10 Fun Things to do in Milwaukee: Weekend Travel Guide

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Not gonna lie, the story of how I ended up in Milwaukee is a little unexpected. But, one of the best things to do in Milwaukee is getting there, right?? Alright, grab a chair, it’s story time. It all started with me winning a free flight in an airline contest.

It was the easiest of airline contests, the ones where you just reply to the airline’s twitter post with the hashtag and forget about it for the rest of your life. Because you see, when I suddenly got DM that I had actually won and to fill out a follow up form asking my mailing address…I didn’t even remember what it was about. In fact, I still don’t remember which of their contests I won because I fill out so many haha.

Anyways, I get a letter in the mail with all of the fine-print details, and on that was a number that I had to call to redeem and book my free flight. I didn’t even have to pay taxes or fees! Okay so I call the number, right, and as the ring tone is doot-doot-doo’ing on the other line, I’m just trying to think about where I want to go. You see, the flight is for anywhere the airline flies (Alaska Air, my fav airline btw), but not including their partners. So that’s basically the USA and a few others in North America.

The Phone Picks Up

“Hello! This is Jane Doe with Alaska! Congratulations again on your prize!” Or something to that extent. I don’t remember her exact greeting, but Alaska employees are always super friendly and welcoming (in my experience). “Do you have an idea on where you would like to travel? You can choose anywhere Alaska Air flies.”

I paused for a second before saying, “How about Milwaukee?”

She paused for even longer. “…I’m sorry?”

You see. Eventually, I would love to visit every single state in the USA (and Mexico – and every province in Canada). As an avid traveler, I think it just makes sense to know your own country and its various cultures and peoples and histories just as well – IF NOT BETTER!!! – than other countries. Like…how can you spend weeks roadtripping in Italy…but not do the same in your backyard? Especially in a backyard as HUGE as America. So I whittled down my decision to states I had not yet been to, which isn’t many to choose from.

I’ve been to…a lot of states.

Then, I whittled it down further to states I had not yet been to AND Alaska Air happens to fly to. I had good handful to choose from, so I had to get more specific.

Okay…states that didn’t have a National Park (because I had limited PTO and wouldn’t have time to visit). That cut a few of them out.

Okay, I didn’t want a city that was too big because it would just be a short weekend trip and I wanted to feel like I had seen a lot of the city after four days. That left me deciding between three or four cities.

Okay – which of these cities would I not want to spend my own money to visit?

“Milwaukee,” I said again into the phone.

I could hear the gears jar a bit in her head. “Oh, yes, that’s an option! But Alaska also flies to Hawai’i, Alaska, even Costa Rica…”

“Milwaukee.”

“…” I wish I could’ve seen the expression she was making. “Well, okay! I’ll get you all set up for MKE, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I hope you have a wonderful trip.”

The Basics

• State: Wisconsin
• Nearest Cities: Chicago (2hrs), Indianapolis (4.5hrs), Minneapolis (5hrs), St. Louis (5.5hrs)
• Closest International Airport: General Mitchell International Airport (MKE), in Milwaukee
• Ancestral Lands: Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Anishinaabe, Oneida and Mohican
• Best season to visit (in my opinion): Summer (I technically visited in spring, but all the residents say summer is the best.)
• Transportation: It’s possible to get around Milwaukee proper with public transit, but I preferred the ease and convenience of a rental car

Background

*If you’re new to my blog, I always start off with a little background context on the destination. If you’re not interested in all that, please use the table of contents above to skip ahead to the best things to do in Milwaukee. Otherwise, enjoy!*

Where does the name “Milwaukee” even come from?

As with most cities, landmarks, and bodies of water in North America that are named something that doesn’t sound like English…that’s because it isn’t. The name Milwaukee actually comes from the Anishinaabe and/or Algonquin words for the “good land” or “gathering place,” because that’s what it was – bountiful, and a gathering place for many Indigenous Nations in the area. Just like the rest of what is now the “United States of America,” Milwaukee is first and foremost land that has been stewarded by its Indigenous people since time immemorial.

Native land.

Fundamentally always has been and always will be.

