"Danishes by the Root River to the Brew City and the Harley-Davidson Museum"

Southern terminus: Racine County, at Highway 32 (corner of State & Main Streets) in downtown Racine

Northern terminus: Milwaukee County, at Highway 59 (National Ave.) in Milwaukee, just south of downtown

Mileage: about 26 miles

Counties along the way: Racine, Milwaukee

Sample towns along the way: Racine, Oak Creek, Milwaukee

Bypass alternates at: none

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 38 connects downtown Racine with downtown Milwaukee on a more inland route than Highway 32. In place since 1924 from Racine to Highway 100 in Oak Creek and since 1947 all the way to National Avenue in Milwaukee, it winds through Racine neighborhoods of all kinds, fertile farmland in Racine County, serves as the main thoroughfare through fast-growing Oak Creek and is the main road connecting to Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport. It then winds through some commercial and residential districts in Milwaukee before ending in the city's "Latin Quarter" just south of downtown Milwaukee and the Harley-Davidson Museum. It provides a nice tour of the Racine-Milwaukee corridor as an alternate to I-94.

The Drive (South to North): Highway 38 begins at Highway 32, at the corner of State and Main Streets in downtown Racine (pop. 81,855) calls itself the Belle City and is Wisconsin's fifth-largest. The French may have named the city (Racine is French for "root", after the Root River which flows into Lake Michigan here), but Danish immigrants left the tastiest mark on the city; Racine is known as the "Kringle Capital of the World". Famous locales like Lehmann's, O&H, and the Larsen Bakery (many of which are just west of downtown along nearby Highway 20/Washington Avenue) crank out millions of the tasty iced and filled pastries every year and ship them worldwide. You, however, can stop in for a fresh one right there. They're best that way.

Racine's industrial and entrepreneurial history now spans three centuries. Home to major companies like J.I. Case and S.C. Johnson, it's where the garbage disposal was invented in 1927; In-Sink-Erator still calls Racine home. It's also where malted milk was invented in 1887 by William Horlick, who now has a high school named after him (they do not have a malted milk stand, however, according to my limited research.)

Many cities the size of Racine host minor-league baseball, but Racine hosts minor-league football. The Racine Raiders of the North American Football League are one of the most respected minor-league football organizations in the country and have been around for over 50 years. The Raiders have sent players to the NFL over the years, although unfortunately most of them went to the Vikings. They play at Horlick Field, on the north side of town, just a few miles off Highway 20's path. Their season begins in June, just about the time post-season Packers talk starts to die down... sort of.

Downtown Racine and the Harbor area offer a wealth of sights and things to do. The Racine Art Museum (441 S. Main St.) houses a series of contemporary craft exhibits and street-level displays while the Racine Heritage Museum (701 Main St.) houses a bird collection and other features from Racine's early days. Monument Square (500 S. Main Street, just off Highway 20's eastern end) offers a look back - and up - with its 61-foot high Civil War Soldiers Memorial, dedicated in 1884, when it was called Haymarket Square, while also giving a nod to the future with Wi-Fi Internet Access for anyone using their laptops in the square, perhaps imbibing in a beverage or meal from the surrounding stores. If you're in the mood for an old-fashioned diner experience and one of the best-rated burgers in the state, by the way, a visit to the Kewpee (520 Wisconsin Ave.) should satisfy you, as it has for Racine residents since the 1920's.

Racine's attention to the lakefront is among the most impressive in the state. Buildings lining downtown streets offer increasingly busy storefronts, but their upper floors also offer sweeping lake views, as do the condos springing up all over the place. The Reefpoint Marina, Festival Park and Pershing Park can be accessed right after Highway 20's terminus, along 4th and 5th Streets leading down to the water. Annual events include the Racine Boat Show and Salmon-A-Rama (which is fun to say, actually).

	Features along Racine's lakefront include Festival & Pershing Park, just south of the Reefpoint Marina.
Boats busily buzz under a bridge crossing the Root River, just before it empties into Lake Michigan. Highway 38 crosses the Root River just a few blocks west of where it begins.

Other things to see in Racine include the Johnson Wax Golden Rondelle (1525 Howe Street), built in 1964 for the New York World's Fair; the Wind Point Lighthouse (4725 Lighthouse Drive, Wind Point), one of the oldest (1880) and tallest (108 feet) lighthouses on the Great Lakes; and the Racine Zoo (2131 N. Main Street, about 1.5 miles north of downtown), which offers an impressive array of animals - over 76 species - overlooks the lake, and offers its "Animal Crackers Jazz Series" on Wednesday and Selected Sunday evenings.

A good link to Racine's sites can be found at http://racine.wi.net/tourfp.php3, as well as the Racine County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Highway 38 winds out of downtown via State Street and angles on a northwesterly direction... to the point where it eventually becomes Northwestern Avenue. You head through an interesting set of neighborhoods; ones that have seen better days sit right next to the upscale Racine Country Club and beautiful Colonial Park. Long-closed factories lie on the other side. One of the attractions you pass is the Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (2519 Northwestern Avenue, 262-636-9177), which features 13 acres of parkland, a one-acre formal garden and a classroom and studio, all crowned by a Italianate-style farmhouse that dates back to 1856. This was the original Racine Art Museum; but the collection grew so large they had to build a new location downtown to hold it all.

Near the intersection with County MM, Green Bay Road and Rapids Drive coupled with a small bridge over the Root River (yes, again), you're close to John Batten International Airport, the largest privately-owned, public-use reliever airport in the United States. The "public use" is primarily for corporate jets (Racine holds several international corporate headquarters) and local aviation enthusiasts; don't look for commercial flights to and from the place. It is, however, now large enough to offer customs services 24/7...who knew? Its airport code is RAC; the larger airport for the region lies ahead, also on Highway 38.

