Where is WMAW?
The DeKoven Center in Racine, Wisconsin is located 60 miles north of Chicago.
The DeKoven Center began as Racine College in 1852, and was the first college built west of the Appalachians. Dr. James DeKoven came from St. John’s School in Delafield, Wisconsin to become Warden of the College in 1859 and remodeled the campus, basing the quadrangle on English colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, with faculty and students living together in dormitories and eating together in a common Refectory, known today as the Great Hall.
During the Western Martial Arts Workshop, a somewhat rowdier bunch fill the campus and one can only wonder at what Dr. DeKoven would have thought.
How The heck do I get there?
Racine is 60 miles north of Chicago, about 30 miles south of downtown Milwaukee. If you are flying in you have two options: O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, or Mitchell International in Milwaukee.
From there, you will need to arrange a ride with someone in advance, rent a car, or take a bus. There is also shuttle service available between O’Hare Airport and Kenosha.
Renting a car is the most costly, but easiest, option, especially since if you are not staying on-site; DeKoven is about a mile and a half from the nearest hotels, and about three to four times that from the rest.
If you are going to need to either cab it from the bus stop or directly from the airport, taxi, Uber, and Lyft transportation are available. It is roughly a 20 minute ride from the train station.
Can I stay on Campus?
Situated right in beautiful Taylor Hall, all rooms are a double occupancy. They are modest rooms, with single beds, and hot showers located down the hall, but the linens are fresh, the atmosphere is homey and you get a chance to be at the center of everything.
The catch is that there are only about 30 beds up for grabs so you have to act fast if you want to reserve one! Beds can be reserved for a minimum of 4 nights (Wednesday through Saturday, or Thursday through Sunday) or for all 5 nights (Wednesday through Sunday).
I’m not staying on campus, where can I crash?
There are a number of hotel options in the area.
Christmas House Bed & Breakfast
There are also a number of AirBnB options which would be cheaper if sharing with multiple people.
OK, but what about … ?
If you have any other questions while planning your trip to WMAW, feel free to contact us. We can’t guarantee that we’ll know the answer, but we’ll do our best to find out, or get you to the right person. The goal for the weekend is to have fun and work hard once you get here, not work hard to get here!
The DeKoven Center
600 21st Street
Racine, WI 53403