In fact, the French didn’t even show up until 1634. Okay, that miiight sound like a long time ago to us now, but when you compare that to scholars finding artifacts from 1500 BCE…and then fossil evidence of peoples existing even WAYYYY before that…1634 is practically yesterday. Back then, I imagine the best things to do in Milwaukee was..to enjoy its sustainable bounty. Ton of food, right near a huge fresh water source, and lots of foliage.

Now, the French – or rather specifically the explorer/COLONIZER Jean Nicolet – arrived in Milwaukee in 1634. Now Europeans had this…strange competition of seeing who could out colonize each other. Maybe they were…idk trying to overcompensate for lack of spices in their cuisine…or perhaps their hygiene standards, but gosh darn it they each wanted to be the BEST colonizer in the world. Fighting on their own lands had gotten boring. I was time to take European rivalries overseas.

The Start of Colonization in Milwaukee

So the French approached the Nations living in and around Milwaukee with the preposition for fur trading. Seems harmless, right? Well, the French did so to compete with their tall blonde rivals – the Dutch, who in turn would see the Native people of Milwaukee as rivals by association. And as with all European groups colonizing the Americas back then, the French also introduced a ton of diseases.

Smallpox. Measles. Yanno, real nasty stuff.

The biological attack killed upward to 90% in some Nations – absolutely devastating. On top of that, the Dutch were fighting them too! But, Milwaukee didn’t earn its name for nothing.

Nations like the Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Odawa of Milwaukee welcomed migrants from other Nations. To protect, guard, and defend themselves from the constant threat of European germs and warfare, people from Menominee, Fox, Sauk, Kickapoo, Mascouten, and Huron communities were incorporated into the Milwaukee-area Nations, many of whom were also seeking refuge from disease and Dutch raids that ravaged their communities.

Fitting to its title, by the mid-1700s, Milwaukee and the greater Great Lakes region was truly a “gathering place” for the Anishinaabe, Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan peoples of North America. And, in a sense, outside of the fur trading, Milwaukee was still a predominantly Indigenous place. Until the English.

“THE RED COATS ARE COMING!”

Don’t get me wrong, all of the colonial European powers are horrible, but in the case of Milwaukee…the English started a new chapter. For one, they brought even larger wars than the French-Dutch conflicts, namely the Seven Years’ War and the Pontiac’s War. And then of course, the American Revolution.

The peoples of Native Milwaukee had to pick either the Americans or the British during the American Revolution, even though neither were a “better” than the other. A rock and a hard place. That also brought conflict and battles, resulting in deaths, fragmented communities, and FURTHER destabilization. In the end, the British lost and the French then saw it as their opportunity to officially settle into Milwaukee.

As history has shown, colonization is ALSO not gentle to the environment. The once booming fur industry of Milwaukee dwindled as those animals literally up and left because Euro-settlers took everything too far and it wasn’t sustainable anymore. But, for those settlers, it was a silver lining because that meant even MORE room for Europeans and Euro-Americans to pour in.

And they did.

Milwaukee now

The demographics of Milwaukee now are…well…different. According to the 2020 census, the population of Milwaukee is 573,700 people, a slight decline from the last census. In terms of racial and ethnic demographics, Milwaukee has a population that is 42ish% white, and ethnically speaking 21% German, 8.8% Polish, 6.5% Irish, 3.6% Italian, and 2.8% English. Honestly, overall less than what I would have assumed for the Midwest, and I was surprised that the majority white ethnicity in Milwaukee is German.

Really? German? Not…French? Considering early colonization of the area and whatnot?

We’ll get to that in a bit though when we get into some of the things to do in Milwaukee. Lots of things to do in Milwaukee that touch on German influence.

Another thing that surprised me is that almost 39ish% of Milwaukee’s population is African-American and/or Black. I was NOT expecting there to be that many Black people in a Midwest city. I mean…the only people I knew in Milwaukee were Black…BUT STILL. It’s the Midwest??

Clearly my perception of the Midwest is OFF.

A lot of the richness in Black culture and communities in the Midwest is due to the the Great Migration (also known as the Great Northward Migration or the Black Migration). Some of the coolest things to do in Milwaukee are directly related to the city’s Black culture. BUT that brings me to something significant you might notice when you visit Milwaukee.

The city is VERY segregated.

