Racine Things to Do

Astronaut Laurel Clark exhibit at Racine Heritage Museum is a must see, free exhibit. See http://www.racineheritagemuseum.org. There are other great rotating exhibits and it is certainly worth a visit. Exhibits include Frank Lloyd Wright, Racine Protests Slavery, Underground Railway, Civil War, Mitchell Motor Company exhibit and others.

There is also a great Archive for local history and genealogy. From many that I have used, it is one of the best I've seen. It is staffed by a professional. Check the hours as the schedule is different.

Johnson Wax building tours
Tours are given many times a day, and consist of about 50 minutes. You hear about the history of Johnson Wax, the company and the products. Then you hear about the buildings Wright designed, how he got some of the ideas and engineering to pass the doubters, and get to see the inside of teh main office building. They make a lot of products, and sell worldwide, ie) Off!, Shout and many others.

They also show movies in their round theatre that are free.

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Wingspread is a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Johnson family, head of Johnson Wax in Racine. It's a beautiful barely 2 story home spread out in 4 directions. It's on a large lot with a river running thru it, a huge garden and gorgeous landscaping. It's a very beautiful, peaceful area.

They do tours on fridays when there are no meetings scheduled there. It's now a conference center. The tours consist of someone explaining the history, and showing you a little of the main room. She then gives you a little map and lets you walk around the house on your own, at your own pace.

The Racine Art Museum houses one of North America's most significant collections of contemporary crafts. With a permanent collection of more than 3,500 objects, half of these pieces represent the museum's focus on contemporary crafts from internationally recognized artists in ceramics, fibers, glass, metals and wood. The remaining items in the collection are a combination of 1930s art from the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project, which was the museum's first acquisition, along with works on paper, paintings and sculpture.
2008 Adults $5,check the internet for an occarional 2 for 1 discount
Seniors (over age 62) $3
Full-time Students $3
Young Adults (age 12-18) $3
Children (under 12) Free

The Racine Art Museum, which is located in the building that was a bank John Dillinger's gang raided in 1933. See http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=181599 for more details.