Wisconsin history museums worth a visit
Take a trip through history at Wisconsin’s compelling history museums, where you can learn about everything from the state’s original Ojibwe inhabitants to Wisconsin’s role in the shipbuilding industry. Here’s a look at a few of our favorite history museums around the state.
George W. Brown Jr. Ojibwe Museum & Cultural Center, Lac du Flambeau
This museum in Vilas County in Wisconsin’s Northwoods has many unique exhibits that tell the story of the Ojibwe and their culture. Visitors will learn how these early inhabitants of the area traditionally harvested wild rice, fish, and game and can view traditional clothing, Ojibwe arts and crafts, and a 24-foot Ojibwe dugout canoe. In the summer, don’t miss the traditional Lac du Flambeau pow wows at the neighboring Waaswaaganing Indian Bowl Living Arts & Culture Center.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Madison
Visit this popular, award-winning museum on Madison’s Capitol Square to learn the stories of the men and women from Wisconsin who have served in our nation’s military from the Civil War to today. Exhibits include displays and interactive experiences highlighting Wisconsin’s role in the Civil War, World War II, and beyond. Admission is free.
Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc
Manitowoc, located on the shores of Lake Michigan in eastern Wisconsin, is home to the largest maritime museum in the Midwest. There you can learn about Wisconsin’s shipbuilding history and step aboard the USS Cobia (the nation’s most completely restored World War II submarine), walk through a recreated 19th-century shipbuilding town, operate a steam engine, and much more.
Milwaukee Public Museum
This iconic natural history museum in the heart of downtown Milwaukee has been open to the public for more than 120 years and features several popular exhibits, including the Streets of Old Milwaukee, a life-sized replica of a T. rex, and an indoor butterfly garden featuring insects from around the world.
Dr. Kate Museum, Woodruff
Head to Woodruff in Oneida County (it’s just south of Minocqua) to learn about the life of Dr. Kate Pelham Newcomb, who was known as the “Angel on Snowshoes” for her dedication to serving patients throughout the Northwoods when the roads were impassible. Dr. Kate spearheaded a movement to build a hospital in Woodruff, and the “Million Penny March” in the 1950s helped make that dream a reality. Be sure to stop by for a photo op with the World’s Largest Penny, which commemorates Dr. Kate’s work, on 3rd Avenue just down the street from the museum.
Marshfield Heritage Museum
Located in the lower level of the 2nd Street Community Center in downtown Marshfield, this local history museum is free and open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Visitors can learn about Marshfield’s history—including the Great Marshfield Fire of 1887—and discover the stories of the city’s soldiers at the “Lest We Forget” military exhibit.
Villa Louis, Prairie du Chien
Learn about the Dousmans—one of the most important families in the formative years of Wisconsin—at this historic site along the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin. Villa Louis is the home of H. Louis Dousman family, and the faithfully restored 1870s home is one of the most authentically furnished Victorian homes in the country. The 25-acre site also features buildings from the fur trade era, the foundations of Fort Crawford, and Wisconsin’s only War of 1812 battlefield. Villas Louis is open yearly from late May to early November.