In fact, it is one of the most segregated cities in America, alongside Detroit, Chicago, and Newark. If you are interested in learning more about the roots of residential segregation in the US, I highly recommend this report done at UC Berkeley. I also have a post if you want a quick overview on what exactly the differences are between race, ethnicity, nationality, and how all of that stuff can be a little racially ambiguous when we looking through a travel lens.

Where to Stay & Getting Around

I’m gonna be honest.

I didn’t stay anywhere cute.

I am a loyal Hilton member, so I stayed at the Hilton Homewood Suites downtown because it was affordable and convenient. Nothing noteworthy, but it got the job done. It had a very lovely view of the downtown area, so that was nice.

One thing I do have to say however is that there was no on-site parking, only street parking. And street parking was not included.

That brings me to my next point – I GOT A PARKING TICKET IN MILWAUKEE.

So you know how in MOST cities, if you park somewhere outside of the “pay hours,” you simply just don’t have to pay. Like if it says, payment is required between 8am-7pm, you DON’T have to pay before 8am or after 7pm. Right? Like…that’s everyone’s understanding, RIGHT?

Well, that is…technically still true in downtown Milwaukee EXCEPT in the case of overnight parking. If you plan on parking between 2am and 6am, you need an “overnight parking permit.”

NO ONE TOLD ME THIS.

IT IS NOT ANYWHERE ON THE PARKING SIGN.

How was I just supposed to KNOW that??

Thankfully since you’ve come across my wonderful blog post on things to do in Milwaukee, now you will know before your trip 🙃

To get a temporary overnight parking pass, head to the city website and fill out the info for your car or rental car and how long your stay will be – up to 3 nights at a time. If for whatever reason you forget (or don’t know 😒) or park wonky and you end up getting a parking citation like me, you also pay it online on the city website. On the website it mentions this year (2022) they will start mailing citations, so…if it’s a rental car you may just get billed by the rental company instead – not sure how that will work.

Car-Free Alternatives

If you want to avoid both cars and rideshares, there are also bikeshares called Bublrs! My friend Cassandra from Escaping NY told me about them, as she’s an avid cycler. Bublr bike share is a non-profit bikeshare program that services the greater Milwaukee area. If you’ve seen bikeshares in other cities, you probably know how it works, but basically they are parked at bike racks throughout the city and you rent them for a specific amount of time.

In this case pricing for a weekend trip is as follows:

For the single use and day pass, you can buy the passes at any station kiosk or on the mobile app. You can only get the weekender pass through the mobile app (and the weekender pass includes 120 minutes per trip, then 25¢ / additional minute. So you can’t bike to Chicago for $25 haha). They also have adaptable bikes as needed! To rent, you will need a smartphone and a credit card to lock/unlock the bikes. You can look up all the nitty gritty fine details on their website and app.

There’s also a bus and street car that goes to pretty much all the popular spots in Milwaukee. So you CAN get around Milwaukee proper without a car if you prefer!

What to Eat

Ah yesss, my favorite section to write about. One of the best things to do in Milwaukee, or any city for that matter, is eating. Or at least, it’s one of MY favorite things to do. I’ve become somewhat of a foodie traveler, as it’s the tastiest way to enjoy a culture. I had never really heard much about Milwaukee’s food scene before visiting, but because of its strong German heritage and community influence, there is a lot of great sausage and beer spots for sure.

Because this section is all about food, I’m just going to bullet the places that I’ve been to and recommend with a lil snippet of what I liked about them.

I mean, it’s food. You eat it. It’s pretty straight-forward. AND AS ALWAYS – Disclaimer: I am not a food blogger, so don’t judge these places based on my bad pictures haha.

Cafes & Coffee

I spent a lot of times in cafes during my trip to Milwaukee. Mostly because it rained a lot. But also because I’m a hot beverage b****. I mean, I live in Portland, Oregon where there’s a VERY high standard of cafes, but I’m proud to say I found some really great spots in Milwaukee. In fact, I wrote a quick lil post on some of my favorite coffee spots in Milwaukee.

Yeah…like I said. I spent a lot of times in cafes here haha. Especially if it’s raining, grabbing a cup is one of the best things to do in Milwaukee. If you’re in a rush, Colectivo Coffee is a local location and one you’ll probably be closest to as you run back and forth between all the fun activities and things to do in Milwaukee. Taste-wise, I’d personally recommend Wonderstate Coffee, or DryHootch if you’re over by Brady St (which you probably will be eventually).

