"Golfing, Cheeses, and a Streetcar In Kenosha"

Eastern terminus: Kenosha County, at the junction with Highway 32 (Sheridan Road) and 63rd St. in downtown Kenosha

Western terminus: Walworth County, at the junction with Highway 11 (corner of Walworth & 7th) in Delavan

Mileage: about 45 miles

Counties along the way: Kenosha, Walworth

Sample towns along the way: Kenosha, Pleasant Prairie, Paddock Lake, Lake Geneva, Delavan

Bypass alternates at: Delavan

Quickie Summary: Short as it is, State “Trunk” Highway 50 is a major east-west thoroughfare, connecting Kenosha with Delavan and moving a lot of traffic throughout the region. Along with its endpoints, places like Bristol, Paddock Lake, Pleasant Prairie, and especially Lake Geneva are served by Highway 50 as it muscles its way across the eastern half of southern Wisconsin. Much of the route is expressway-like and provides good connections to other major routes.

The Drive (East To West):Highway 50 begins within a few blocks of Lake Michigan in downtown Kenosha (pop. 92,808), Wisconsin's fourth largest city. Originally known as Pike and then Southport (a name many businesses still use), Kenosha got its current name in 1850, a descendent name from the original Potawatomi name, Mas-ke-no-zha, meaning "place of the Pike."

	The Kenosha lakefront offers a nice harbor, and plenty of boaters from both Wisconsin and Illinois maintain their floaters in this re-emerging downtown.
Kenosha's recent addition of streetcars help knit together the resurgence where an American Motors auto plant once stood. After touring around on the streetcar, you can pick up the beginning of Highway 50 a few blocks south of here.

Today, Kenosha just keeps changing. Relying on heavy manufacturing for many, many years, the demise of the American auto industry in the 1970s and 80s took a heavy toll on the area. Kenosha's economy today hums along, however, buoyed by services and health care. Some manufacturing remains and the area contains headquarters for companies like Jockey International and Snap-On Tools. Proximity to Chicago and Milwaukee make it a handy area for transportation, warehousing and tourism. A recent influx of Chicago-area residents heightens the Packers-Bears tension every autumn. Ancient Kenoshans may recall the local NFL team called the Kenosha Maroons, which played for one season in 1924.

Highway 50 begins as 63rd Street at Sheridan Road (Highway 32), not far from HarborPark. Formerly the site of a massive American Motors assembly plant, HarborPark is now an upscale-leaning area giving rise to lakefront condos, museums, emerging small businesses and a streetcar system connecting them all. Attractions there include the Kenosha Public Museum and the Museum of the Civil War, scheduled to open in 2008.

DRIVE-IN ALERT!! Heading west from downtown, Highway 50 continues on 63rd Street before angling southwest on Roosevelt Road. Several older restaurants and drive-ins dot this area, including Andy's Drive In (at 30th Avenue & Highway 50, 262-658-2067), featuring "Classic Car Nights" with street rods and cars from the '50s and '60s every Wednesday evening from May through October. Another noteworthy drive-in diversion is The Spot, which requires a jog south to 75th Street along 22nd Avenue (75th used to be Highway 50 all the way to the lake). The Spot serves up incredibly tasty burgers, fries, deep fried cheese curds, root beer floats, malts, ice cream and more. After all, one can't drive on an empty stomach. To re-join Highway 50, head west on 75th Street; at 39th Avenue, Highway 50 joins 75th Street again.

Heading out of Kenosha, Highway 50 is clearly the area's main commercial thoroughfare; if you need something, you'll find it along this stretch. As you reach the intersection with Highway 31, you reach Pleasant Prairie (pop. 16,136 and rapidly counting), the booming village whose large tracts of available land are quickly filling up with subdivisions, shopping centers and new manufacturing plants. You can look south as you drive past County Highway H and see the billowing steam from the local power plant, which is often visible from 100 miles away on an airplane.

At this point, Highway 50 is a busy 4-lane thoroughfare and the intersection with I-94 gets busier every year. Massive developments now sit at an interchange that once housed a Howard Johnson's restaurant and motel, one gas station and a McDonald's. Today, the only White Castle in Wisconsin is on Highway 50 just east of I-94 - check out the drive-thru at 2am. One key pit stop, however, is just west of I-94 at the Brat Stop.

A local hangout for decades upon decades, the Brat Stop maintains a bar and restaurant serving up some terrific Wisconsin brats, as well as a cheese market with a good selection. Expect to see a lot of Illinois license plates in the lot, but don't let that stop you.

Further west on Highway 50, you can move at a pretty good clip. The intersection with U.S. Highway 45 can take you south less than one mile to Bristol, home of Merkt's Cheese Company (262-857-2316) and those delicious spreads. Stop into their store and pick up the Sharp Cheddar with Wine or some other variation, and don't forget the crackers. Cheese spread is kind of messy without crackers.

Further west sits Paddock Lake (pop 3,200). Highway 50 runs right through town; it's the only place between I-94 and Lake Geneva where the speed limit isn't 55. It's 35, and I'm guessing speeding tickets are a handy source of income for the town, so watch your speed!

