Kenosha
Kenosha is Wisconsin's fourth largest city and is located in the state's southeast region. Many of its residents commute to jobs elsewhere, leading to its appellation as "Chicago's northernmost suburb."
Get in
By train
- 1 Metra, 5414 13th Ave. From Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center, you can take Metra's Union Pacific North Line into Kenosha. Regular one-way fare from downtown Chicago for one adult is $7.50; an unlimited ride weekend pass only costs $7.
By bus
Wisconsin Coach Lines. Service from Milwaukee, Racine, and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Get around
Map of Kenosha
By Car
There are some things to keep in mind when navigating or receiving directions on Kenosha roads. Kenosha is a planned city. Unlike it's sister city Racine, it is laid out in a grid and has a logical order to its addresses. Streets run east-west, avenues run north-south. Any road that deviates from these directions will be called a road, place or circle and these are often named (most have a number as well). All roads are numbered and the number increases the further south and west you travel. Addresses are created by taking the road's number that cuts across the road you are on (to the north if on an avenue and to the east if on a street) and appending the two digit house number. Odd numbered addresses are on found on the east side of avenues and south side of streets. This would be called the "odd" side of the road and the opposite side would be called the "even" side, to use the local parlance.
Most locals omit the street or avenue designation of the road when giving directions, if they are referring to a main artery of the city. Of note is 75th (street), 60th (street) and 22nd (avenue) but this is by no means an exhaustive list. 75th and 50 (the avenue's highway designation) are often used interchangeably.
There is alternate side parking city-wide from December 1st to April 1st, between 1am and 6am. If the day's date is an odd number you park on the "odd" side of the street and on the "even" side if the date is even.
Car Rentals
The majority of car rental services are located on or very near 75th street.
- Enterprise Rent-a-Car, 7600 75th Street, Suite 104, ☏ +1 262 948-1400.
- Ace Rent a Car, 7519 60th Ave, ☏ +1 262 654-5430.
- Hertz Rent a Car, 5506 75th, ☏ +1 262 697-2774.
- Mayfair Rent-A-Car, 7519 60th Ave, ☏ +1 262 654-5430.
By Bus
- Kenosha Transit operates the local bus system and the Kenosha Streetcar. Their phone number is: +1 262-653-4287. The bus fare is $1.75. A monthly pass is $50. You can buy a pass that allows unlimited transfers on Saturday for $3.75. Buses run Monday through Friday: 6:00 am to 7:30 pm and Saturday between 9:00 am. to 4:00 pm. There is no bus service on Sunday.
By Taxi
Taxi services in Kenosha are not nearly as useful as they are in larger cities. They often quote pick-up times of over a half hour, show up late, or don't show up at all. The situation is especially bad on the weekend. If you are drinking in Kenosha (a traditional and time-honored pastime), ensure you have a designated driver and do not rely on the taxi services. It is more recommended to use a ride sharing app, such as Uber, if you do not have or are not renting a car.
By Streetcar
- The Kenosha Streetcar is a two-mile streetcar loop serving downtown Kenosha, passing by the Metra station, Harbor Park, the Kenosha Public Museum, and other sites. The fare for the street car is $1 for an adult and 50 cents for children. The street car has different schedules depending on the season and day of the week. Between January third to February 28, the streetcar only runs on Weekends. On all weekends throughout the year, the street car runs between 10:05 am and 5:35 pm. Between March first and March thirty first, the street car runs 10:05 am - 2:05 pm, Monday through Friday. From April first until January second, the street car runs between 11:05 am to 6:35 pm. There is no service on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
See
- Civil War Museum, 5400 First Avenue, ☏ +1 262 653-4140. Tu-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su Noon-5PM. Wisconsin was pretty far away from any Civil War battles, but nonetheless Kenosha has a museum dedicated to it. $7 adults, free for youth 15 and under if accompanied by a paying adult.
- Dinosaur Discovery Museum, 5608 Tenth Avenue, ☏ +1 262 653-4450. Tu-Su Noon-5PM. Dinosaur museum which also houses the Carthage Institute of Paleontology. Free.
- Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Avenue, ☏ +1 262 653-4140. Tu-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su Noon-5PM. Kenosha's natural sciences and fine arts museum. Free.