For a solid sit down spot, I am a SUCKER for a cat cafe. And Milwaukee has one. Book a time slot at Sip & Purr to drink your lil drink with a cute cat on you lap. And idk who knows maybe you’ll fall in love and adopt a new family member idk idk

Breakfast

The best way to start the day, truly. I mean, you’re gonna have a packed day with the plethora of things to do in Milwaukee, you’re gonna wanna make sure you’re properly fueled, yeah??

• Café Benelux: Hands down my favorite breakfast spot in Milwaukee. If I wasn’t such a blogger and wanting to try out a lot of different places, I could have gone here for every single breakfast. It’s that good, AND there were a ton of menu items that I wanted to try. It’s right across from the Public Market so it’s a convenient place to get a jump start on all the fun things to do in Milwaukee!
• Mi Casa Su Cafe: This place mayyy be a little less convenient to get to, but the food is WORTH IT. So delicious, with a real low-key relaxed energy about it. It’s definitely a local favorite where you won’t bump into many other tourists. THAT SAID this place gets PACKED the food is just THAT good. Go early, because lines can get up to like an hour wait. Get the shrimp and grits. Trust me.
• Sweet Diner: Heading back to the Third Ward area, this is a really tasty option and great if you’re meeting up with friends. Really light, airy, plenty of room, and most importantly – very Instagram pretty. Kidding, most importantly the food is fantastic, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty too 😉
• Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern: The last breakfast spot on my Milwaukee trip, but still delicious. Real quiet and quaint, so a good option if you want a slower paced spot that isn’t too hectic and busy.

Lunch

Yayyy lunch!! After a full morning of exploring, you’re going to need to recharge before the heat starts to set in. In generallll, lunch and dinner are arbitrary concepts, though personally I prefer to eat lighter lunches and heavier dinners. For some, they do the opposite. But just a heads up as we go through these lunch recommendations!

• Meat on the Street: I actually stumbled upon this food truck by accident and when we had already eaten lunch (lol) but since I am me and it looked interesting, I had to order something anyway. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I got their lumpia and ONE kebobs, and it had me ready to move to Milwaukee. They also have vegetarian and vegan bowls! Highly highly recommend a FULL lunch at their truck! Check their IG for the truck’s current/upcoming location!
• On the Bus: I also loveee a good acai bowl. I mean, it wasn’t that hot when I visited, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Plus, it’s in the Public Market and very central to a lot of things. Win win if you need a quick and light bite.
• Crossroads Collective Eatery: This is actually a food hall with a few different vendors, so it’s the best option if you’re traveling in a group and people are craving different things. On my trip, I tried Triciclo (Peruvian) & Ruta’s (Indian) and both were great! They also have places serving pasta, burgers, pizza, and even a Latin/Japanese fusion spot. It’s also right by Black Cat Alley, so you’re in the perfect location for multiple things to do in Milwaukee.

Dinner

Yesss DINNER. For some reason, I have a bad habit of going all out for dinner. Well, bad for my bank account. BUT REALLY REALLY GOOD for my taste buds. I just absolutely love eating dinner, and in my experience, Milwaukee really came through for the night bites.

• Ardent: I think Ardent is one of Milwaukee’s James Beard recognized restaurants, and it certainly holds the fort down for the city. The lunch and dinner menu is exactly the same, but I prefer to end my days with a flourish. Reservations are REQUIRED, so plan ahead!
• Jewels Caribbean: Gotsta get a taste of the islands. With family recipes from Trinidad and Saint Lucia, eating here really takes you back to the Caribbean. They also do live music and open mic nights, the atmosphere is just immaculate. The menu isn’t very big, but what they do – they DO WELL. I wish I could have experienced their brunch menu, but alas. There’s always next time.
• La Masa Empanada Bar: If you’re hitting up Brady St, which you probably will at some point, I highly recommend stopping for a tasty nightcap here. The empanadas were great, the sauces were just as delicious, and they had a good amount of vegetarian options as well.
• Alem: They are an Ethiopian restaurant, and that alone should convince you. Tho, full disclaimer, I didn’t personally eat here because they were only doing take-out when I visited (and I didn’t feel like driving all the way back to my hotel where I didn’t have free parking to eat it lol), but it’s one of my friend Cassandra’s favorite restaurants in the city. AND I FULLY TRUST HER RECOMMENDATIONS.