Paddock Lake is popular with boaters. This view is at 243rd Ave., just off Highway 50

Bait stores abound in case you want to fish on Paddock Lake or Hooker Lake (insert snickering here.) Highway 83, just in from Illinois, joins 50 for a short stretch while the brief Highway 75 heads north to access the Bong Recreation Area (insert more snickering here). Highway 83 joins 50 for about 5-6 miles before it heads northwest to Burlington.

Continuing west on Highway 50 brings you to just one of Wisconsin's tourist meccas, Lake Geneva. As you approach the U.S. 12 Freeway, gaze at the Grand Geneva Resort to your right. Or better yet, pull onto the access road and check it out. It was originally a Playboy Club & Resort. Hugh Hefner's Playboy empire began in Chicago, and since the law states Chicagoans must vacation in Lake Geneva, ol' Hef built a Playboy Club here. It closed in 1987 but the impressiveness of today's Grand Geneva will make you forget all about bunny tails. The Grand Geneva Resort & Spa is a sprawling complex featuring world-class golf, spas, event hosting and more... it even has its own small airport. The drive in off Highway 50 twists and turns for what seems like a mile or two before you reach The Lodge and other resort buildings. It's a world away from the hustle and bustle of Milwaukee and Chicago, as well as the bustle of towns brimming with tourists. This is a "get away from it all" resort and spa.

Just on the other side of U.S. 12 is Lake Geneva (pop. 5,979) itself. A longtime popular vacation town, Lake Geneva's downtown strip is filled with stores, restaurants and attractions that cater to the thousands upon thousands of tourists - many from Illinois - who descend on the city every year. On warm weather days, it can be a slow push through town, but the activity can grab your attention and you'll enjoy the views. Because of its resort-like nature, many refer to Lake Geneva as the "Newport of the West."

	Expect a packed Highway 50 as it goes through the heart of Lake Geneva, filled with tourists and sightseers ready for a great day in this vacation town. The ratio of Illinois plates is rather high here.
Downtown Lake Geneva is filled with shops. Some are part of national chains, some are small independents. All cater to both locals and the hordes of visitors, many of whom spend extended stays here in the summer.
	So here's the deal: the city is called Lake Geneva, the lake is called Geneva Lake. It's the second deepest lake in Wisconsin, going as far down as 135 feet. Boat rides are exceptionally popular on the lake, which is 7.6 miles long and is lined with resorts and mansions.

Golf, anyone? Lake Geneva features championship courses at places like Geneva National, right along Highway 50 about four miles west of Lake Geneva. Geneva National features courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino and is rated in Wisconsin's top 10 by Golf Digest, a hefty feat in a state with so many great courses.

After crossing a busy 4-way stop intersection with Highway 67, Highway 50 heads toward Delavan Lake, immensely popular with fishing enthusiasts. It's possible - though unlikely - that one could snag the elephant buried in the lake. Yes, an elephant. After ducking past some new development and under I-43, Highway 50 enters Delavan (pop. 7,956) and ends at Highway 11, just short of downtown. Delavan is quite the circus town: it's the original home of P.T. Barnum’s "Greatest Show On Earth" (P.T. stood for Phineas Taylor, in case you were curious) and from 1847-1895 about 26 circuses made their headquarters here. A 12-year-old runaway named Harry Houdini stayed in a livery stable in Delavan's Park Hotel, along Highway 11 on the west side of town. Delavan is the native home of Gary Berghoff (Radar O’Reilly on M*A*S*H) and home to those delicious Andes Candies. Also on the west side of Delavan lies the site for Wisconsin's first School for the Deaf.

	West of Lake Geneva, Highway 50 is part four-lane highway and part two-lane, but often busy...yet scenic. Here the road straddles the area between Geneva Lake to the south and Lake Como to the north.
Highway 50 comes to end in Delavan and the junction with Highway 11 Downtown is just west of the intersection.

	A brick main street and active storefronts make downtown Delavan, home of Andes Candies, six Frank Lloyd Wright structures and historically a circus town, a fun stop along Highway 11, just past the end of Highway 50.
Speaking of, the giraffe indicates a monument that highlights Delavan's circus history. The plaque tells you more, so make sure you stop and read the thing. Harry Houdini stayed in the buildings in the background.

Highway 50 is a major east-west highway in southeastern Wisconsin. It's a city street, a tourist-packed main street and a four-lane expressway, giving access to everything from Lake Michigan to tiny fishing ponds, new museums and old historical spots, championship golf courses and sprawling resorts.. all within 45 miles. It makes for a great, variety-packed short afternoon trip.

CONNECTIONS:
East Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 32
Can connect nearby to: Highway 31, about 5 miles west; U.S. Highway 41 & I-94, about 8 miles west

West Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 11
Can connect nearby to: I-43, about one mile east; Highway 67, about 8 miles east

Upcoming events in places along Highway 50:
Civil War Museum Grand Opening - A Salute to Freedom, Kenosha, June 14-15, 2008
Kenosha Car Club 15th Annual Car Show, Kenosha, June 15, 2008

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