One of the Midwestern states, Wisconsin is located in the Great Lakes region and boasts borders with Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Enjoying diverse landscapes and beautiful scenery is a popular spot with tourists. As well as bordering two of the five Great Lakes, Wisconsin also has borders with Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois. The state is known under the nickname of the Badger State and is entirely located in the Central Time Zone. CDC information for travelers. Hours/availability may have changed.
1.Wisconsin Overview
The state capital of Wisconsin is Madison. It is the second biggest city in the state and has a population of around 250,000. Wisconsin's biggest overall city is Milwaukee, which has a population approaching 600,000 people and is well known as the cultural and educational hub of the state.
The state of Wisconsin contains quite a varied array of landscapes due to its geographical locations. The movement of glaciers during the Ice Age greatly shaped the face of the state, which contains a mixture of plains, forests, thousands of lakes, and more. The state has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cold winters with plenty of snow.
2.Activities and Economy in WI
Talking about Wisconsin without discussing dairy products is impossible. The state is responsible for making around 25% of all the cheese in America and is by far the leading state in this domain. It's also one of the biggest milk producers in the entire United States, second only to California. Around 25% of America's butter is also made in Wisconsin, and the state's impressive agriculture industry also extends to other produce like cranberries, corn, oats, potatoes, and snap beans.
Wisconsin is often known under the nickname of 'America's Dairyland' due to its huge dairy production but is a key hub for other industries too including paper production and the manufacture of various consumer goods. Tourism is also highly popular in this state due to its rich array of lakes and forests, with outdoor enthusiasts enjoying a variety of activities including kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking, and more.
3.History of WI Time Zone
Back in the 1800s, towns, and cities all around the United States relied on the sun to tell the time. When the sun passed over the local meridian, clocks would be set to midday. This meant that the time would be different by a few minutes from one town to the next and could vary greatly all around each state. As time went by and the United States prospered and developed, this system of timekeeping became increasingly problematic.
It was then, in the year 1883 that the idea of introducing large time zones around the United States was introduced and established. In November of that year, the four big contiguous US time zones (Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern) were introduced. Telegraph messages were sent out to all major cities on the same day, informing them how to set their clocks. From that point on, time was standardized around the US and the state of Wisconsin was placed entirely in the Central Time Zone.
, OH4.Time Zone
Central Time Zone
The Central Time Zone, commonly abbreviated to CT, covers all of the state of Wisconsin and many other parts of the US. Like the other major time zones used around the US, the Central Time Zone is split into two forms depending on the time of year: Central Standard Time (CST) and Central Daylight Time (CDT). The former is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), while CDT is five hours behind UTC and is used during periods of daylight savings time.
Along with the entire state of Wisconsin, eight other states are fully covered by the Central Time Zone. CT is also observed in small to large parts of 11 additional states, covering 20 states in total. Central Time is also observed in around three-quarters of Mexico, as well as certain parts of Canada, some Caribbean Islands, and several Central American countries.
Daylight Savings in Wisconsin
The whole of Wisconsin, like almost all of US states, uses a system of daylight savings time each year. This period begins on the second Sunday of March and extends through to the first Sunday of November each year, with these dates being established in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. During this period of each year, WI observes CDT. For the remainder of the year, CST is observed throughout the state. Daylight savings time is used all around the US and other nations to save energy.
Wisconsin Time Zone
- Wisconsin Overview, Photo: soupstock/stock.adobe.com
- Activities and Economy in WI, Photo: Steve/stock.adobe.com
- History of WI Time Zone, Photo: rudi1976/stock.adobe.com
- Time Zone, Photo: Henryk Sadura/stock.adobe.com
- Cover Photo: Courtesy of Martina Krause - Fotolia.com
Attraction Spotlight: Oshkosh Public Museum
The Oshkosh Public Museum has been documenting, preserving, caring for, managing, and exhibiting various material that represents the heritage and history of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, as well as the larger Lake Winnebago area. The Oshkosh Public Museum contains nearly fifty thousand historical photographs that are preserved in the museum archives. With almost 250, 000 different objects in the museum’s holding, the museum is an outstanding resource and one of the leading the area in the defining the heritage and culture of the region.
The Oshkosh Public Museum is the state of Wisconsin’s second oldest public museum, and also possesses an accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. A variety of permanent exhibits, as well as temporary exhibitions, are on display at the museum for visitors to explore. Displays of exhibits range from the Apostles Clock that measures eight feet in height to a bone from a mammoth weight eight tons, as well as artifacts numbering in the thousands and history spanning hundreds of year in between.