Drinks

Now listennnn. I’m not much of a drinker so I literally do not know lol. But I did go to The Outsider, a rooftop spot, with my friend and local blogger Sojourner (from Sojournies). I liked their sliders (drinks behind them) and it was also a really good place to catch the sunset. A place called The Vanguard also seemed popular for drinks, but I actually only went there for the hotdogs lol, so I can’t say for sure (hotdogs were good tho).

Aside from that, I had a restaurant named Strange Town saved, but I didn’t get the chance to visit. They are a farm-to-table restaurant with “natural” wines. Idk what that means, so don’t ask me, but if you’re a wine enthusiast, Strange Town came highly recommended to me.

Things to do in Milwaukee

Yeah yeah yeah, we’re finally at the meat of the blog post – things to do in Milwaukee. I can hear you all crying in relief that you’re almost done.

Don’t hold your breath. I can talk A LOT. You’re not almost done.

All joking aside, I was most worried about finding fun things to do in Milwaukee simply because…I hadn’t really heard about any major attractions there. I signed up to go to Milwaukee for four whole days but…what was I going to do once I got there? I’ve mentioned them throughout this post, but thankfully I had a few friends that lived there and agreed to meet up and show me around, but also handy-dandy Pinterest and google to help guide me in the right direction.

And now YOU, will have ME to share my findings and experience of my trip. Isn’t blogging just the gift that keeps on giving? These are some of the things to do in Milwaukee that I enjoyed, so if your favorites aren’t on here, it’s nothing personal.

Museums

Let’s start off with museums so we can get them out of the way. In all honest and complete transparency, I’m not much of a museum person. I’m ESPECIALLY not much of a “standard” museum person. Aka, science museums, traditional art museums, natural history museums (though I do enjoy the dinosaur bones).

It’s not that I don’t find these things interesting. Well, except traditional/classical art museums – sorry I’m uncultured and find them boring. I don’t think museums are inherently MUSTS for things to do in Milwaukee, or any city.

I just would rather prioritize more unique and one-of-a-kind museum. It’s just my personal travel style. For example, I enjoy going to unique museums like the Black Hair Experience, The Selena Museum, The Mummy Museum, The Neon (Sign) Museum….etc etc etc. Stuff you can ONLY go to in ONE place. Yanno or a fun pop-up that’s only around for a short amount of time.

Specifically for this city, some of the fun museum things to do in Milwaukee include the Harley-Davidson Museum and America’s Black Holocaust Museum.

Bikes on Bikes

The first, the Harley-Davidson Museum, is pretty self-explanatory. It’s all about the motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson. If you didn’t know, H-D was founded right in Milwaukee, and the museum serves to give visitors insight to the history of the company as well as the culture surrounding H-D bike life. The Midwest is HUGEEE for motorcycle culture.

My late-uncle absolutely loved his Harley, and I truly felt like the coolest cat when he would let me sit on the back of it. He and my aunt would head out to the Midwest every summer for a few weeks of riding. When he died, his whole crew rode out to California on their Harleys for his funeral. So yeah, even though I’m not a big bike person, this was a super cool museum to me and I highly recommend. Def makes it on the list for one of the best things to do in Milwaukee that’s specific to the city.

Plus, if you like motorcycles and find yourself in Birmingham, Alabama, I would also recommend visiting the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, which is the largest collection of motorcycles in the WORLD.

Black History ALWAYS

My second museum recommendation for things to do in Milwaukee is the America’s Black Holocaust Museum. While the museum is “newly opened,” the original brick and mortar museum was founded back in 1988 by Dr. James Cameron, the only known survivor of a lynching. It underwent a big renovation and reopened on Juneteenth 1994 with expanded exhibits and staff members.

After his passing in 2006, the museum officially closed in 2008 after thirty years supporting the community. However, a group of community members came together to reestablish ABHM as a physical museum, and since 2012 had been operating it as an online museum. This year, on February 25th, 2022 (Dr. Cameron’s birthday), the ABHM has officially reopened to the public as a physical attraction. Aside from being a historical city landmark, it is also one of the best things to do in Milwaukee.

