwater to get right up to it if you're daring. [Review 20658 overall - 228 in Wisconsin - 1639 of 2023.]

Sometimes, I *want* to get stuck at a drawbridge. I think there's something special about a road…read morethat moves out of the way of the boat traffic. Sharing the space, almost respectfully between the two modes of transportation. Sadly, this evening there were no boats and I was able to just drive over without delay. The bridge carries Main Street (Wisconsin State Highway 32) over the Root River. The bridge is a double leaf bascule bridge, or two span bridge. There are four lanes on the bridge. It is staffed from April 1 to December 1 of each year, around the clock. [Review 20659 overall - 229 in Wisconsin - 1640 of 2023.]

The city of Racine does a terrible job of plowing. I live in a leas than desirable neighborhood, so…read morethat means that we get our street cleaned last. Not to mention that I live on the end of a dead end street so the plow won't even clean up to my house. They actually just pile the snow up in from of my driveway! I'm fed up with them. What if I had an actual emergency and I couldn't get out of my driveway? Or if the ambulance couldn't get it my house because the snow isn't cleaned in the street? If this was wind point the street would have already been plowed twice and salted generously. I did have to leave my house today to help my mom clean her driveway, but I couldnt since my car kept getting stuck in the snow because the street wasn't plowed. Thankfully a friend was able to go shovel for her, but if not for that two households would be affected.

While, off the bat, one would most likely not be interested in touring a business facility for fun,…read moreI actually made the conscious decision. It's free -- you just need to book in advance online! If you're interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and the history of SC Johnson, or even if you're not, it's still an interesting tour. I couldn't book the 2 hour tour that added other Wright sites, but it was still a good tour nonetheless. Bathroom breaks are limited; be sure to use the ones in the Golden Rondelle building, which is where you check in and meet for the tour (arrive 15 minutes prior). Each person must have a physical photo ID on them, only water is permitted on the tour (no food or other beverages), and no photography is allowed inside the buildings. It was a large group tour with adults and kids. The kids were well behaved, but as a younger child, depending on their interests, it may not appeal to them. They do offer a Jr. Architect badge for children -- I overheard the guide offer one to a teenager. I later asked if I could have one. She humored me. Our tour guide Dawn was great -- an enthusiastic speaker who kept the group engaged. She also did a fantastic job taking pictures of me and my family in front of the FLW desk in the Rondelle Center. It's imperative to have your physical photo ID, not just a picture of it. Two people arrived with only photos of their IDs and were initially turned away. The manager later contacted the guide and they were allowed to join. They have free postcards you can write and they'll mail them for you in the check-in area, along with magnets and some stickers. Bathroom breaks are limited to the Rondelle Center and, at the end, Fortaleza Hall, where the Lily Pad gift shop is located. During the tour you must wear a lanyard tracker and stick with the group. A security guard follows the last person to ensure this. The tour isn't fully handicap accessible and they don't supply wheelchairs. The part most likely to be inaccessible is the research tower, which contains a narrow concrete spiral staircase and steep steps. My father-in-law rested on a bench outside; the security guard stayed with him and took him into a building that showed a video of the research tower interior, which was nice for him. We entered the research tower first, then headed into the administration building (there's a low-grade ramp to the entrance). You learn about the infrastructure and desks, which were quite interesting: you can see the lily pad columns and sit in one of Wright's ergonomic chairs at the desks. I think they mentioned there are only three original walnut Wright desk tops -- one in the Guggenheim, one at the Institute of Science in Chicago, and one in Racine. Wright was definitely brilliant and talented, but from the stories about his interactions with SC Johnson, he could also be extremely resistant to legitimate complaints-- narcissistic, stubborn, and dismissive -- from his three-legged office chairs to the Pyrex tubes he designed for the windows to shield what he called the "abhorrent" views of Racine. Haha. You can see his influence on the Art Deco movement and modernism, as well as his imprint on organic architecture. The last building was Fortaleza Hall, named after the city in Brazil that one of the Johnson family visited; that trip changed his perspective and opened his eyes to philanthropy. The plane on display is a replica of the plane Johnson flew to Brazil. Fortaleza Hall has an elevator and was also designed by renowned architect Norman Foster. Inside Fortaleza Hall it's not extensive; 15 minutes felt a bit too short in my opinion because my husband and I went to the Lily Pad gift shop first, as recommended by our guide. I did breeze through it and found some interesting tidbits. Overall, I highly recommend it -- but book in advance online!

Holy security. We…read moretook a tour on a Sunday and showed up at the proper time. ***NOTE: If you are going on a tour - park in the small lot by the gold flying saucer looking building. It's to the left of the front gate. Walk into that building. I really liked the tour - we had to cut ours short to get to Wingspread in time. The security guards were accommodating and walked us back to the main entrance so we could leave. I would recommend this tour - not my favorite but still very cool, and another off the master list of places to visit.

This is a must-see while in Racine! I've historically not been too interested in modern art, but…read morethis museum completely changed my mind. They did an excellent job with their storytelling for each exhibit, and you can tell how thoughtful they are in crafting each detail. Their Cut It Out: Papercutting Traditions and Beyond exhibit absolutely blew me away! We had such a fantastic experience and loved seeing the range of cultures represented. Highly recommend anyone to visit here!

Well worth the small price of admission. We came here Easter weekend for the Peeps exhibit and were…read morevery impressed by the submissions as well as the rest of the galleries. There was a bunny themed scavenger hunt for the kids. I saw art styles I'd never seen before and we spent a good hour here.

Beautiful setting overlooking Lake Michigan, huge library, friendly staff from counter assistant…read moreall the way up to Director. Seed catalog for gardeners. 3D printers... all kinds of useful stuff. All free. Can't beat it.

1) The library has respectable hours. I live in an area where every time I want to go to the…read morelibrary it happens to be closed! Kudos to however this library is being funded. 2) The books are taken care of. They don't look like they've been sitting untouched for decades. They look clean and in good condition. 3) Checkout is a breeze. You can be checked out or you can enjoy self checkout by scanning your card at a separate kiosk type deal near the counter. 4) You don't have to visit the library to checkout books! The Racine Public Library has an online checkout process that allows us to checkout electronic copies of popular books and read them on our devices. 5) You don't have to visit the library to return books you checked out at the library. There are drop boxes around the city where you can return books although it seems like they move from time to time. I thought there used to be one by Kohl's Food. I also thought there used to be one near Starbuck by the post office. Recently though, I found it at Lockwood Park on Ohio. All more convenient than going downtown to return books. 6) This library partners with other area libraries so you aren't limited to what is in the Racine location. 7) Location, location, location! It's so nice to have that whole wall of sunshine while shopping for books. This library is a very welcoming environment where you want to sit and read or research for a while. If you sit near the lake, it's a beautiful view you simply cannot beat.