Kenosha (Southport) Light Station

Wonderful experience!!! Full of history and great stories!!! Our guide was TOP NOTCH!!! He said he has been doing this 15 years!!! They are lucky to have him!!! He was easy to listen to and had fantastic stories!!!! we need to ho back just to listen to more!!!!

VISITED SUNDAY OCTOBER 6, 2024. I love light houses. They are spectacular land marks that represent amazing, meaningful history. This was my 2nd visit and learned much more about this light house visiting the museum and getting an enlightened info from the museum docent who sadly his name evades me. I couldn’t believe his memory bank was full of facts and stories to share. To top off, he mentioned a ship that my father-in-law used to talk about when he lived, brought shivers down my spine as well as tears. Include a visit here when you are in the area.

Amazing! Ron told us the history of the location and provided excellent background into the development of the Fresnel lense. Fascinating and a great example in the museum! The upper level was a history lesson in shipwrecks, notably the Wisconsin. Don't miss out on walking up the 55' tower either (small fee).

The place is stunning. Really enjoyed reading the history of the lighthouse and location. The choice of brick was superb. Unfortunately the pictures I took are not very good because of the time of day. Would have liked to gotten better ones with the sun directly on the front.

On August 17, 2024, my friends and I made a point of visiting this site. The lighthouse was nice and the museum was informative and the displays were nice. The grounds were nicely kept. After that, the rest of the experience was not ideal. The”assistant keeper” and “principal keeper” were not friendly. Didn’t even greet us or even acknowledge us when we walked into the keeper’s quarters. I work at a lighthouse as a historical interpreter/museum educator and was very disappointed in the interaction and lack thereof. As for Ron, the “principal keeper”, his information was not right and even went as far as to make me feel degraded for the knowledge of historical lighthouse operations. Very happy I got my stamp cause I’m not coming back here and will only recommend it to those needing the stamps.

We had the opportunity to visit this very interesting museum on 9/8. Docent / Caretaker Ron was extremely knowledgeable regarding lighthouses and ships all around the Great Lakes. Climbing to the top of the tower added perspective on the important work performed by caretakers long before gps existed. Informational displays in the house itself were well done. The admission is no charge (with a contribution appreciated). There is a charge of $10 to climb the tower.

You don't even know how much you don't know about lighthouses! Sure, I climbed the 72 steps to the top of the lighthouse. Yes, the views were amazing & I took plenty pictures. An , of course, I now want my own lighthouse! The unexpected treasure was the history & explanation of how lighthouses function. The 'keeper' was a plethora of information, which, he shared willingly.

The Kenosha History Center has done a great job restoring this 1866 lighthouse and Lighthouse Keeper’s house (open from mid-May through October). We climbed to the top of this 55-foot lighthouse and learned details of the history from the highly intelligent, knowledgeable, and personable tour guide, who also built some of the ship models in the museum. Conversing with him about history and music (since we are also musicians) was the highlight of our day! We also had a delicious lunch across the street at the Yacht Club restaurant, which is open to the public.