The museum walks visitors on a chronological journey through the “Black Holocaust,” from 1619 to the present, touching on topics such as the transatlantic slave trade throughout the Americas, the horrific Jim Crow era, the school-to-prison pipeline, and even the current visibility of police brutality that this country was founded on. Truly, one of the best Black History Museums that focuses on sustained injustice of Black people in America.

The Sherman Phoenix

Speaking offff…..remember when I said Milwaukee was one of the most segregated cities in the country? Yeah…it was noticeable. As soon as I left my downtown hotel, where I saw no Black people, and scuttled myself over to a mini culinary festival at a place called Sherman Phoenix.

I then saw NO white people.

The sudden switch when I crossed that invisible but visible redline was a system shock. Which brings me to Sherman Phoenix. If you are American, then you might know about a few of the high profile police murders of 17 year old Trayvon Martin, 25 year old Freddie Grey, and 18 year old Michael Brown in 2012, 2014, and 2015 respectively. When I was leaving to study abroad in France in 2012, I was 19 years old and my mom asked just one thing of me as I prepared to walk into the LAX airport.

“Please, don’t wear your hood up so much.”

With that in mind, in 2016, the Milwaukee Police Department shot and killed 23 year old Sylville Smith and ignited civil protest in the Sherman Park neighborhood, though community anguish had been building long, long before. A former BMO Harris bank was burned, but its foundation remained intact. It was with that building that the community spearheaded an idea to revitalize and support each other. To rise from the ashes. Stronger than before.

A phoenix, if you will.

The Sherman Phoenix is a collective of retail shops, food vendors, art galleries, salons, fitness studios and even hosts professionals for community services such as counseling and life coaching. There’s a TON of businesses I loved (I’ll list them in the shopping section below), but definitely also check for any events that may also be hosted during your trip! Honestly one of the best things to do in Milwaukee is to visit the Sherman Phoenix. The vibes are unmatched and you’ll get to browse a lot of cute and unique small businesses!

Black Cat Alley

I visited Black Cat Alley with my friend Sojourner, who even though she was born and raised in Milwaukee, she had never been! I mean, when you’re a local resident, it makes sense that you aren’t hanging out at the random touristy spots, haha.

You will never catch me at Voodoo Donuts unless someone is visiting Portland for me.

ANYWAYS, back to Black Cat Alley. It’s an outdoor mural gallery, and I believe most of the muralists are done by local artists which is pretty cool, but there are also some more globally recognized artists too. It isn’t super large, it spans the alley of one block, but there are a lot packed into the one alley! The one I have pictured above is specifically done by local Milwaukee artist Adjua Nsoroma and is titled “Playing in Mama’s Makeup.”

Hopefully when you go it’ll still be there, but if not I still encourage you to grab your camera and head over. It was one of my favorite things to do in Milwaukee and it won’t eat up too much time either!

Shopping

There are SOOOO many cute lil shops in Milwaukee. Honestly, I just love window shopping in general, and it’s even more so when I’m traveling. SO, it’s no surprise that shopping was one of my favorite things to do in Milwaukee. I’m going to list a few of my favorite shops I found here with a little description. Def check them out!

• 5xen Market: 5xen is a retail and food space that hosts a lot of Asian businesses in Milwaukee! Coming from the west coast, I was CRAVING my daily boba so 5xen was a saving grace (My Bubble Tea).
• BC Modern: If you’re into home decor and/or antiques, this is a must visit. As I’m still decorating my own house, I always stop into at least one home decor store!
• Kujichagulia Producers Cooperative: This co-op is located in the Sherman Phoenix and no lie, I would go back to Milwaukee JUST to buy their trail mix. It’s the most addictive thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. And I have put a lot of things into my mouth. There’s also a bunch of other locally made goodies. Please go and get some trail mix for me too, I’ll cashapp you.
• Sneex: One of my “vices” over the pandemic was becoming a sneakerhead, so obvi I had to check out what Milwaukee had to offer. Great selection and great atmosphere!
• Maranta: PLANT PEOPLE GO HERE!!! Even if you don’t get anything (yanno, kinda hard to bring a giant monstera on a plane), it is just a beautiful store. And you can pick up their amazing plant care spray!
• Outwords Books: And of course, I had to put in a good bookstore! Stop by, browse around, maybe pick up a book or two or seventeen.

Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory

Known as the “Park Domes” by residents, I always like to throw in a nice splash of greenery on my vacations. It’s basically a big botanical garden and each of the three domes exhibit different collections. Two of the domes are permanent themes, tropical/jungle and arid/desert, while the third is usually a rotating floral exhibit of some kind. The domes are open year round, which was perfect since it rained 2/4 days I was visiting.

The best part is that the domes are one of the most affordable things to do in Milwaukee, with non-resident adult and senior tickets only at $8! For a solid 1.5-2hrs of activity! Non-resident juniors and people with disabilities are $6. One thing I really appreciated is that the ticket price is one dollar lower for residents – it’s good to make attractions even the tiniest bit more accessible to folks who live there. So it’s also one of the things to do in Milwaukee that you can go with your friends that live there.

It’s not too far from downtown, and relatively simple to get to even without a car.

By Bus:
Purple Line: Closest stop: Layton & Evergreen
Blue Line closest stop: National & Layton
By Bicycle:
The Domes can be accessed via the Hank Aaron State Trail, with a new Bublr bike-share station is planned for Mitchell Park.
By Car:
The main entrance for the Domes can be accessed via Layton Blvd. Parking is free. From the expressway – use exit 309B on I94.

Milwaukee Public Market

Everyone loves a good public market. So, naturally, visiting the Milwaukee Public Market is one of the best things to do in Milwaukee. It’s located in the hub of downtown, so it’s easy to do before or after other activities. At the market, you’ll find local food shops, vendors, and public seating (and restrooms!). Also, a great place to meet up with friends!

One thing I’d absolutely recommend doing at the Milwaukee Public Market is to TRY CHEESE CURDS. Like, you’re in Milwaukee WISCONSIN for goodness sake. Land of America’s cheese!! I would argue that trying cheese curds is one of the mandatory things to do in Milwaukee. In fact, the ancient history of cheese curds dates back to the…lol jk can you imagine if I just started diving into the backstory of cheese curds?

Actually, yeah that does sound like something I would do. ANYWAYS, pick yourself up some curds at West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe. Then after, you can digest and walk around the Historic Old Ward, which is also one of the chill things to do in Milwaukee.

Get Cheesy

SPEAKING of dairy, make sure you pack some lactaid because the milk products in Milwaukee are phenomenal. There are a few different ways to indulge with dairy, and honestly it is one of the best things to do in Milwaukee.

And that’s coming from a lactose intolerant girl with IBS. It is alllll worth it.

First things first, you’ve noticed them in the airport and now you can see them in person. The iconic Wisconsin cheese hats. The Original Cheesehead Factory offers tours* of their manufacturing facility, and they walk you through all the usual cheesehead factoids. The cheesiest thing though, is they have the first ever cheesehead on display, created from old couch cushions.

Clock Shadow Creamery is one of the only urban creameries in the country, so visiting is not only one of the best things to do in Milwaukee, it’s also super accessible. They host a daily cheese tour* at 2pm, though many tours are still suspended for COVID so depending on when you visit be sure to ask in advance. Still a great place to grab fresh dairy though!

If you’re wanting to make your own picnic charcoochie board to eat in a park (I’d recommend Lake Park), then head to Wisconsin Cheese Mart to pick up a variety of fresh and local cheeses! Picnics in the summer are one of the cutest things to do in Milwaukee AND you’ll have a delicious spread.

Eat Frozen Custard

The final dairy tasting actually deserves a bullet point of its own. I don’t care how much you like ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato…frozen custard blows all of them out of the water. EATING FROZEN CUSTARD IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN MILWAUKEE.

That is a hill I will die on.

There’s a bunch of different spots to have your first (then second, then third) taste in order to keep chasing the frozen custard high, but if you only have time for one, you probably want to shoot for the best, right?

I’m sure Milwaukee residents will have their own favorites, but Sojourner took me to hers and I cannot imagine any other frozen custard place coming anywhere near the heaven that was in my mouth. When you are in Milwaukee, get frozen custard at Kopps’ Frozen Custard. The have rotating daily flavors as well as specialty flavors that you can’t find anywhere else. They also have like…food and burgers and stuff too, but who cares about that when there’s custard.

