9 Phenomenal Things To Do In Beloit, Wisconsin

Beloit, Wisconsin was a wonderful surprise!

I will confess.

I had never been to Beloit, Wisconsin.

It wasn’t on my radar. I guess I had a vision in my head about Beloit being an old industrial city that wasn’t really a destination.  I could not have been more wrong!

Having a girlfriend who grew up in Beloit and hearing her tell me how she had heard that the city is undergoing a transformation made me curious.  Many cities in Wisconsin that were once manufacturing and industrial centers have needed to up their game. While there are still many industries that still call Beloit home, the downtown area has seen incredible changes since the early 2000s.

Disclosure: This visit to Beloit was in partnership with Visit Beloit. A portion of my trip was hosted by them. All opinions expressed in this article are my own based on my experience. 

An ode to an industrial past

Many of these changes are a credit to Diane Hendricks. Diane and her husband (who died in 2007) have pumped their incredible fortune into the city by buying up old buildings and breathing new life into them. You can read more about this fascinating story here. Among the most impressive is the Ironworks, the site of the old Beloit Corporation, the foundry that made papermaking machines located along the Rock River. Today Ironworks employs around 1000 people by the companies currently in residence. This place has been a draw for tech start-ups such as AccuLynx, a software firm.

What is most impressive is how Beloit has kept true to its industrial roots. In fact, the whole downtown area is a celebration of its industrial past. Large murals from its foundry past line the outer walls of Ironworks and the pedestrian bridge across the river has an industrial flair. Also, many of the restaurants in the downtown area have an industrial vibe.

Beloit made for the perfect girlfriend’s getaway!

What came of these 2 days we spent in Beloit was an appreciation for this small-sized city (roughly population 37,000). My friend, who is originally from Beloit) saw Beloit through a visitor’s eyes. Although she has family that lives in the area, she only comes back to visit them and had never really ventured much downtown on recent visits. She was thoroughly impressed as was I as a first-time visitor. The downtown is filled with exceptional restaurants, charming shops, and beautiful parks. The downtown area is compact, so it was easy to just park the car and walk to every place we visited!  All this made for a perfect little getaway for my friend and me!

My list of 9 exceptional things to do in Beloit, WI

Eat at truk’t

truk’t was our first stop after we check in at the Hotel Goodwin for the night. We arrived a bit after noon and had saved our appetite for when we arrived in Beloit. We had a few eating spots that we put on our list to try, and truk’t was at the top. It was located right across the street from Hotel Goodwin. In fact, most of the things we did were within walking distance. truk’t is located on a corner, so there are garage doors on both sides that open up to the street.

It was really a beautiful day so one side of the doors was opened. Loved this. It gave us the feeling of eating outside, yet we were protected. It was rather windy out! The ambiance is fun, all the tables had mismatched chairs. truk’t had not only an old-time feel at the bar area but also had that industrial vibe I mentioned earlier.

We started our getaway with a beer. We both opted for a Karben4 Fantasy Factory from Madison, WI. An IPA with a light citrusy taste. It was a great brew that went perfectly with our tacos. Along with specialty brews, there are a number of tequila, whiskey, and bourbon choices. I was actually eyeing up the Woodford Reserve since I had been to the distillery but decided to choose a Wisconsin brew.

At truk’t, street tacos are their specialty. With 9 unique varieties to choose from, there is one to satisfy everyone. Since we wanted to save room for a treat later, we both decided to have just one. It was hard to choose, but I opted to try something different and ordered the Peking Duck. Erin chooses the Baja Fish Taco. They came fast and we were not disappointed! My duck taco was fabulous and Erin enjoyed her fish taco.

I was thinking that if this first meal was any indication of what was to come, Beloit would end up getting my vote as a great foodie destination.

After a light lunch we decided to

Take a walk along the Rock River.

You never have to leave the downtown area to work off a luscious meal! In fact, we hopped on the Riverside Corridor Bike/Walking Trail right behind the Ironworks Hotel. We walked along the river and then crossed the footbridge to take a look at the repurposed foundry known as the Ironworks. There are lots of murals to enjoy as I explained earlier in this post. This paved trail starts at Riverside Park, although there are many places you can get on. Not only do you have the river for scenery, but there are plenty of prairie plantings, and you can enjoy many stops along the way. This trail is actually a 9-mile loop through downtown. Now that will certainly wear off those extra calories don’t you think?

After all that walking and all those calories wore off don’t you think it’s time to satisfy your sweet tooth?

Stop for ice cream at Northwoods Premium Confections

Located smack dab downtown at 314 State Street, Northwood Premium Confections is way more than an ice cream shop. The storefront is adorable.  Chocolate, gourmet popcorn (Beloit Mix!!), taffy, along with a wide selection of candy that reminded me of when I was MUCH younger and would ride my bike into town to raid the candy aisle at my local five and dime! Who says kids have all the fun at a candy shop? We enjoyed sampling the ice cream to decide which flavor to go with and chatting with the owners.

Check out the Flying Pig Treat Shop

Also, a sweet place to stop is the Flying Pig Treat Shop located at 431 E Grand Street. When you walk into this shop, you will immediately be taken in by the bright colors the huge counter of sweet treats, the large menu board, and the wall of tea! In fact, I think we spent the most time at this shop. Both Erin and I were fascinated with the HUGE selection of teas. I have acquired a taste for the stuff and find there is a tea for everything and every taste. Black, green, and every color tea in between can be found here.

You can also get Cedar Crest ice cream and they also have a wide selection of bulk candy and popcorn. I thought this is the perfect place to buy some edible treats to take home for the fam. I purchased a little container of ice cream cone gummies for Megan and a couple of cookies to take home.

