Shopping and fun in Kenosha!

It is easy to have fun in Kenosha, Wisconsin! During our sponsored stay by the Kenosha CVB, my friend Annie and I had a chance to shop at some wonderful places. We also had some neat experiences as well.

Against the Grain Creative Concepts offers re-purpose and reclaimed items.

We loved shopping at Against the Grain Creative Concepts. This very cool reclaim and re-purpose shop had our names on it. With a gift card in hand we went in with an eye for shopping! But before shopping I wanted to learn about this wonderful store.

What they do!

Run by Scott Buell, he create items by taking down old hip roof barns. “We create feature walls, barn doors, furniture, bars in basements peoples houses and create things that most places won’t do.”

Scott said 50% of the items in the shop come from building they have taken down. They have seen it all, but one of the most interesting things they have seen was an old Whippet car with wooden wheels. Last year he found something quite touching when he came on some old military ID tags .

The building where Against the Grain Creative Concepts is located was built in 1904 and started out as a wholesalers for grocers. Today he is kind of doing the same in way selling wood and items to consumers and builders alike.

Annie and I had a great time shopping. I bought a wonderful napkin holder and best of all some coasters made from one of the barns the Buells had taken down.

Jack Andrea a dining and shopping experience.

While we originally to the Jack Andrea to eat, we soon realized that this restaurant is as much a shop as it is a diner. Giacomo Andrea started selling tobacco and candy out of a piano crate in 1911. In 1917 he opened a store adding an Italian marble soda fountain.

Today the fourth generation of the family has become part of the business and they still sell ice cream and tobacco products along with a line of wonderful gift type of items. There were wonderful things to choose from in this amazing shop. With food on the brain, we choose to stick with the candy realm and picked up some AMAZING truffles!

Kenosha Public Museum Gift Shop where I found jewelry.

Ever since going on a press trip to St. Louis years ago where we stopped at museum gift shops, I have learned that they are often the best places to find cool items. Here at the Kenosha Public Museum shop Annie and I both found some great jewelry. I loved the fact that it was fair trade jewelry so I also felt like I was giving back as well. The staff at the museum were very helpful in assisting me with my jewelry purchase!

Besides the jewelry there was also an array of educational toys and cool items as well! Fun in Kenosha for sure!

Jelly Belly makes you smile!

Who doesn’t love a jelly bean or two? While we ran out of time to go on the Jelly Belly tour, we did stop by this cool place where you can find any flavor Jelly Belly you could ever imagine.

Thank you Jelly Belly for the amazing box of candy you sent my way! My grandchildren and Annie’s thank you too! This is a great stop when traveling with the kids and grand kids. Jelly Belly offers a very unique destination in Kenosha.

Mars Cheese Castle fun shopping!

When we left town, our last stop was the Mars Cheese Castle where we had a gift card and a chance to fill a cooler with wonderful Wisconsin cheese! I don’t think I have ever seen so many varieties of cheese in my life. This past weekend, I had relatives from Wisconsin down and I pulled out my stash with some crackers and we were all in Heaven. Even my mom was quickly grabbing her favorite.

Thank you, thank you Mars Cheese, you have true fans from central Illinois! The day we left wasn’t National Cheese Day like the Day we arrived, however every day that I try the delicious cheese is cheese day at my house.

Fun experiences in Kenosha are easy to come by!

Besides shopping, dining and visiting museums, Annie and I enjoyed several fun experiences while in Kenosha.

Petrifying Springs Park, offers a boardwalk, beer garden and dog park bringing fun in Kenosha.

One morning we got up early and headed to Petrifying Springs, a County Park. We took a walk along the Boardwalk. What a great place to stretch and see a bit of nature.

The park is lovely and besides the boardwalk and trail also has a prairie with oxbow sloughs and cutoffs into a bottomland forest. While there we also saw the dog park and the beer garden. Tons for everyone to do here.

We noted several wonderful parks in Kenosha. Near us was a cool Civic Center Park with a neat statue. Formerly there had been a Statue of Liberty provided by the Boy Scouts. Because of weather erosion that statue had been moved to the Kenosha History Center.

Sculpture Walk provides harbor fun.

Near the harbor is a wonderful sculpture walk. Annie and I enjoyed seeing the different art work along the way.

Enjoy beautiful churches downtown.

We stayed at the Stella Hotel and Ballroom. which is located in downtown Kenosha. We walked around downtown and we were quite taken with the amount of beautiful churches. While there we even ducked into a lovely Catholic church and said prayers for love ones while we were on the road.

One evening we even caught the Electric Street Car and found this is a fun way to see the downtown and the harbor!

Shopping, parks, statues, art everywhere, Kenosha is filled with amazing things to see and do. When you take your trip let me know what we missed!

If you loved this article, check out the article about Dining in Kenosha and Museums in Kenosha!