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Surf Wisconsin!


Links about history, geography,  culture and more for 4th grade Wisconsin studies.


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Wisconsin: Field Trips l Geography l Government l People l Work

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These links will take you to the websites of museums, historical societies, and other possible field trip sites for Wisconsin studies.  Our annotations show general themes for museums and describe field trip or school outreach activities. Don’t forget about virtual field trips−many museums have historical photos, information or other content available on their websites. Check the “online” section for virtual visits or information for research projects.


Quick Links: Museums and Historic Sites l Other Field Trip Ideas

Museums and Historic Sites

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (Bayfield)

Chippewa Valley Museum (Eau Claire)

  • Eau Claire history, farming, lumber and logging, area industries, folk arts, the Ojibwe, and the Hmong
  • Online: History of Eau Claire Bridges, Protecting Historic Sites, Hmong in America
  • Field trips, teachers’ guides  and workshops for teachers

    • Civil War Museum (Kenosha)

    • Civil War, connections between the home front and the battle front
    • Field trips and historical theatre featuring underground railroad, Midwest in the Civil War

    Door County Maritime Museum (Sturgeon Bay)

    Harley Davidson Museum (Milwaukee)

    Heritage Hill State Park (Green Bay)

    • History of Northeastern Wisconsin;  artwork, books, clothing and furnishings 1700 – present
    • Online: interactive tour with photographs and brief history of fur trade, Fort Howard, 19th century buildings and community, ethnic agricultural areas
    • Field trips, outreach programs to local schools, Civil War kits for checkout

    International Crane Foundation (Baraboo)

    Madison Childrens Museum

    • Local history; restored 1830s log cabin with pioneer era daily activities

    Marathon County Historical Society (Wausau)

    Midcontinent Railway Museum (North Freedom)

    Milton House Museum (Milton)

    • 1840’s Wisconsin, architecture, Underground Railroad,
    • Online: Historical information including the Underground Railroad in Wisconsin
    • Field trips

    Milwaukee Public Museum

    • Milwaukee at the turn of the century
    • Online: podcasts  about the Streets of Old Milwaukee and Danish House exhibits
    • Field trips, educational programs including American Indians, Wisconsin and World Ecosystems

    Mining Museum and Rollo Jamison Museum (Platteville)

    • 19th and 20th century mining, rural life during the depression, quilts
    • Online:  Mining history in Wisconsin, Rural Women
    • Field trips with underground mine tour and train ride, reenactment of life in late 18th early 19th century each September, school visits with artifact boxes

    Monroe County Local History Room and Museum (Sparta)

    • Local history, pioneer history, agriculture, military history
    • Online:  searchable historic photograph archive
    • Field trips and free educational programming including You be the Historian, A Day in the Life of a Kid in 1880, Discover Your Roots: An Introduction to Genealogy and more.

    National Railroad Museum (Green Bay)

    Neville Public Museum of Brown County (Green Bay)

    • Wisconsin history from the end of the last Ice Age to the mid-20th century; Jean Nicolet, Peshtigo fire, Green Bay Packers, geology
    • Field trips with pre- visit in class programs, early Wisconsin history packet

    Oneida Nation Museum (Green Bay)

    Oshkosh Public Museum (Oshkosh)

    • People and environment of Oshkosh and the Lake Winnebago region
    • Online: Virtual exhibits including Women’s History, Pioneers and Immigrants, Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II
    • Field trips, downloadable information packets, classroom presentations, discovery boxes

    Outagamie County Historical Society History Museum in the Castle (Appleton)

    Paper Discovery Center (Appleton)

    UW Geology Museum (Madison)

    Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum

    • Waukesha history, life of early settlers, Civil War, the Springs era, industrialization
    • Field trips, classroom outreach programs, discovery boxes

    Weis Earth Science Museum (Menasha)

    • Geology of Wisconsin
    • Wisconsin history field trips that focus on mining for Grade 4

    Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks (online, from UW Sea Grant and WHS)

    Wisconsin State Capitol

    The Wisconsin Veteran's Museum  (Madison)

    Wisconsin State Historical Society Museum (Madison)

    • Wisconsin and American history, artifacts, documents, full-scale dioramas, multimedia presentations
    • Online: dictionary of Wisconsin History,

    Wisconsin State Historical Sites
    The society runs the Wisconsin Historical Society Museum in Madison and the following historic sites: (map of historic site locations)

    Old World Wisconsin (Eagle, Waukesha County)

    • Late 19th century Wisconsin, daily life, immigrant communities

    Wade House  (Greenbush, near Plymouth)

    • 1850’s Wisconsin, the era of stage coach travel

    Villa Louis (Prairie du Chien)

    • Victorian life during the 19th century in Wisconsin

    Circus World (Baraboo)

    • Late 19th-early 20th century circus artifacts, Ringling Brothers

    Madeline Island (LaPointe, Madeline Island)

    • Early Wisconsin,  American Indians, explorers and fur traders,  19th and 20th century immigrants

    H.H. Bennet Sudio (Wisconsin Dells)

    • Late 19th century Wisconsin landscapes, photography

    Pendarvis (Mineral Point)

    • Early 19th century Wisconsin, mining community

    Stonefield (Cassville)

    • 1800’s rural Wisconsin

    First Capitol (Belmont)

    • Early 19th century, first capitol of Wisconsin Territory

    Reed School (Neilsville)

    • Early 20th century, one-room school house

    Wisconsin Federation of Museums

    • To find other museums in your area


    Other Field Trip Ideas

    Wisconsin State Parks

    • Find a State Park near you for a field trip

    Farm Fresh Atlas

    • Find farms, orchards, cheese factories, etc. in your area for field trips

    Factory Tours (Department of Tourism)

    • Tours of factories such as Harley-Davidson, Miller Brewing company and lesser know locations
    • A map and search function helps to locate tours in your area is provided



    Created 12/2010
    Last updated 12/14/2010
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    Check out more Social Studies videos and teacher resources from Wisconsin Media Lab. Visit WIMediaLab.org if you are a Wisconsin student or teacher.

    We offer video programs on Wisconsin geography, history, culture and government. All are available for streaming and download 24/7 on WIMedialab.org and on our YouTube channel.

    Photo of Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison.

    Photo of 2 cranes and 2 chicks in grass. Photo credit U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

    Photo of Outer Island Lighthouse, Apostle Islands National Park. Photo from National Park Service.
    Photo of girl and cow

    Photo of former Green County Courthouse, Monroe.

    Photo of wind generators
    Photo of sign reading Southside Dairy with picture of a cow.