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I admit that I had a preconception of Milwaukee as an industrial metropolis. Maybe it was a childhood of watching Laverne & Shirley (millennials, look it up) or my faculty days of consuming lukewarm Old Milwaukee at keg events. But after I arrived I half anticipated to see breweries and mills spewing out smoke into gritty, dirty streets. Wow was I flawed! Not solely was the Cream City lovely, however there have been so many enjoyable issues to do in Milwaukee in the summertime.
Before going to Milwaukee, I had seen some lovely Instagram pictures from pals who’ve visited the town, which undoubtedly intrigued me. But the clear streets, lovely skyline and charming historic Third Ward simply blew me away.
Of all of the cities that we visited throughout our mother-daughter midwest street journey, Milwaukee was my palms down favourite (sure, even above Chicago.) I’m unsure how my husband spent two years touring there almost each week for enterprise and by no means clued me into what a cool, little metropolis Milwaukee is.
Getting to Milwaukee
When you go, I might advocate flying into Milwaukee for those who can. Since we had been making a round-trip loop to Chicago, we flew into Midway and drove up however the hour-and-a-half drive ended up taking two and a half. Luckily, Southwest typically runs fare gross sales that embody Milwaukee so perhaps a return journey gained’t be onerous to handle! Once you might be there although, driving across the metropolis is fairly straightforward — by no means like Chicago.
Where to Stay in Milwaukee
Note: Our journey was hosted by Visit Milwaukee and we obtained complimentary lodging, meals, and entrance tickets to sights. All opinions are my very own. This publish accommodates affiliate hyperlinks. If you click on a hyperlink and make a purchase order, I could obtain a small fee.
We stayed within the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, proper within the Third Ward and inside strolling distance to the lake, river, and all the key sights we needed to go to. It was an ideal location! The historic Third Ward is made up of outdated brick buildings which were renovated and repurposed into eating places, boutiques, workplaces, and high-end shops. There are charming seating areas all through the district and it’s adorned with hanging flower pots and colourful benches. The complete space is so beautiful. I believe Hannah bought bored with listening to me exclaim how cute it was.
I’ve an affinity towards Kimpton inns. They are boutique-like, hip, and really trendy. I don’t journey with a pet, but when I did, I might love their pet-friendly accents just like the canine dishes within the lodge room. The Kimpton Journeyman didn’t disappoint in that regard.
Downstairs within the foyer, they’ve a pool desk to at least one facet and a big seating space, the place they provide drinks and flatbreads for a neighborhood completely satisfied hour, on the opposite facet. There can be an Italian restaurant downstairs, which my husband tells me is superb, however we didn’t have an opportunity to pattern.
Upstairs, we had been in a big king room overlooking the road. Hannah instantly fell in love with the enormous lavatory, particularly the beautiful free-standing tub. She loved taking a pleasant soak after our lengthy journey day and snuggling down into the lodge gown. I don’t know what it’s however each of us get so excited by lodge robes and good lodge loos.
5 Must-See Things to do in Milwaukee within the Summer
I do know we solely scratched the floor of issues to do in Milwaukee, and I hope to return sooner or later to discover extra. The metropolis would even be an incredible spot for a women’ journey, and actually, I noticed fairly a number of bachelorettes in crowns and sashes with their gaggle of women throughout our walks across the Third Ward.
Now that I’ve been, I want we had scheduled extra time within the metropolis. If I returned with my husband, I might undoubtedly wish to do one of many brewery excursions, for the reason that metropolis has undoubtedly embraced the craft brewery development (thank god no extra Old Mil for me!) And my brother was disenchanted I didn’t cease off on the Harley Davidson Museum (I attempted Tim however visitors from Chicago was horrible and I ran out of time!)
But there are additionally so many enjoyable issues to do in Milwaukee with children and my teen was up for all of it. You also can make Milwaukee one cease on a Wisconsin street journey, which might embody Door County and go to to among the Door County Wineries.
1. Attend a Festival
Summer in Milwaukee is all concerning the festivals! There is Summerfest and the Wisconsin State Fair, and weekly ethnic festivals so irrespective of if you go, one thing is sure to be going on on the Henry W. Maier Festival Park. Located proper on the Lake Michigan lakefront, this everlasting pageant floor has a number of levels, tents, and meals stands.
We had been on the town for Germanfest and the locals go all out. It felt like Oktoberfest in July, with so many attendees decked out in feathered caps and lederhosen. There had been beer tents galore serving up large steins of ales and lagers.
Younger children had been getting a exercise on the bounce homes, climbing wall, and bungee. You can get a chicken’s eye view with a sky experience that runs from finish to finish of the pageant grounds.
