12 Best Things to Do in Beloit, WI

By VI Staff on May 23, 2019

Located north of the confluence of the Rock River and Turtle Creek, Beloit is a college city in Wisconsin with beautiful downtown and award-winning main street and a number of museums. Logan Museum of Anthropology is part of Beloit College and Wright Museum of Art are part of the Beloit College. Gallery ABBA is a student-ran gallery and center that teaches about art as a business. The Beloit water tower is an 1889 historic water tower and a city landmark. The city has a minor-league baseball team Beloit Snappers.

1.Beckman Mill

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

2.Turtle Island Playground

Located on the banks of the beautiful Rock River in Benoit, Wisconsin, Turtle Island playground is an unique space that provides imaginative fun for all kids but is most suitable for the kids aged two through twelve. The park has six different unique and original play areas: a dinosaur dig sand pit with buried ‘dinosaur bones’, 10-foot tall lookout tower, giant climbing log, shipwreck climbing structure, a shallow creek with large rocks to sit on and the traditional wooden playground. There are also several picnic tables and benches, bathroom and a concession with snacks, drinks and ice cream.

3070 Lakecrest Circle, Suite 500, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-219-2166

3.Logan Museum of Anthropology

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

4.Oakwood and Eastlawn Cemeteries

Eastlawn Cemetery in Benoit, Wisconsin was opened in 1923, and it covers over 60 acres next to the beautiful Leeson’s Park. It contains the office for the City Cemeteries. The most notable feature at the cemetery is Argonne Drive, created in memory of those who gave their lives for their country from 1917 to 1921. The trees along the drive were planted by local Civic and Social Organizations. Oakwood Cemetery was the original City Cemetery. It was located in what is today Horace White Park and was relocated to the present location in 1840 and is today sitting on 28 acres. The chapel at Oakwood was built in 1913 and was used for committal services and later as the Cemetery office until the mid-1970s.

Beloit, WI

5.Wright Museum of Art

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

6.Gallery Abba

Gallery ABBA or Art of Business and Business of Art is a student-owned and run gallery that displays artwork from Beloit College students, faculty and alum. It also hosts diverse art-related events for the Beloit community. The gallery is powered through the Center for Entrepreneurship in Liberal Education at Beloit (CELEB). The gallery focuses on helping art students and other artists to turn their talent into a business. For that, artists need to learn about the business of art. To be successful, it is not enough for artist to make great artworks. They need to learn how to get noticed, how to use art fairs to attracts clients, how to market their work to galleries and many other aspects of art as business. Gallery Abba helps art students practice those skills. Every year, one student is put in charge and has to do everything: curate shows, hire staff, hire artists, do the books etc.

437 E Grand Ave, Beloit, WI 53511-6228

7.Beloit Water Tower

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

8.Beloit Art Center

The Beloit Fine Arts 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

9.Merrill and Houston's Steak Joint

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

10.The Rock Bar and Grill

The Rock Bar and Grill is a lively, popular spot on the banks of the Rock River where Beloit folks come to have fun with friends, watch a game on one of 15 TVs, have a company picnic, birthday party or class reunion. They can even come by boat and dock it right to the restaurant. Large dining room is colorful and funky, with an old canoe hanging from the ceiling. Outdoor patio has a Tiki Bar, volleyball courts and a music stage. The menu has everyone’s favorite comfort food such as burgers, steaks, shrimp, corn dogs, sandwiches and salads. There is very nice selection of draft beers and a full bar.

101 Maple Ave, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-363-7625

11.La Casa Grande

La Casa Grande is a large colorful Mexican cantina in downtown Beloit with tasteful décor tucked in the arches in the walls and some lovely murals. Their outdoor courtyard patio is beautiful for romantic dinners on warm summer nights. La Casa Grande specializes in authentic made-from scratch Mexican flavors and preparations, whether it is their famous margarita, sopes, flautas, gorditas, burritos, tortas or carne asada. Their signature dish is tacos pastor with tender pieces of marinated and slow roasted pork, served with fresh cilantro, onion and avocado. The menu is huge, there is something for everyone. La Casa Grande is famous for their huge banquet room and small and big catering.

618 4th St, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-361-0011

12.Beloit Snappers

The Beloit Snappers is a Minor League Baseball team located in Beloit, Wisconsin, part of the Midwest League and affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Beloit Snappers play their home games at Pohlman Field, built in 1982. The team joined the Midwest League the same year as an expansion franchise. They adopted the Snappers nickname in 1995 after a turtle-shaped Indian mound on the campus of Beloit College. The Beloit American Legion and Beloit Memorial High School baseball teams also play their home games there. Pohlman Field can accommodate 3,501 people.

2301 Skyline Dr, Beloit, WI 53511, Phone: 608-362-2272