What to See in Appleton, United States: Free Audio Guide

Appleton, Wisconsin, is a city of historic churches, museums, river landmarks, and an important place in the story of electric light. From the Fox River dams to the former Temple Zion and School, the best things to do in Appleton reveal the city’s industrial, religious, educational, and cultural heritage. Neywo has a free audio guide for Appleton with 9 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

Appleton is part of Wisconsin, in the United States, and its compact collection of landmarks makes it well suited to exploring on foot.

What to See in Appleton

Upper Appleton Dam

The Upper Appleton Dam stands on the waterway running through Outagamie County, at the edge of the city. Appleton is about a kilometre to the north, while the surrounding landscape is mostly flat and heavily settled. It is one of the city’s most distinctive river landmarks and an important starting point for understanding Appleton’s relationship with the Fox River.

Atlas Science Center

The Atlas Science Center is a museum in Appleton. Its setting connects with the city’s development as an industrial and educational centre during the mid-nineteenth century. Lawrence University, founded in 1847, forms part of that educational history and stands near several of Appleton’s central landmarks.

Hearthstone Historic House Museum

Hearthstone Historic House Museum occupies a home with a remarkable place in American technological history. On September 30, 1882, it became the first residence in the United States powered by a centrally located hydroelectric station using the Edison system.

The house belonged to Henry James Rogers, a paper company executive and entrepreneur who recognised the possibilities of the new technology. Rather than simply displaying electric lighting, the home demonstrated how it could work in everyday life. Its rooms offer a glimpse of the change from gas lamps and candles to electric light.

The History Museum at the Castle

In the heart of downtown, The History Museum at the Castle stands across College Avenue from Lawrence University. The Outagamie County Historical Society owns and operates the museum, which has occupied a building formerly known as the Masonic Temple.

The museum has also been known as The Outagamie Museum and The Houdini Historic Center. Its collections and exhibitions connect Appleton’s local history with the city’s famous association with Harry Houdini. In 2018, it received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the highest honour of its kind for a museum or library in the United States.

All Saints Episcopal Church

All Saints Episcopal Church is a historic landmark in central Appleton and the city’s only Episcopal church. Its congregation first gathered in the 1850s and formally organised in 1856. The present building was consecrated in 1905 and has served as a spiritual home for generations of Appleton residents.

Its long history makes it a useful stop for visitors interested in how the city’s religious communities developed alongside its civic centre.

Temple Zion and School

The former Temple Zion and School tells one of Appleton’s most layered architectural stories. The synagogue was built in 1883 at 320 North Durkee Street, with its associated day school around the corner on East Harris Street. For nearly fifty years, the complex was a spiritual and educational centre for Appleton’s Jewish community.

In 1932, the building became a church, a role it continued for forty-five years. The Outagamie County Historical Society later acquired it and opened a history museum there. Today, it serves as the workshop of an organ-building company. The former temple and school were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church has served its congregation since 1907 and is affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 for its architectural significance.

It forms part of a group of historic religious buildings that show the variety of communities and traditions represented in Appleton.

Zion Lutheran Church

Zion Lutheran Church is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and continues a long tradition of worship in the city. Its building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, also in recognition of its architectural significance.

Together with St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church and All Saints Episcopal Church, it gives a walking tour of Appleton’s historic religious architecture.

Lower Appleton Dam

The Lower Appleton Dam is a working dam on the Fox River in Outagamie County, about two kilometres east of downtown Appleton. It stands in a mostly flat, residential valley and offers another perspective on the river infrastructure that forms part of the city’s identity.

The dam sits at an elevation of 213 metres above sea level, while the highest nearby ground rises to 238 metres about a kilometre to the northwest.

Explore Appleton with a Self-Guided Walking Tour

For an Appleton self-guided walking tour, download Neywo and take the First Light on the Fox River: Appleton’s Landmarks walk. It covers 3.74 km, takes about 96 minutes, and includes 8 narrated stops: Upper Appleton Dam, Atlas Science Center, Hearthstone Historic House Museum, The History Museum at the Castle, All Saints Episcopal Church, Temple Zion and School, St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Zion Lutheran Church.

Neywo’s Appleton audio guide tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. The app includes one walking tour in Appleton, with narration available in 11 languages. Download Neywo to explore Appleton’s landmarks while the city’s history unfolds around you.