Do
- 1 Anderson Park Pool, 8730 22nd ave. This water park has two pools: a children's pool that has a small water slide and the regular pool that has two slides and a diving board. Entry fees are cash only. Entry: $4 (ages 3-17), $5 (adults), $3 (seniors over 60).
- 2 America's Action Territory, 12345 75th St. This event filled location has mini-golf, laser tag, go-karts, bumper boats, paintball, and an arcade. It's common to see children (and teens) host birthday parties here. Some of the go-karts are faster than others; always pick the karts near the back of the line. Pricing depends on the activities you want to do and there is an unlimited pass for an assortment of activities that costs around $25.
- 3 Washington Park Velodrome, Washington Rd & 22nd Avenue. This is the oldest operating velodrome in the United States. Bike events are scheduled frequently; check the website for the most up-to-date events. There are minimal fees to participate on race nights. Mondays are set aside for stock bike racing (must be older than 3 years. You do not need to be a member, own a special bike or have a bike license), while Tuesday nights have (very slightly) more stringent entry requirements (must be licensed, older than 9, and riding a fixed speed bike).
- 4 Washington Park Pool, 1821 Washington Rd. This water park is open to the public. There are two large slides and a diving board. One portion of the pool is wading level and offers interactive water features, such as fountains. Entry fees are cash only. Lockers are available for $0.50. Entry: $4 (ages 3-17), $5 (adults), $3 (seniors over 60).
Buy
- 1 Andrea's, 2401 60th Street, ☏ +1 262 657-7732. Andrea's has been open since 1911. They offer a wide selection of cigars and loose tobacco in addition to boutique shopping. There is also an old-fashioned soda fountain in one part of the store that serves milkshakes and ice-cream concoctions.
- Chiappetta Shoes, 6821 39th Ave. This store has been open and family operated since 1912. Shopping here is like a step back in time service-wise. Most of the shoes are not fashionable models since the store specializes primarily in comfort and foot health. They also do custom fittings and orthotics. The shoes can be expensive, but they are high quality and should last many years.
- 2 Kenosha Harbor Market, In fall and winter: 514 56th Street. In summer: 2nd avenue, near the lakeside museums. Saturday 9AM – 1PM. This is an indoor event from October - May. The outdoor portion of the farmer's market has grown significantly in the past few years. It opens May - October. During this time, the market takes up the entirety of 2nd avenue, near the museums, and the park adjacent to it. There are crafts for sale, in addition to the normal seasonal fruit and vegetables. Live music is played and it is a dog friendly event. Check the website to get the most up-to-date information on whether the event is taking place as there are sometimes closures due to holidays or inclement weather.
- 3 Prime Outlets, 11211 120th Ave. This is an outdoor strip mall that has designer brand stores and outlets. Sales tax in Wisconsin is significantly cheaper than Illinois and the location near the interstate and state border means that this mall is frequently very busy. People from Illinois often shop here, so expect navigating the parking lot to be frustrating.
Eat
Kenosha was founded by successive waves of English, German, Scandinavian, Irish, Italian and Eastern European immigrants. Thus, its culinary institutions are quite diverse. The city has the usual chain restaurants, including Applebees, Chili's, Red Robin, Culvers. It also has a number of very good local restaurants. Kenosha has a high saturation of bars and many serve food far above the usual bar-pizza food. There is a smoking ordinance in effect which prohibits smoking in restaurants and bars unless they have a completely segregated smoking room with separate ventilation.
- 1 Ashling by the Lough, 125 56th St. Mon – Thu: 5 – 9 pm, Fri: 5 pm – 10 pm, Sat: 11 am – 10 pm, Sun: 11 am – 9 pm. This is an Irish restaurant and pub. The food is nearly authentic and they serve Guinness the way it should be. There are sometimes trivia events and live music on the weekend. Their Sunday brunch is excellent.
- 2 Big Star, 1500 Washington Rd. This is a drive-in that has been open since 1954. The burgers are excellent but very small. They are only open from March 1st to Labor Day.
- 3 Grab's Burger Bar, 2324 18th St. This place is commonly frequented by college students from the near-by Gateway, Carthage and Parkside campuses. The atmosphere is very casual. There are unique burger combinations and the fries are very good.
- Hillcrest Family Restaurant, 6000 75th St. This place has been in business for years and is extra popular with senior citizens. This is a "Greek" style restaurant (which means that they serve everything and have gyros available). The food here is mediocre, but it's clean and cheap. The portion sizes are average and the coffee is acceptable.
