Racine

Racine is a city of 77,000 people (2019) in Southeast Wisconsin along Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. It is the county seat of Racine County.

By bus
Coach USA Airport Express service is available to O'Hare International Airport and Milwaukee from the Petro Station/Iron Skillet on I-94 and Hwy. 20. There are fourteen runs to O'Hare and Midway airports 365 days a year. Limited weekday connections are available using Belle Urban System route 20 leaving the Racine Transit Center on the 1400 block of State Street at 6:20AM, 7:10AM, 4:10PM, and 5:10PM. Coach USA Airport Express tickets can be purchased from the bus driver or a local travel agent.

By plane
Racine has a small city airport, and is close to Milwaukee Mitchell International and Chicago O'Hare.

By train

 * Route stopping at Sturtevant:
 * Hiawatha has 6 to 7 daily round trips between Milwaukee Downtown Intermodal Station and Chicago with stops along the way at Milwaukee Airport-Trains station, Sturtevant (7 miles west of Racine), and Glenview. Taking this train offers the quickest travel time from Chicago, power outlets at your seat, a quiet car, and snack & beverage service.
 * Hiawatha has 6 to 7 daily round trips between Milwaukee Downtown Intermodal Station and Chicago with stops along the way at Milwaukee Airport-Trains station, Sturtevant (7 miles west of Racine), and Glenview. Taking this train offers the quickest travel time from Chicago, power outlets at your seat, a quiet car, and snack & beverage service.

By bus
Racine has a bus system with fares from $0-2 depending on age and time of day. Exact change is required. Day passes can be purchased for about $4. Routes with times and up-to-date fares can be found on the City of Racine's website.

By car
Most parking on the main streets, especially in the downtown area, are metered. In the event you do not have spare change or need more than 2 hours of parking time, Racine has a phone app to pay the meter fare that even has a handy alarm notification when you are approaching the end of your time. All the information you need for the app is found on the meter itself. Metered parking becomes free parking before 8am and after 6pm, or anytime if you have a handicap license plate or tag on display.

From December 1 to April 1, alternate side parking is in effect for non-metered roadside parking between 2AM and 6AM. Vehicles must park on the even-numbered address side of the street on an even-numbered calendar day; and on the odd-numbered side of the street on an odd-numbered day. You will get ticketed if you don't observe the rules. Racine police have been known to wait beside a parked car at 1:55AM to slap a ticket on it once 2AM rolls around.

See




Do
Lighthouse Run, pro volleyball tournament, dragonboat races, many lakefront activities during the summer months.

Buy
Most chain shopping can be found on Highway 31, between Durand and 21st street. Of note, there is a Barnes & Noble, a TJ Maxx, and a Best Buy. More interesting are the shops found in Racine's downtown, on Main street.



Eat
If you don't want to go outside your comfort zone, there are several chain restaurants in the area of the Regency Mall such as Applebee's & Taco Bell (2521 S Green Bay Rd), Red Lobster (2800 S Green Bay Rd), and Texas Roadhouse (6228 Durand Ave). Most of Racine's best restaurants are located in downtown Racine or in the seedier parts of town. The majority of these restaurants have some kind of metered parking, so bring change or be prepared to use the city's parking mobile app.



Kringle
Racine is famous for its Danish pastry called Kringle. There are several bakeries that offer this flaky, sweet delight but the most notable (and perhaps most authentic) is O&H Danish Bakery.

Stay safe
There are several neighborhoods in the east and north-east areas of Racine that are run-down or depressed and have a high violent crime rate. Most of the crime is local-on-local or gang-on-gang related so you are unlikely to be a target. You don't need to fear driving through these parts of town, but stick to the main streets and don't dawdle after sundown. Racine crime obeys invisible barriers certain streets create. A "safe" street could be a block away from an "unsafe" area. Anywhere west of West Boulevard, the downtown area while businesses are open, and two blocks from the lake's shore is ok. Anywhere west of Lathrop is sketchy but probably safe. Parks and neighborhoods near the root river should be avoided. Use common sense. If the area looks sketchy it probably isn't a place you should be and probably doesn't have anything a tourist would be interested in anyway.

Go next

 * Milwaukee - a city known for motorcycles, beer, and festivals.
 * Kenosha - a suburban city south of Racine filled with mom & pop restaurants, shopping, and lakefront activities.
 * Chicago - a large city filled with diverse culture, museums, pizza, skyscrapers, shopping, and more.