As far as the tea, you can purchase the tea in tins or if you would rather just take a sample with you, they have bulk jars available. Just grab a little container and a scoop and fill. I choose a chocolate mint tea and the Hydrate tea which both Erin and I purchased and sipped iced from the counter.

Enjoy Fridays In The Park

Due to COVID 19, please be sure and check the Visit Beloit website to get details about Fridays In The Park

From May to September in the little park at State and Grand Streets, you can grab a $7 lunch from a local eatery, and enjoy live music from 11:30 to 1:30. There is some seating available on benches and the edge of flower gardens, but I would suggest bringing a chair to get up close. There is even a dance floor if you wish to get your groove on! I made this a priority when we visited. I had done some research prior and live music on a Friday afternoon is the perfect way to relax at the end of the week.

There was a nice crowd mostly of seniors, but we did spot all ages too. There were also workers from the downtown area enjoying their Friday lunch break.

Stop in at Bushel & Peck’s

To say Bushel & Peck’s is a restaurant is an understatement. What started out as an actual working farm in January of 2002, spread to a cool retail location and restaurant right on State Street in downtown Beloit. It’s a market that sells their own sauces, pickles, soups, jams and other items made from the things raised on the farm. If that’s not enough the kitchen where all this is made is located right inside the space AKA their Preservation Kitchen.

This was the one place Erin had been to downtown and suggested we stop in and have a little snack and check it out. Immediately I was drawn to the shelves of books located along the walls. Anyplace that has books to grab and read is my kind of place! The seating is ample and there were a few tables occupied by people that I have no doubt come here often. Laptops open and a drink set next to it, it looks like it’s a comfy place to get a little work done.

We both grabbed a sugar-free cola from the cold case. At the counter I ordered a cinnamon scone and Erin had a cup of vegetable soup. Her soup looked delicious with big chunks of veggies. I had my scone warmed up and it was very tasty. They actually have a large menu and I’m told that everyone goes there for breakfast and I can see why.

Sitting at our table we noticed a bottle of beet ketchup. Curiosity got the best of us and we had to sample it. Both of us like beets. OMG, it was really good. Putting that on a juicy burger would be yummy! I’m slightly mad at myself that I did not purchase a bottle, but I can get it online!

It’s great to know that everything is locally sourced!

Have dinner at Velvet Buffalo Cafe

For a real treat and a little splurge, we decided to have dinner inside our hotel, Hotel Goodwin in the restaurant Velvet Buffalo Cafe. A wine bar with an edgy vibe, certainly matches the atmosphere of the hotel (more on Hotel Goodwin coming soon). It’s a place to go and relax after a day at work, have a romantic dinner, or like us enjoy a perfect girls getaway dinner. The wine list is extensive. You can purchase by the glass or bottle. Erin chooses a glass of red, and I instead had a Parisian Ice Tea. Normally I would have a glass of white, but that word Parisian just called to me. Besides wine, they have a list of specialty cocktails also.

The menu comes in paper form. My guess is that the menu probably changes, or maybe not. Either way, it added to the cool vibe of the place. It was hard to decide what to have. They have a nice selection of starters, small plates, and their specialty, stone-fired pizzas. Since the pizzas were large enough for both of us we decided on the Fungi E Formaggi pizza which has a garlic cream sauce, 4 kinds of mushrooms, and 3 kinds of cheese including Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese, which I absolutely LOVE! For starters we choose the Hummus, Pita, and Veggies plate and Meatball Marinara.

For a Thursday night, it was fairly busy, which is always a good sign. Erin and I chatted away as we enjoyed our drinks and starters. We really both liked the hummus plate. The pita bread was warm and the hummus was delicious! The veggies were a colorful compliment. It didn’t take long and our pizza arrived. Oh, it was soo good. We both loved it! The sauce had just the right amount of garlic to notice, but not overpowering.

After the pizza (which we finished), we really went all in and ordered dessert. Erin ordered the Cherry Almond Whoopie and I had a Chocolate Raspberry Martini. The whoopie was ok, not really a favorite, but my martini was awesome!!

With the exception of the whoopie, our dinner was a total winner!

I highly suggest going to the Velvet Buffalo Cafe for dinner in Beloit

Stop and have a great cup of coffee at Blue Collar Coffee Co.

Another place that has that industrial flair is Blue Collar Coffee Co. Located across the street from Hotel Goodwin and attached to truk’t, Blue Collar has great coffee, tea, smoothies, baked goods, and breakfast sandwiches. It’s the perfect meeting spot, or just a place to hang out on your own. We grabbed our coffee first thing in the morning. I also had a breakfast croissant that was excellent!

Go for a wine tasting at DC Estate Winery

Before heading home, we decided to stop at this brand new winery located out in the country. The tastings are done in a beautiful building on a property that makes you feel like you are in Italy. For $5 I was able to sample 4 wines from the list. Erin opted out of this adventure, but I did enough tasting for both of us! The wine is excellent, so much so that I went home with 2 bottles of my favorite. I choose the DC Sweet Riesling and a bottle of the Moscato.

After the tasting we went outside and walked around the grounds. In back there is a large building that hosts events. The place is a popular wedding spot. They also host live musical guests, a grape stomp, paint and sip events, and murder mysteries.

Beloit turned out to be the perfect destination for a little getaway. Its compact size, fabulous restaurants, and activities gave us more than enough things to do for a 2-day visit. In fact, we missed so much more, but we’ll save that for the next visit!

Here’s a fabulous video recap of this post!

I want to thank Stacey at Visit Beloit for everything. The suggestions, and guidance you offered helped to make our stay an absolute delight!

Thanks for reading!!

Go explore! The world is waiting!

Lori