Livability

Southeastern Wisconsin is a place where you will be hard-pressed to find a weekend when there is nothing to do. College and professional sports teams play year-round. Theater, dance and opera companies keep the stages filled with action. Dozens of small clubs offer a variety of blues, jazz, swing, classical, country and rock ’n’ roll. Nationally acclaimed chefs oversee the creation of culinary treats in a city dubbed one of the “most dynamic” food cities in the United States while ethnic restaurants keep alive the heritage and recipes of the Old World. Dozens of museums cater to our interest in history, art, technology and the child in all of us. Botanical gardens and zoos bring nature close to home while hiking and biking paths, ski hills and cross-country trails expand the outdoors. Milwaukee is at the epicenter of a region that extends from the natural beauty of Wisconsin’s North Woods two hours to the north to the world-class city of Chicago, 90 minutes to the south.

A Popular Destination

Not surprisingly, Milwaukee has become an increasingly popular destination. Forbes magazine called it one of the best cities for young professionals. The New York Times labeled it a “must place to visit.” And National Geographic named it among the top destinations of the world, one of only five U.S. places to receive the designation.

Bordered on the east by the deep-blue waters of Lake Michigan and encircled by the pristine, glacial hills of the Kettle Moraine, Milwaukee has become a popular port of call for the rapidly growing Great Lakes cruise industry. More than 10,000 passengers on close to three dozen cruise ships were expected to set anchor in Milwaukee in 2022. It’s a place where you can have fun, feel at home and enjoy urban energy without big-city stress.

It's also a city that continually reinvents itself. The Milwaukee Art Museum redefined the lakefront with the iconic, Calatrava-designed entrance hall that has served as a backdrop for numerous commercials and movies, including Transformers 3. The Milwaukee Public Museum, already a nationally ranked institution for natural history, is building a new $350 million museum near the Deer District and will be renamed the Wisconsin Museum of Nature and Culture. The Milwaukee Repertory Theater, which draws more than 300,000 people to its three venues – the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Theater and the Stackner Cabaret – is investing $75 million in a new theater complex to replace its current facility.

An Active Arts Scene

Milwaukee is a cultural center offering a wealth of opportunities to attend plays, operas, symphonies and chamber music thanks to an arts community that is well supported by metro-area residents. Among large metropolitan areas, only Nashville, Orlando, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago have more performing arts groups per 100,000 people. And no city in the country, except Los Angeles, raises more private money to support the arts community. The Milwaukee

Symphony recently moved into its new home, a refurbished movie palace from the 1930s in the heart of the downtown. The city is also home to the Milwaukee Ballet and the Florentine Opera as well as numerous smaller experimental theaters.

The region offers a variety of musical venues ranging from small settings like the Back Room@Colectivo and Turner Hall to medium-size locations like the Pabst, the Riverside and Miller High Life theaters to major arenas like Fiserv Forum and the American Family Amphitheater.

Non-Stop Fun

There is plenty of nightlife throughout Milwaukee, whether it be somewhere in the city’s popular Third Ward or Fifth Ward, or in one of many fun destinations, including the Deer District near the Fiserv Forum, Brady Street, Water Street, Old World Third Street, North Avenue or Jefferson Street. Those looking for Las Vegasstyle gambling head down to the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino west of downtown.

The City of Festivals

Milwaukee holds more festivals than any other city in the United States.

Many of the city’s major ethnic festivals are held near the lakefront, including Festa Italiana, Irish Fest, German Fest and Polish Fest. The summer season is also filled with many church and community festivals as well, including the Cinco de Mayo Festival held at Mitchell Park on Milwaukee’s near south side, Cedarburg’s annual Strawberry Festival and Fish Days in Port Washington. Milwaukee is probably best known for Summerfest, a celebration of music and food considered to be one of the most diverse and affordable of the world’s major music festivals. Heralded as “The World’s Largest Music Festival,” the 55-year-old festival features hundreds of acts on 12 permanent stages with a lineup of “the music industry’s hottest stars, emerging talent and local favorites.”

Magnificent Museums

There are many excellent museums in the Milwaukee area, including the Milwaukee Art Museum, which has a permanent collection of more than 20,000 works; West Bend’s Museum of Wisconsin Art, which highlights regional crafts and artifacts; Discovery World Science + Technology Center, an interactive science and technology museum located on Milwaukee’s lakefront; the Harley-Davidson Museum, which showcases the evolution of the famous motorcycle made in Milwaukee; Milwaukee Public Museum, which is considered one of the six best natural history museums in the country; Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, featuring many hands-on exhibits dedicated to children through age 10; and America’s Black Holocaust Museum, which documents one of the darkest chapters in America’s history.

