Milwaukee offers plenty to see, eat, shop, celebrate
There's always something to celebrate in Milwaukee. And I'm not just talking about the music, food and art festivals that fill the summer, or the azure views of Lake Michigan, or even the city's beer-steeped history. I'm talking about the jovial bands of people walking the streets of downtown every time I visit - bachelorette parties (so many bachelorette parties!), bachelor parties, wedding parties, father-daughter dances. Really, any occasion is good there to pack the flask and break out the party gear.
I understand why they choose the Brew City. My husband and I love making weekend trips here from our home in Chicago. It's small enough that it's easy to get around and feels safe, but big enough that we discover a new neighborhood, quirky shop, restaurant or bar every visit. While the drinking-and-dining scene has long moved beyond its beer-and-brats reputation, you can still find plenty of that beer and those brats (including in craft and artisanal forms), along with frozen custard and squeaky cheese curds galore. (It's the Dairy State for a reason.)
Plus, it's affordable (compared with Chicago prices) and there's truth to that whole Midwestern kindness thing. Don't put on airs and it's likely that you will be welcomed with open arms.
GO Local Faves
When in Brew City, do as the Brew Citizens do and raise a pint. A quenching place to start is Pabst Milwaukee Brewery and Taproom, which is one of the newest craft breweries to open in the city and sits in an old Gothic Revival Church that also formerly served as a Pabstowned bar and restaurant. "New" and "Pabst" sound contradictory, considering that the Pabst name has deep history in Milwaukee, dating to the 19th century. But it moved its brewing operations out of town in the 1990s. And the latest incarnation isn't brewing hipster PBR (although you can buy that here), it's creating small-batch beers with more depth and intrigue than the canned red-white-and-blue classic. For a DIY Pabst tour, take a stroll around the block and you'll see Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, which walks visitors through the history of Pabst; you'll pass the Brewhouse Inn & Suites, a hotel built inside the old Pabst plant. About a mile from there, you might get a deeper feel for the family's history with a visit to Pabst Mansion, where Frederick and his family lived.
For Frank Lloyd Wright, it wasn't all Fallingwater and Taliesin. The Wisconsin-born architect believed that beautiful homes should be affordable at all income levels, and in the early 1900s he created a series of designs for small homes, known as American System-Built Homes, the pieces of which could be cut in advance and assembled on site to save on waste and cost. You can see six of them on West Burnham Street, and docents with the nonprofit organization Wright in Milwaukee lead tours of one of the homes. (The tours are offered on Fridays and Saturdays in the summer and early fall but become more sporadic as winter sets in.) Travel tip: One of the privately owned Wright-designed homes on the street is beautifully restored and available for overnight stays via VRBO.com.
Guidebook Musts
Is it meta that the buildings that house the Milwaukee Art
Museum are works of art as well? My favorite is the white pavilion designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, which
looks like a modernist bird, a cathedral or maybe a yacht depending on the time of day you see it and whether its wings — which are actually 72 steel fins that act as a sun screen — are open or closed. Save a couple of hours for exploring the museum's wideranging collection, which includes dark portraits from Baroque Europe and brighter pop pieces such as one of Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup paintings, as well as extensive Georgia O'Keeffe collection (she was from Wisconsin), swanky furniture by Herman Miller, vintage cameras — and continual natural art in the form of sparkling Lake Michigan views through the museum's floor-to-ceiling windows.
The double-decker Milwaukee Boat Line
Sightseeing Cruise toots along the Milwaukee River out to Lake Michigan, alerting bridge operators to raise ' em up and let it pass. During the 90-minute cruise, the guide regaled us with stories of Milwaukee's industrial history while passing old brick tanneries, brick masonry factories, and cold storage warehouses; architectural history via the skyline and especially that winged Milwaukee Art Museum; and Great Lakes insights such as the fact that the five lakes hold about onefifth of all the freshwater on Earth. If you're lucky, you'll get to hear some traces of lovable Midwestern aw-shucks earnestness. Our guide was talking about a lighthouse there that's now powered by solar. "Which," she said, "I think is pretty darn neat."