There can be leisure galore, from polka dancing to different musical acts. You undoubtedly wish to decide up a schedule upon arrival and plan your day. We had been disenchanted we missed the pet parade. Because canines in lederhosen would blow up Instagram.
The large mistake that we made was consuming lunch earlier than we went. Because I actually suppose the perfect factor to do at one in all these festivals is consuming all of the scrumptious ethnic meals. We noticed brats and strudels, potato pancakes and streusels.
Just needless to say you’ll pay an entrance price, however every little thing else is further from the meals to the rides, so plan accordingly. With a teen that doesn’t wish to eat and might’t drink, it’s possible you’ll solely want an hour or two to benefit from the pageant, except you catch an excellent leisure act. But youthful children can benefit from the playground in addition to the rides, making it a household affair.
2. Explore the Milwaukee Public Market
I’ve a passion for meals markets and attempt to go to them in each metropolis. The Milwaukee Public Market is bustling however not overwhelming. You can discover a mixture of native meals, like sausage of each sort and cheese curds galore, but additionally wholesome choices like juices and salads. It is a little more for these consuming in versus choosing up meals to prepare dinner at dwelling, however as a vacationer that’s what I get pleasure from.
If you head upstairs, there’s loads of seating. Plus, outdoors and across the market, you will see that quite a few eating places, many with outside sidewalk or rooftop seating to benefit from the heat summer time solar.
3. Visit the Milwaukee Art Museum
When visiting a metropolis in the summertime, I prefer to benefit from the open air as a lot as potential, however I knew we needed to hit at the very least one museum. The Milwaukee Art Museum is such a singular and delightful constructing from the surface, that it simply beckons you to see what’s on the within.
In addition to the particular collections, they’ve a broad assortment of over 25,000 items, from Renaissance to Impressionist to Post-Modern. I used to be significantly drawn to the extra fashionable displays, however with many artwork museums, my curiosity lies as a lot with the artwork because it did with the constructing itself.
If you possibly can, attempt to arrive when the museum opens. This is when the perimeters of the roof elevate like wings over the constructing. If you possibly can’t see this, your subsequent probability is at midday, when the wings “flap.” Now don’t anticipate a speedy movement, you might be higher off filming this with a time-lapse, however the wings slowly shut after which open again up once more. It is one thing particular to see.
4. Explore the Lake Michigan Lakefront
There are quite a few biking/strolling paths that body Lake Michigan, providing splendid views of the lake and the town skyline. Between the artwork museum and the pageant grounds, you possibly can hire bikes or multi-rider surreys to discover.
There is even a spot to hire pedal boats. At a minimal, take a stroll out into Lakeshore State Park and benefit from the views.
5. Walk Along the Milwaukee Riverwalk
Milwaukee doesn’t simply have one of many Great Lakes to get pleasure from, it additionally has a river. The Milwaukee Riverwalk winds by means of 20 blocks of three of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. You will stroll previous eating places, breweries, and condos alongside the way in which.
If you don’t wish to stroll, you may as well hire a pontoon boat and discover the river from the water. As we sat on the Blue Bat Kitchen, we noticed loads of teams heading out on social gathering boats for the night.
Where to Eat in Milwaukee
Milwaukee has an incredible meals scene, particularly within the Third Ward. It isn’t all brats and cheese curds. We had been solely there for a brief keep however beloved each the meals and the environment of in every single place we went. For lunch, we picked from the choices on the Milwaukee Public Market, however right here is the place we ate breakfast and dinner:
Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria
Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria is within the Third Ward, proper on the Milwaukee Riverfront. The restaurant is unfold out between a number of rooms and has an excellent quantity of outdoor seating overlooking the river. They focus on “global street food” and have an attention-grabbing menu of small plates and nontraditional tacos.
We began with the fried brussels sprouts, which had been phenomenal. And then we every had a few tacos together with portobello, brisket, and, our favourite, the baja fish taco with beer-battered cod.
Even although I used to be in Brew City, I nonetheless wanted to pattern a few of Blue Bat’s tequila cocktails. They have an in depth record of tequilas and get their title from the bats that act as pollinators for the agave vegetation that tequila is made out of.
Blue Bat is situated at 249 N Water St, Milwaukee, WI
Colectivo Coffee
For breakfast, we tried one in all Milwaukee’s native espresso roasters. Even although I’m not a espresso connoisseur, I deeply appreciated Colectivo’s contemporary smoothies and do-it-yourself breakfast sandwiches. I’m unsure I’ve even seen a biscuit that enormous, even within the south!
Colectivo has places all through the town in addition to places in Madison and Chicago.
I’ve added Milwaukee to my record of cool cities to discover, like Portland, Maine and Wichita, Kansas. Hopefully, I’ll get an opportunity to return and see much more!
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