Brewery Tour

And naturally, nothing pairs better with cheese than beer. Or…well, so I’ve been told. I actually don’t like beer. I don’t drink it at all, so I have no personal experience in this. BUT, from literally everyone, it is one of the best things to do in Milwaukee. Yanno, if you like beer.

You can either do a self-guided tour of Milwaukee’s best breweries and spend the day pub hopping, or you can opt for an official tour. I have heard that the Lakefront Brewery tour is one of the best in the NATION, so that would be a good option! The Sprecher Brewery tour also has a Reserve Tasting Tour, for those a little deeper into craft brews, and comes with artisan cheese pairings!

I’m going to plug Hannah and Adam and their blog Getting Stamped; they are a Wisconsin couple who actually went out and ranked some of their favorite Milwaukee brewery tours. Definitely check out their post.

Learn German Influence on Milwaukee

And thaaat is the perfect segway into Milwaukee’s German heritage. Most German immigrants arrived in Milwaukee in the mid-1800s when revolutions were taking part throughout Europe. In the 1840s, more than a thousand German immigrants arrived in Milwaukee WEEKLY, and by the 1850s, more than a third of Milwaukee’s population were German immigrants.

Though, at that time, there was not yet a unified Germany or Austrian Empire. So many identified as Prussians, Bavarians, Rhinelanders, or their specific region of what we now call Germany.

German and Bavarian food isn’t my favorite cuisine, but I do love a good wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut. If you’re like me (or even if you’re not), I’d recommend Mader’s Restaurant, as they have a good range of classic German foods but also dishes that help you dip your toes in as an introduction to the cuisine.

You can take a German Heritage Walking tour through the Old Ward and learn some of the most notable German businesses and residents of Milwaukee. Overall, it was really interesting to learn how and why Milwaukee has so much German heritage and influence, and I think it’s one of the essential things to do in Milwaukee to understand the city’s history.

Local Influencers

Again, like I said, this was my first and only trip to Milwaukee. While I did a lot of background work for my own trip to find places to eat and fun things to do in Milwaukee…I am just another traveler. While I hope this post will be useful for planning your own vacation, I won’t know all the juicest and newest restaurants and pop-ups. That’s why I’m always an advocate to checking out an area’s local influencers, as they usually have the latest scoop on events and new hot spots.

The following travel bloggers and influencers really helped me create and craft my own Milwaukee itinerary and finding cool things to do in Milwaukee.

Sojourner from Sojournies: I absolutely adoreeee this woman, and honestly you should be following her just because. Like, Milwaukee ASIDEEE, follow her! She helped me find a lot of cool shops, restaurants, and things to do in Milwaukee (especially Black-owned businesses!) that were literally not mentioned in ANY other travel guides. Plus, she’s super fly and if you are a social worker, she has a lot of resources specific to the profession relating to travel and transitioning to a remote position.

Cassandra from Escaping NY: Possibly one of my favorite travel writers alive, ANd a good friend. She also does group tours (highly recommend) to Jordan, Mexico, and Cuba. While she was based in New York City for a good time, she has returned to Milwaukee and her content has been incredible. Lots of good stuff on biking/active things to do in Milwaukee, and having a tasty vegetarian time in the city!

Wunmi and Sophia from Thrifty with a Compass: I don’t know them personally, but these two share a lot about the newest events, hotspots, and things to do in Milwaukee (and also Minneapolis). There weren’t any fun events happening during my trip, but they definitely keep you updated on new things to do in Milwaukee!

Conclusion: Things to do in Milwaukee

PHEW. We finally made it to the end of this things to do in Milwaukee blog post hahah. Yanno, when I was first sitting down to write this, I had no idea it would be this long. But going through all of my pictures and convos with Milwaukee friends I remembered just how many cool things to do in Milwaukee there were!

Color me surprised.

I am so happy I decided to visit for my free flight – despite that most people would have gone somewhere more “exciting.” But I thought there were a ton of exciting things to do in Milwaukee in its own way, and I can’t wait to go back in the summer for one of its famed festivals.

Since you’ve also gotten through this post, which of these fun things to do in Milwaukee catch your eye the most? And are you looking forward to visiting? Let me know in the comments below!

Pin for Later: Things to do in Milwaukee

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