Beyond the roundabout with County K, Highway 38 becomes a "country" road, a two-lane highway meanderingm through fertile farmland and occasional clusters of homes. When it reaches Six Mile Road (aka County G), Highway 38 joins it, going west through the little hamlet of Husher. Part of the Town of Caledonia that makes up most of Highway 38's non-Racine existence in Racine County, Husher offers the Husher Pub & Grill and a few homes - and a speed limit reduction. It was originally to be called "Hoosier", but the pronunication led to it being referred to as "Husher" instead.

Just past Husher, Highway 38 turns northerly again along Howell Road, which leads you past an increasing succession of "Mile Roads" (and 1/2 mile roads) until you cross the Root River - for the third and final time - and hit the only county line along the route.

At this point, you're in Milwaukee County and the city of Oak Creek (pop. 33,946), which was a vast township that incorporated in 1955 to avoid being annexed by the city of Milwaukee. Oak Creek today is a growing suburb that once hosted the headquarters of Midwest Airlines and today holds Bucyrus International, which has its main operating plant (and former HQ) in adjacent South Milwaukee. Oak Creek also held a major Delphi plant and other manufacturing facilites; economic changes have led to turnover in those buildings, with some along Howell very empty bit others experiencing a rebirth in the "new economy." Shortly inside Oak Creek, Highway 38 as Howell Avenue expands to a six-lane boulevard and stays that way through the heart of the city. Although Oak Creek doesn't have a "downtown" per se, the strip from Highway 100/Ryan Road and Drexel Avenue two miles north pretty much holds the commercial activity there.

At County Highway ZZ (College Avenue), you enter Milwaukee (pop. 596,000), the nation's 23rd-largest city and, of course, the largest in Wisconsin. Milwaukee is home to everything from major breweries (Miller is among the world's largest) to major corporations such as Johnson Controls, Manpower, Rockwell Automation, Roundy's, Assurant Health and more. Summerfest is the World's Largest Music Festival and other ethnic festivals on the same grounds along the lakefront keep things buzzing all summer. All of the region is served by the major airport, General Mitchell International Airport. Also known by its airport code of MKE, Mitchell Int'l is named after General Billy Mitchell, a Milwaukee native who many consider the father of the U.S. Air Force. A major hub for Frontier Airlines and AirTran Airways, Mitchell International has doubled its passenger count during the last decade and is one of the fastest-growing airports in the nation.

Beyond the airport, Highway 38 goes into a residential neighborhood of Milwaukee that has recently reemerged as the "Garden District." As Howell Avenue and then Chase Avenue, you can enjoy a nice, tree-lined boulevard past a series of pre- and post-World War II neighborhoods before crossing Oklahoma Avenue, entering an industrial area that includes the main plant where they make Klements Sausages, and then heading up and over I-94 into one of the city's oldest residential districts. At Lincoln Avenue, Chase Avenue ends and Highway 38 angles onto 6th Street. To your left is one of the most beautiful churches in the nation, St. Josephat's Basilica. Built by Polish Catholics from materials salvaged from a Post Office in Chicago, the magnificence of St. Josephat's led to Basilica status in 1929 and it still serves the heart of the Catholic community in Milwaukee today, although most attendees are of Latino origin.

	Highway 38 shifts from Chase Avenue to 6th Street at Lincoln Avenue, heart of a south side neighborhood called Lincoln Village, This fountain welcomes you to the area.
Highway 38 turns from Chase Avenue to 6th Street at the beautiful St. Josephat's Basilica. It's even more gorgeous inside.

A trek through near-south side Milwaukee leads you under I-94, which you just went over a few miles back. At this point, you'll be in Milwaukee's "Latin Quarter", a re-emerging area of restaurants, shops and lofts that reflect the continuous change - and reinvention - of Milwaukee's neighborhoods. Highway 38 technically turns east at Washington Street and then follows 5th Street northbound to National Avenue (Highway 59) where it ends, but you can also stay on 6th Street and at National you'll see an "END 38" sign. In the same line of vision, you can see the 6th Street Viaduct, a cable-stayed bridge that takes travelers into the Menomonee River Valley and the Harley-Davidson Museum before lifting them back up to leapfrog into downtown Milwaukee.

	The brilliant colors on the Esparanza Unida Building along Highway 38 as it nears the end will grab your attention, especially on a sunny day.
Highway 38 technically ends at National Avenue, along 6th (and 5th) Streets. A brief push north takes you downtown and to a number of interesting sights, including the Harley-Davidson Museum, less than a mile away - just follow your ears.

Just beyond the end of Highway 38:
Just past the technical end of Highway 38, 6th Street enters a large roundabout. Adjacent to the roundabout, you'll find the Great Lakes Distillery, the Iron Horse Hotel and the 6th Street Viaduct, a beautiful cable-stayed bridge complex that connects you to downtown and the Harley-Davidson Museum.

CONNECTIONS

South Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 32
Can connect nearby to: Highway 20, about 1/2 mile south; Highway 11, about 4 miles south

North Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 59
Can connect nearby to: U.S. 41, about 1/4 mile west; Highway 32, about 1/4 mile east; Highway 145, about 1 mile north; U.S. Highway 18, about 1 mile north; Highway 57, about 2 miles west

Upcoming events in places along Highway 38:
Milwaukee, Tripoli Shrine Circus, February 23-26, 2012
Milwaukee, 8th Annual Bay View Wine Fest, March 24, 2012

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