5 African American Cultural Sites to Enrich Your Wisconsin Vacation
For children and adults alike, learning the history behind their family’s cultural roots feeds curiosity and creates a stronger sense of cultural identity. It makes understanding history fun, while often leading to the discovery of places you may not have planned to visit!
Here are five of Wisconsin’s African-American historic and cultural sites that families can consider visiting during their next vacation. Most are close to major vacation destinations and are easy day trips. Don’t forget to explore nearby restaurants, shops and related events, too!
Paramount Plaza & Walking Tour – Grafton
Just a short drive north of Milwaukee, visit Paramount Plaza. With its distinctive Walk of Fame sidewalk resembling a piano keyboard, this location recognizes the important role the Paramount Records recording studio and record pressing plant played in blues music history and the achievements of the primarily African-American musicians who recorded for the label.
Close to the blues scene in Chicago, Paramount Records was the perfect place for the artists to come and launch their careers. You’ll find tributes to legendary blues artists like Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Charley Patton, who is often recognized as “the father of the Delta Blues.”
Wisconsin Black Historical Society Museum – Milwaukee
The Wisconsin Black Historical Society Museum is on a mission to document and preserve the historical heritage of African descent in Wisconsin. Their current exhibits include a larger-than-life panorama of African-American history that offers a glimpse of the modern life of African Americans in Milwaukee. Serving as a resource center for all people interested in Wisconsin’s rich, African American heritage, the Museum’s purpose is to encourage and promote family community and cultural activities.
Milton House – Milton
The Milton House Museum is a National Historic Landmark that operated as a stop on the Underground Railroad (UGRR) from its construction in 1844 through the Civil War. It is still the only certified UGRR site in Wisconsin where visitors have the rare opportunity to walk the very pathways of freedom while visiting this unique structure. The guided, hour-long tour explores the 1844 Milton House Hexagon Stagecoach Inn, a 45-foot-long tunnel connecting to the 1837 Goodrich Pioneer Cabin and much more.
Old World Wisconsin – Eagle
Old World Wisconsin is an outdoor museum featuring 60 historic structures ranging from ethnic farmsteads – including Pleasant Ridge Community, one of Wisconsin’s first African-American rural settlements – to the 1880s Village with its traditional small-town institutions. It is the world’s largest museum dedicated to the history of rural life, and includes interaction with live animals, period demonstrations, and many hands-on activities.
Cheyenne Valley Heritage Road Tour – Hillsboro
The Cheyenne Valley was Wisconsin’s largest rural African-American settlement in the 19th century. Nearly 150 African-American settlers traveled to Cheyenne Valley, with the assistance of the Quaker religious order, where they successfully farmed alongside Native American and immigrant neighbors to create a multi-racial community. A driving tour map highlights the round barns, former schools, the old town hall, cemeteries and settler farms.
Looking to experience more of Wisconsin's history? Check out our Top 25 Historical Sites, or browse our entire directory of History and Heritage attractions!
