5978. Explore the Washington House in Two Rivers

When planning our Two Rivers Adventure, I knew I wanted ice cream. I had a sundae at the Washington House which is the home of the ice cream sundae but I never really explored the house. I didn't realize it was a museum. I mentioned this to Stacy and gave her the option if she wanted to do the Washington House. Since it was close to the other places we visited, we opted to check it out.

The Washington House is located downtown Two Rivers. It is open seasonally 12-6 Thursday-Monday. There is street parking all around it. It is free to visit and donations are accepted.

The Washington House was a former inn and saloon. Back in 1881, the ice cream sundae was invented at Berners Ice Cream Parlor so there is a replica Berners' Ice Cream Parlor inside. There are two floors of exhibits.

You walk in to the old saloon with the long bar and are greeted by a handful of elderly volunteers. Some of the ladies were playing cards while an accordion player was entertaining everyone. It was kind of like stepping back in time. We were given a brief history of the place and left to explore on our own.

The downstairs rooms featured exhibits you would typically find a local history museum.. 

Military Artifacts

Houseware Artifacts

We had one of these growing up.

Local Sports History

Even some fossils

We headed upstairs and entered the ballroom where a rummage sale was taking place. The ballroom features several unique and rare murals. The stage was set up as a big band era band stand. 

                                                 

                                          

The rest of the rooms were the same was many other museums I have visited.

A bedroom

A Doctor's Office

A Dentist Office

A Barber Shop

There was even an entire room of musical instruments

Yup.. I've seen my share of history museums and they are all the same. Clark County is still my favorite. I will keep visiting local history museums because they are important to local areas and you never know what you are going to stumble upon. 

After exploring the museum, we headed to the ice cream parlor for some ice cream. Since we full from lunch, we opted just for ice cream. It is Cedar Crest ice cream which is made in nearby Manitowoc. It was a perfect end to a fun day.

I still would recommend the Washington House for ice cream and you might as well check out the museum while you are there. It is very well done and worth checking out.