- 4 House of Gerhard, 3927 75th St, ☏ +1 262 694-5212. Among locals, this place has a reputation of being "fancy". They serve prime rib and authentic German food. Reservations and dressy clothes are recommended, especially around Valentine's and Mother's Day.
- 5 La Fogata Mexican Grill, 3300 Sheridan Rd. This place offers food like tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas. The margaritas are a specialty. This restaurant has an excellent atmosphere with dimmer lighting and is within walking distance to a beach. Outdoor seating is available in the summer.
- 6 La Michoacana/Chicken Palace, 3907 52nd St. Chicken Palaces serves chicken, tacos, burgers and more. In the same building is La Michoacana, which offers desserts. Everything has a Mexican twist and the majority of the menus are in Spanish with English subtitles. The paletas (a frozen popsicle, which here are either water or milk based and filled with fruit) are absolutely fantastic and refreshing on a hot day.
- 7 Los Compadres, 3935 52nd St. This is an authentic Mexican eatery. The interior has minimal decorations and cafeteria type seating. There is delicious soup and chips served with every meal. The tamales are fantastic.
- 8 Pimmy's Authentic Thai Cuisine, 7180 75th St, ☏ +1 262 909-2366. Pimmy's serves food authentic to Bangkok and parts of Issarn provinces in Thailand. This place has a cozy, café atmosphere and not much seating. There are lunch specials on curries. Take-out is available.
- 9 Soon's Sushi Cafe, 2100 54th St. This is one of the best sushi places in south-east Wisconsin. They also offer Japanese fusion dishes and authentic Korean food (the owner is a native of South Korea). The interior décor is terrible and only cafeteria style tables and seating are available. It's better to order take-out as the wait times inside can be quite long and the service is slow (but very, very kind and friendly).
- 10 The Spot, 2117 75th St, ☏ +1 262 654-9294. 11am to 3am. This is a drive-in that has been in business since 1945. They are open year round. The food is typical American fast fare with burgers, fries, and root beer whirls. They make their own root beer and you can purchase it by the gallon. The Spot is cash-only. There is an ATM at the side of the building, though it is sometimes out of order.
- Captain Mike's
- Uncle Mike's
- Mike's Chicken and Doughnuts
Pizza
Common Kenosha pizza is made with a thin, cracker-like crust and served in squares, in contrast to the deep-dish style Chicago is known for. Most locations also offer thicker crusts (commonly referred to as "double dough") and deep dish. Don't ask the locals what the best pizza place is since you will get a different answer each time. Every Kenoshan has a favorite and will fiercely defend it when it's time to order. It's better to ask what isn't a good place for pizza; the answer will be more consistent and have fewer entries.
- Kaiser's Pizza and Pub, 510 57th St, ☏ +1 262 653-5897. Pizzas made here feature generous toppings. Cornmeal is used to prevent the crust from sticking to the bottom of the pan, which adds a nice texture and crunch. It is more expensive compared to other pizza locations. Take-out and eat-in is offered.
- Infusino's Restaurant, 6800 39th Ave, ☏ +1 262 694-4448. They offer Calabrese-style Italian dishes and steaks. Most locals order the pizza which has a flavorful sauce and crust that is the perfect thickness. Dine-in and carry-out is offered.
- Luigi's Pizza Kitchen, 7531 39th Ave, ☏ +1 262 694-6565. Tuesday - Saturday: 4:30 to 10. Sunday: 11:30 to 10. This restaurant has been in business for several decades. Within the past five years there have been suspicions that the sauce recipe has changed, resulting in a less delicious pie. They also offer other Italian dishes, such as home-made ravioli and lasagna. Take-out and eat-in is available. They are closed on Mondays and for an entire month in the fall, during which the owners visit family in Italy.
Breakfast
Kenoshans love breakfast, and that is reflected in a number of unique breakfast places.
- 11 The Coffee Pot, 4914 7th Avenue. They are only open for breakfast and lunch. There is often a wait during the weekend.
- Frank's Diner, 508 - 58th Street. Located in an historic 1920's "diner car" it has been featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives." Waits can be long, especially on the weekends. However, all of the food is home made, so the wait is worth it. Expect big portions at reasonable prices. Open only for breakfast and lunch.