Sensational Sporting Events

Milwaukee is a sports-loving city offering a variety of professional and college sports . It is home to the Milwaukee Bucks, which won the National Basketball Association national championship in 2021;

LIVABILITY: CULTURE OF COOL

Major Attractions & Events

the Milwaukee Brewers professional baseball team, which won the National League Central Division in 2021; as well as the legendary Marquette Golden Eagles and UW-Milwaukee Panthers NCAA basketball teams. Just a little more than an hour away in Madison, Bucky Badger hosts the Wisconsin Badgers football team as well as a host of other exciting collegiate teams, including men’s hockey and women’s volleyball. And just a few hours to the north is the legendary Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers.

Major Attractions

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino

3.6 million

Milwaukee Brewers

2.4 million

Milwaukee County Zoo

1.1 million

Milwaukee Bucks

1.4 million

Wisconsin State Fair

1.0 million

Summerfest

450,000

Major Events

Juneteenth Polish Fest

PrideFest MilwaukeeBastille Days

Festa Italiana German Fest

PetFest Port Fish Day

Fresh Coast Jazz FestivalGreek Fest

Oktoberfest Milwaukee Film Festival

Mexican FiestaJazz in the Park

Holiday Folk FairMilwaukee Brew Fest

Strawberry FestivalPolar Bear Plunge

Lakefront Festival of ArtIrish Fest

Black Arts Fest MKE

Wisconsin also has become known nationally as a golf destination thanks to its hosting of major golf championships in recent years, including a U.S. Open, two U.S. Women’s Opens, three PGA Championships, a U.S. Senior Open, a U.S. Amateur and The Ryder Cup. The U.S. Senior Open will return in 2023 and the U.S. Women’s Open comes back in 2025. According to Golf Digest, seven of the nation’s top 100 golf courses are located in Wisconsin, including three in the Milwaukee area: Washington County’s Erin Hills, which hosted the 2017 U.S. Open; the Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills; and the Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in Wauwatosa. Whistling Straits, in nearby Kohler, has hosted the PGA Championship three times and hosted The Ryder Cup in 2021.

A Culinary Smorgasbord

There’s a reason Milwaukee made Eater’s list of “The Most Dynamic Food Cities in the World”! From global cuisine and fusion dishes, to tapas and farm-to-table comfort food, to classic fare and iconic fish fries, Milwaukee serves up a full spectrum of epicurean delights. Chef Dane Baldwin was named the best chef in the Midwest by the prestigious James Beard Foundation for The Diplomat, his shareable plates restaurant. Four other Milwaukee chefs were named semifinalists: Karen Bell of Bavette La Boucherie; Dan of EsterEv; and Gregory León of Amilinda and

The region’s restaurants serve up a smorgasbord of ethnic delicacies. Among the more popular cuisines are Mexican, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Greek, Middle Eastern, Thai, Polish, Russian and Serbian. A variety of upscale restaurants offer epicurean delights, including Ardent, Bacchus, Carnevore, Casablanca, Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Harbor House, Lake Park Bistro, Mader’s, Rare and Tre Rivali in Milwaukee; Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Brookfield; Mr. B’s in Brookfield and Mequon; Eddie Martini’s and Ristorante Bartolotta in Wauwatosa; and The Union House in Genesee Depot.

Enjoying the Outdoors

The metropolitan region has plenty to offer the weekend athlete and outdoor enthusiast. Milwaukee County’s extensive park system is one of the largest public areas in the country, boasting dozens of tennis courts; miles of jogging, hiking and biking trails; sandy beaches; and more than a dozen public golf courses. Milwaukee is one of only a handful of urban areas that has a state park bordering its downtown, offering both impressive views of the city’s skyline and the majestic expanse of Lake Michigan. All told, the greater Milwaukee area features 17,700 acres of county parkland, more than 60 public and private golf courses and more than 240 miles of bikeways and hiking paths. Sparkling lakes, quiet woodland areas and prairie vistas can be found throughout Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington counties of suburban Milwaukee. Boating and fishing are major activities on both Lake Michigan and the many beautiful inland lakes.