Blend Culture & Culinary Flair: 6 Ways to Explore Beloit’s Bold Character

Beckman Mill is a 52-acre park in Beloit, Wisconsin that offers wide green lawn for family picnics and relaxation, oak grove, wetlands, an oak savanna and a natural heritage garden. There is a mill pond beloved by fishermen, a savannah trail, a boardwalk across wetlands and a shady hiking trail at the northern end of the park. The main feature of the park is the historic Beckman-Howe Mill. It is the last mill in Rock County and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. The mill was restored by the Friends of Beckman Mill, Inc. The organization is also responsible for other park attractions such as new dam, millpond, fish ladder, footbridge, frog pond, saw mill display, visitor center, a range of displays at the Center, and more.

11600 S County Rd H, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-751-1551

Established in 1894 in Benoit, Wisconsin, Logan Museum of Anthropology is part of Beloit College and is a hands-on, interdisciplinary, and international teaching museum. It contains more than 300,000 archaeological and ethnological exhibits from 123 countries and 480 cultural groups from all over the world. The museum’s collections and exhibitions explore indigenous cultures of the Western Hemisphere and other parts of the world, including Paleolithic cultures of Europe and North Africa. The innovative visible storage Cube is the two story glass structure that showcases pre-Columbian ceramics, a large basketry collection and North American ethnographic objects. Museum collections come from field schools, research expeditions, gifts, exchanges, and purchases. Today’s collections were built upon an already large collection exhibited in 1893 at the World's Columbian Exposition.

700 College St, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-363-2000

The Wright Museum of Art is a small art museum operated by Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin. The museum has five galleries that house a collection of almost 6,000 objects and provides training for students in museum studies. The same building also houses the department of studio art and art history. The Wright Museum of Art was founded in 1892 with the original donation of the personal collection of Helen Brace Emerson. In 1894, Emerson added a collection of ancient Greek sculpture. The collection had been displayed at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. In 1930, Beloit College and the city of Beloit partnered to build the Wright Museum of Art. The Wright Museum mostly showcases European and American paintings, prints, College portraits, Soviet political propaganda posters, 19th century historic architecture photos, icons and Asian decorative arts and woodblock prints.

700 College St, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-363-2072

The Beloit Water Tower is a 100-foot tall historic limestone octagonal water tower built in 1889 in Beloit, Wisconsin on a bluff overlooking the Rock River, just north of Beloit College. The tower was built to serve the city's water needs, especially to facilitate fire protection. It was privately funded and built by a group of local businessmen. The tower’s pump house was the first municipal water system in Beloit. It was abandoned after the new steel water tower was completed in 1935. The old tower was left to stay because it was more expensive to demolish it. The stonehenges were left in place where the steel gallon tank used to be. Today, the stone water tower is a community landmark and a popular spot for taking photos.

1002 White Ave, Beloit, WI 53511

The Beloit Art Center is Beloit's premier art gallery for established and emerging local artists. Every first Friday of each month the Center produces a new gallery show featuring the latest works of local and regional artists. The shows are free and open to the public. The gallery has a gift shop with consignment artworks from local artists. Many of them are one of a kind and make perfect gifts. As part of its public service, the Center offers affordable studio space that artists can rent, a supportive environment where artists can practice, create, exhibit and sell their art.

520 E Grand Ave, Beloit, Wisconsin, Phone: 608-313-9083

Merrill and Houston's Steak Joint is an upscale steakhouse and restaurant in downtown Beloit with incredibly elegant and classy interior and superb steaks and cocktails. Recycled wood, gleaming wood-paneled walls, elegant furniture, white tablecloths and beautiful photos of old Beloit on the walls not only provide great dining space but tell the story of Beloit through the history of Merrill and Houston Iron Works. Executive Chef Bobby Walker Jr offers eclectic menu that focuses on surf and turf but also includes such treats as Wild Mushroom Ravioli and Duck a l’orange. The wines are well-curated and come mostly from California. There is also a full bar and live music every Friday night.

500 Pleasant St, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-313-0700

Where to Eat