- Home Run, 7839 Sheridan Road. This restaurant offers diner-style breakfasts. The chefs here are very proud of their copious usage of butter. If you order eggs, you will get one-plus the number you ordered. This includes omelets, so plan your order accordingly as it is easy to order too much food on accident. The coffee is terrible. The staff are incredibly friendly and almost always will help you construct an order so it is the cheapest it can be by utilizing all manner of specials and combos voodoo.
- 12 Marina Gardens, 5001 7th Avenue. Open 24hrs, offers very cheap, greasy food and awful coffee. This is an excellent place to nurse an impending hang-over. Most bar-hopping locals that end their night in this area will congregate here after the bars close at 2am. The staff does not care about you; remember that you are not here for them, you are here because the food is cheap, they are always open, and you need to sober up before your day-job in a few hours.
Bakeries
- Cardinali's Bakery, 2225 52nd St. Italian-style baked goods. Their bread is particularly good, but don't miss their sweet offerings. They have recently re-opened after a short stint of being out-of-business and the quality of their goods has not changed.
- Oliver's Bakery, 3526 Roosevelt Rd. Specializes in cakes, which come in several varieties of frosting, and an assortment of European cookie styles. Arrive early if you want doughnuts, the best flavors often sell out.
- Paielli's, 6020 39th Ave, ☏ +1 262 654-0785. This bakery's specialty is bread. They sell their bread and frozen pizza dough in local grocery stores as well. The doughnuts are ok.
Drink
- 1 8 Bit, 5301 22nd Ave. A nerdy-cool "barcade". The exterior and interior are covered in video game homage murals. The drinks are named after Mortal Kombat finishing moves. This bar also has a few hookahs.The arcade cabinets are free and feature a wide variety of classics. Pool and darts must be paid for. This bar has some interesting hours of business. Sometimes they close for a night, just because (this is rare, but frequent enough to warrant a heads-up). Make sure you have secondary plans lined up and do a "drive-by" to make sure they are open the night you want to visit. This hassle is worth it because the drinks and atmosphere are worth it.
- 2 Coins Sports Bar, 1714 52nd St. This bar has a bit of a reputation for attracting "Bros". It gets quite busy.
- 3 Rendez'vous Tiki Lounge, 1700 52nd St. This place has a fun tiki bar theme and is recommended if you like fruity drinks. Several of the bartenders are heavy handed.
- 4 Ron's Place, 3301 52nd St. The atmosphere here is homey with décor that features dark wood, stained glass windows and tiffany style light fixtures. The lighting is dark, there are booths in one section, and the stools for the bar are actually comfy. This place is known for its variety of Long Island iced teas. They also offer decent burgers and other grilled or fried food. There is limited parking in the back of the building and an additional parking lot to the west of the building, on 34th avenue.
Sleep
- Best Western Executive Inn, 7220 122nd Avenue, ☏ +1 262 857-7699, toll-free: +1-800-438-3932, fax: +1 262 857-2698.
- Best Western Harborside Inn & Kenosha Conference Center, 5125 6th Avenue, ☏ +1 262 658-3281, fax: +1 262 658-3420.
Respect
- Football in Wisconsin is a big deal. Kenosha lays directly on the border of "Bear" country. This city holds a significantly higher percentage of Bears fans in an otherwise Packer saturated state. If you want to make (and keep) friends, approach all topics of football in a lighthearted and jovial manner. Light ribbing and taunting is expected between fans of these two rival teams, so don't take it personally. If you are a Vikings fan, keep it to yourself.
- Avoid a common faux pas: if you eat at one of the drive-ins in Kenosha, turn your lights off when you pull in. Turn your lights back on when you are ready to leave and want the server to bring your bill. The arrangement of the parking lots also means that your lights might be shining into someone else's car while they are trying to eat or into a neighbor's window. The locals will know you are a drive-in newbie if you leave your lights on while you eat. The staff are too polite to tell you this, it's something locals have learned from their parents and their grandparents.
Connect
Go next
- Racine - a large city to the north of Kenosha that has a decent shopping and downtown area.
- Lake Geneva (Wisconsin) - a touristy resort town with quaint boutique shopping and summer events.
- Milwaukee
| Routes through Kenosha |
| Milwaukee ← Racine ← | W/N   E/S
|
→ Gurnee → Chicago |
| Delavan ← Lake Geneva ← | W  E
|
→ END |
| END ← | N  S
|
→ Waukegan → Chicago |