Racine, Wisconsin, is full of incredible landmarks near The William! You can find breathtaking beaches along Lake Michigan, statues in the parks, and houses throughout the city.
Willard Keland House by Frank Lloyd Wright
1425 Valley View Dr, Mt Pleasant, WI 53405
The Willard Keland house was designed in 1936 and completed in 1939. Herbert Fisk Johnson bought the house and his daughter, Karen, loved it so much she had Wright design her house.
Karen Johnson and Willard Keland, her husband, spoke with Wright in 1954 to design their $165,000 house (for perspective, the house would cost over $1.7M today). The design was larger than the standard Usonian with “Prairie-style” features.
The Willard Keland house would be the last of many Racine buildings designed by Wright, almost 50 years after the Thomas Hardy House in 1905.
Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln Statue
1001 Main St, Racine, WI 53403
Sunrise to Sunset, daily
262-884-6400
While there’s no proof President Abraham Lincoln ever visited Racine, Mary Todd Lincoln spent the majority of summer of 1867 in Racine. East Park’s Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln statue was dedicated in 1943 and was the first memorial to honor the couple.
Miss Lena Rosewell donated the sculpture to the community because of her great respect for Mary Todd Lincoln. Miss Rosewell passed in 1935 and donated her entire estate to Racine to serve as a memorial.
Chicago artist Frederick C. Hibbard designed and carved the statue using five-tons of pink Minnesota granite for the foundation and chiseled Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln from Elberton gray granite.
The statue is observable every day from sunrise to sunset. East Park is only a few blocks from Downtown Racine, making it a popular tourist attraction close to the Racine campus of Gateway Technical College.
Racine Zoo
2131 N Main St, Racine, WI 53402
10am-4pm, daily
262-636-9189
The Racine Zoo is a family-friendly outdoor experience along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Racine Zoological Society was formed in 1923 to help the park board raise awareness of the Zoo.
The Racine Zoo is a nonprofit established by Jacob Stoffel, Jr. in March 1923. Stoffel donated the Zoo’s initial animals, and today, the Zoo is home to some of the most incredible and endangered species in the world.
Many associations followed Stoffel’s footsteps, donating badgers, foxes, and mountain goats. The first species not native to the United States were Monkeys, acquired in 1925.
The Racine Zoo currently has about 75 species and over 300 animals from Wisconsin and worldwide in its care.
Racine North Beach
100 Kewaunee St, Racine, WI 53403
6am-10pm daily, year round
262-636-9233
Racine North Beach was established in 1908, spanning 50-acres and offering 2,500 feet of shoreline. The beach is free and has free parking with a wheelchair-accessible mat stretching to the coastline, letting everyone enjoy the beach.
Bring your children to Kids Cove playground and have a picnic or play a pick-up volleyball game on the sand court.
If you’re going to walk along the Lake Michigan Pathway, remember to use the public restrooms before heading out.
Read more about Racine’s Beachside Oasis and North Beach’s recognition as Wisconsin’s first beach to be Certified Blue Wave clean by the National Clean Beaches Coalition.
Pritchard Park
2800 Ohio St, Racine, WI 53406
6am-7pm, daily
262-634-1994
Racine’s 79-acre Pritchard Park hosts the SC Johnson Community Aquatic Center and Wieczorek Pavilion for large gatherings.
The park likewise has a playground, baseball diamonds, and soccer fields, as well as a jogging trail and a pond kids can fish in.
The Veterans Memorial is located in the park’s southeast corner by the South Picnic Shelter.
Check out the map to see everything the park offers and buy a personalized brick for the veteran in your life.