The Apostles Clock is a favorite among visitors to the Oshkosh Public Museum. Guests can enjoy watching the spectacular performance on the hour of the Apostles Clock, as well as learn about the interesting story of the person who made the amazing work of Wisconsin folk art. The Gallery of Glass and Ceramic showcases beautiful and detailed works of art from the nineteenth century and the twentieth century. The collection of European and American decorative arts totals over 200 exquisite pieces.
The Oshkosh Public Museum’s People of the Waters exhibit is one of the museum’s newest exhibits. This new and exciting gallery houses long-term exhibits in the gallery’s main floor. These displays explore the richness of the region during prehistoric times and early life, spanning ten thousand years. The museum’s Winnebago Room provides a look at different era throughout the history of the Lake Winnebago region. The room highlights the region’s history from the time of prehistoric Native American tribes to the destructive fires during the early beginnings of Oshkosh to a tribute to the region’s military heritage.
The Logging and Lumbering exhibit at the Oshkosh Public Museum transports visitors back in time to northern Wisconsin’s logging days, highlighting the boom in lumber that turned the town of Oshkosh into a prosperous city. The exhibit features authentic artifacts associated with logging, as well as a scale model of the region’s Paine Lumber Company. Guests can also walk along the streets of the old Oshkosh in the Changing View of Oshkosh exhibit, viewing numerous historic photographs that depict the history of the city and how it has evolved over time.
Memories and Dreams focuses on frontier life of northern Wisconsin’s past to the interesting items of Grandma’s Attic. Visitors have the chance to journey back to the city of Oshkosh’s early days and explore why Winnebago County was considered a land of opportunity. The Oshkosh Public Museum’s cornerstone is its English Tudor Revival style residence from 1908. The Tiffany Treasures exhibit showcases interior furnishing and decorations executed by New York’s prestigious Tiffany Studios.
1331 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Phone: 920-236-5799
Attraction Spotlight: Menominee Park Zoo
The Menominee Park Zoo’s mission is to provide the local community with an place where they can view and learn more about an assortment of both domestic and exotic animals native to the state of Wisconsin. The goal is to enrich the lives of the visitors of the Menominee Park Zoo, as well encourage the appreciation of animal diversity, habitat, and animal behavior. The Zoo is situated within the Menominee Park, located on the city of Oshkosh’s eastern side. Menominee Park is bordered to the west and south by Merritt Street and Hazel Street, and bordered to the east by Lake Winnebago.
Established in the year 1945, the Menominee Park Zoo has had a significant role in not only Oshkosh, but in Northeastern Wisconsin as well since its beginnings. Located on Lake Winnebago’s scenic banks, the Zoo offers both education and entertainment for visitors of all ages, making it a great attraction in the area for the entire family to visit and enjoy. The Oshkosh Zoological Society was founded to promote and support the Menominee Park Zoo, as well as to improve the zoo. The Zoological Society offers a meaningful experience that is both recreational and educational for the public, both locals and visitors alike.
The Menominee Park Zoo is open to visitors starting on the first weekend of May up through the last weekend of September. Because of the short season during which the Zoo is open, many of the animals that visitors can view at the park are leased to the Zoo. This allows the Menominee Park Zoo to exhibit a different collection of animals every year.
The Zoo at Menominee Park is currently in the process of adding new exhibits. As these new exhibits are constructed, the Zoo will obtain more animals to live at the zoo on a permanent basis. This will likely lead to the Menominee Park Zoo to remain open throughout the entire year. The Zoo is around eight acres in size and exhibits thirty to fifty animals throughout its open season. The Zoo educates and entertains more than 110,000 guests every year, which includes more than 3,500 students visiting on a field trip.
The exhibit for the River Otter was opened to the public on May 17 of 2013 at Menominee Park Zoo. The otters in the exhibit are Winnie and Minnie, whose names were chosen by the residents of Oshkosh, Wisconsin before they arrived at the Zoo. One of the otters’ favorite spaces within their habitat to nap in is inside the large log situated on the exhibit’s western side.
The Menominee Park Zoo also contains an aviary that was constructed in 1994. Four different species of birds can be housed within the aviary. Currently, the Zoo’s Aviary houses a turkey vulture, peafowl, turkey, and pheasant.
Menominee Park is the largest park in Oshkosh, stretching across 109 acres. Along with the Zoo, the park contains a carousel, a miniature train, paddle boats, and amusement rides. Several of the city’s special events and festivals are also hosted in Menominee Park.