EAT Local Faves
Tubular meats — including some vegan versions — are the draw at Vanguard. Go global with the Guzman, which is seasoned Yucatan venison with pork fat, sour orange and achiote. Or keep it local, like I did, with a jalapeño cheddar bratwurst topped "Milwaukee-style," slathered in cheese spread, shredded cheddar cheese and squeaky fried cheese curds. It's nap-inducingly delicious. This isn't your average corner bratwurst joint; it's also a bustling craft cocktail bar, and specialty sausages come with beer/cocktail pairing suggestions.
Frozen custard isn't the exception in the Dairy State. It's the rule. Ask someone to name the best and you may spark an all-out war (which this recommendation also could lead to), but I stand firm in my love of the butter pecan frozen custard at Leon's
Frozen Custard — with its rich, creamy base and crisp, salty pecans — handed to you from a neon-covered walk-up joint that dates to 1942. This custard, alone, is worth the 90minute drive from Chicago. As you are waiting in line (and you are likely to be waiting in line), you can watch as machines gurgle out reams of the frozen confection while staff in white caps and bow ties scoop it up to serve.
Guidebook Musts
My three Chicago companions and I were blown away by Braise, which creates its seasonal menus based on what's available from Wisconsin farms using all parts, from "root to leaf" and "nose to tail." Offerings change regularly, but what's consistent is global influence, depth of flavor and alluring textures — such as the chickpea pancake made with summer squash and topped with salty whipped feta or the rich, steamed pork buns with chive vinaigrette and crushed, spicy peanuts. With a mix of shareable small and not-so-small plates, there's an impressive variety for carnivores, vegetarians and pescetarians, as well as an eclectic craft cocktail menu. I had a rum cocktail with strawberry, banana and, oddly, asparagus cream that tasted much better than it sounds and is served in a skull mug with a toasted nose. Fun fact: Braise even created a service to act as a food hub so that other restaurants and customers can easily access produce, baked goods, meats and dairy items from the farms and artisans it works with.
Milwaukee is a town that loves brunch, and the European-style Cafe Benelux — named for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — draws crowds for its alfresco seating (rooftop and streetlevel patio) and eclectic offerings such as the pretzel Benedict (pretzel bread, ham, poached eggs and hollandaise), bananas Foster liege waffles and a savory waffle made with hash browns and topped with steak. Breakfast is also served nightly, as are mussels, frites and burgers. Save some time to read through the 50-page "bierbook," which is updated seasonally and highlights unique craft beers from Belgium, Holland and the United States.
SHOP Local Faves
If you've ever thought, "Where in the heck do I get an owl pellet to dissect?" Milwaukee has your answer. It's American Science and
Surplus, where you may also find dissection tools, including those waxy trays from middle school. This large, brightly lit suburban shop offers aisle after aisle of experiments, microscopes, telescopes, lab glasses, gyroscopes and just about anything a STEM-loving person could want or need. Plus, there is a solid selection of toys, tools, military items, motors and even the occasional hatching dinosaur-egg novelty. Because it's a surplus store, you never quite know what you're going to find, so you'll probably have more fun if you go without a specific need in mind (and just hope to walk out with that owl pellet).
Fedoras, porkpies, cadet caps, cloches, derby hats, church hats, intricate fascinators — the specimens are stunning at two neighboring hat shops: The Hen House for her and Brass Rooster Hat Company for him. Major brands are available, as are custom creations made with equipment that dates to the 19th century. You don't hear the words hatter and millinery much these days, but these two shops will make you appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into a quality chapeau.
Guidebook Musts
Mod Gen — short for Modern General Store — had me at "arugula candle." This gift shop, located amid blocks of boutiques in the reclaimed warehouses of the Historic Third Ward, is packed with gifts and trinkets — artfully displayed stationery, stickers, birdhouses, handmade soaps, hundreds of houseplants and a section dedicated to items made locally — that maybe you didn't need but suddenly realize you can't leave without. Like the hedgehog trivet that came home with me.
Follow the giant red neon sign that says "Milwaukee Public Market" and explore this gourmet/retail institution. There's a seafood counter, restaurants, bakeries, purveyors of wine, cheese and sausage, kitchen accessories - and, one of my favorites, Brew City Brand Apparel, where T-shirts pay homage to insider Wisconsin tidbits. The "Call Me Old-Fashioned" shirt is a nod to the Badger State's official cocktail, and the "Where's the bubbler?" tee flexes a piece of when-inWisconsin vocabulary: bubbler means water fountain.