520 Pratt Trail, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Phone: 920-236-5082
Attraction Spotlight: The EAA Aviation Museum
The EAA Aviation Museum specializes in antique, experimental, classic, and warbird aircraft. Situated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the facility is in close proximity to the museum’s sponsoring organization, the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Open all year round, this two-story museum features more than 200 aircraft and 20,000 artifacts in both indoor and outdoor settings. Displaying historically significant aircraft that have carried both military personnel and civilians, the extensive array of exhibits also showcases racing, stunt, vintage, and homebuilt aircraft.
History
The EAA was founded in 1953, when a group of local Milwaukeeans got together after bonding over a shared love of building airplanes. Over time, the EAA’s mission widened to include helicopters, ultralights, warbirds, antiques, classics, and contemporary aircraft. In 1958, Paul Poberezny put forward the idea of the EAA Museum Air Education Center. His son, Tom Poberezny, then continued with the idea and in 1983 the EAA Aviation Museum was born.
Permanent Exhibits
Eagle Hangar: A Tribute to The Greatest Generation showcases multiple exhibits dedicated to World War II. Centered on the Allied servicemen and women from over 50 countries who lost their lives during the conflict, Eagle Hangar also includes exhibits from Japan and Germany. Examples of the aircraft found in Eagle Hangar are the celebrated British-designed 1941 North American XP-51 Mustang-NX51NA fighter aircraft, the “Flying Jeep” 1944 Stinson L-5E-1VW Sentinel-N9658H, and the Messerschmitt/Hispano Buchón HA1112-M1L-N109BF, built by Hispano Aviatión in Seville, Spain.
Pioneers of Flight displays the many narratives of early aeronautical design dating back to the early 20th century. It includes a tribute to the Wright brothers with a replica of the first heavier-than-air powered aircraft to successfully be flown in controlled flight, the 190.Wright Flyer. Other notable pioneers featured within this exhibit are Warren Rasor, with his Rasor 21 Balloon Basket from 1909, and Charles S. Bates’ 1912 Bates Monoplane.
The Homebuilt Airplanes & Van’s RV section celebrates 15 classic homebuilt aircraft. This exhibit includes a special dedication to Dick VanGrunsven, whose Van’s Aircraft company was founded in 1973. The company achieved recognition by modifying a Stits Playboy to create the Van’s Aircraft RV-1 in the 1960s, and then went to become the worlds leading kitplane manufacturer. Further classic homebuilts on display are the 1950s Taylor Aerocar, the Stits DS-1 Baby Bird, and a Pietenpol Air Camper with a Ford Model A engine.
The Innovations Gallery is a special exhibition found within the Homebuilt Airplanes & Van’s RV exhibit. It celebrates cutting edge aviation achievement through a selection of what were once state-of-the-art aircraft. A notable name in the exhibit is Burt Rutan, an acclaimed American aerospace engineer who designed energy-efficient and light aircraft using homebuilding technology.
The SpaceShipOne exhibit highlights flight accomplishments and pioneering designs by members and non-members of the EAA. This exhibit uses a SpaceShipOne replica with lighting and sound effects as well as rare video footage to give an account of the mission into space in 2003. Every hour on the hour the spacecraft folds upwards, displaying its ability to counteract overheating when it re-entered the atmosphere using its innovative design.
The Antiques & Classics section features artifacts and aircraft from aviation’s golden age. Including groundbreaking designs, such as the 1931 Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro and the 1933 parasol-wing Davis D-1-W, this exhibit celebrates innovation over the decades.
The Air Racing & Acrobatics exhibit illustrates the post-World War I enthusiasm for air races. Featured is the Air Racing Gallery, highlighting classic air racers, airplanes, and artifacts. The Acrobatic Gallery displays one of the best collections of aerobatic airplanes in the world alongside the MaxFlight Simulator, which allows visitors to step onboard and control the world’s first fully acrobatic flight simulator.
The KidVenture Gallery provides aviation-themed interactive displays and hands-on activities for younger visitors as well as a scenic viewpoint from the Tower of Flight, while the Raptor Gallery consists of 16 hands-on and interactive exhibits on the most advanced airplane in the world, the F-22 Raptor.
Ongoing Programs and Education
The museum runs a diverse school program for grades K-12. The lessons are taught by professional educators from the museum and although topics vary per age group, each lesson shares the same components of theoretical learning and practical application. Boy and Girl Scout programs can also take part at the EAA Aviation Museum, with participants pursuing a range of aviation badges on offer. The Young Eagles Program is open to youths aged 8-17, and its mission is to provide youths with their first ride in an airplane for free. Annual scholarships and summer internships are also offered by the EAA.
3000 Poberezny Rd, Oshkosh, WI 54902, Phone: 920-426-4800
