Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee River

Menomonee River MILWAUKEE

Kinnickinnic River Lake Michigan

Kayaking the Milwaukee River near the Third Ward Riverwalk

Whitecaps & Bottle Caps

Wisconsin’s largest city along Lake Michigan features urban green spaces, miles of bicycling trails, a downtown fi lled with cultural attractions and vibrant riverfront development. A craft brewery boom and innovation from local chefs proves Milwaukee’s got a lot more to offer than brats and cheap beer when in port. brats and cheap beer when in port.

BY KRISTINE HANSEN

Blessed with a shoreline hugging Lake Michigan that’s conveniently within walking distance of major cultural attractions, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a hidden gem for boaters. Compared to Chicago’s shoreline, it’s not as crowded or busy — whether indoors or out. You shoreline, it’s not as crowded or busy — whether indoors or out. You can bicycle along Lincoln Memorial Drive (Milwaukee’s version of Lake Shore

Drive) and not feel boxed in, or pop into a Milwaukee Art Museum exhibit and not be shoulder to shoulder in the galleries. In fact, more and more Illinoisans are opting to park their boats in Milwaukee for these reasons and more. Wisconsin’s largest city is home to two major universities (Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), as well as major-league sports teams (the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers), which both have stadiums in the city of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Art Museum and lakefront

Colectivo on the Lake McKinley Marina

Discovery World

2022 EVENTS

Jan 1: Polar Bear Plunge June TBD: Queen’s Cup Race June 2: Festa Italiana June 10-12: Polish Festival June 23-25: Summerfest Weekend 1 June 30 – July 2: Summerfest Weekend 2 July 7-9: Summerfest Weekend 3 July 23-24: Milwaukee Air & Water Show July 29-31: German Fest Aug TBD: Milwaukee Irish Fest Aug 4-14: Wisconsin State Fair Aug 5-7: USA Triathlon

Getting there

Milwaukee is home to three marinas. McKinley Marina, on the East Side, is Milwaukee County’s only public option, with 655 slips on fl oating docks. Some are rented out seasonally while others can be rented for the day. In adjacent Veterans Park is where the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center is based, teaching youth and adults to sail every summer. A pavilion offers restrooms and showers, and if you’re already aching for some java, Colectivo Coffee Roasters’ café is across the street in Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Flushing Station, built in 1888 from Cream City brick. Or, walk a mile north on Lincoln Memorial Drive to Bradford Beach and a frozen-custard stand called MooSa’s Custard awaits.

With 230 slips, the much smaller South Shore Yacht Club in the Bay View neighborhood is 10 minutes south of downtown Milwaukee and home to the annual Queen’s Cup Race in late June. Older than the America’s Cup, the race that debuted in 1847 begins at the yacht club and ends on the other side of Lake Michigan in Muskegon, Michigan. The yacht club’s restaurant serves Friday dinners. Membership fees strive to remain affordable, starting at $1,787 annually. Similar to McKinley Marina, this marina is in the heart of a neighborhood. Italian grocery items at Groppi’s for a picnic or craft beer, and burgers on edgy Palomino’s outdoor patio are just up the hill.

In the Third Ward you’ll see quite a few riverfront condos with boat slips that allow their owners easy access into the mouth of Lake Michigan. Walking or sailing along the Milwaukee River in downtown or the Third Ward, you will probably see boats tied up to docks outside restaurants and breweries. This is another fun part of Milwaukee’s culture, inviting you to arrive by land or boat, whichever you prefer. Boaters on the Milwaukee River also have access to CenterPointe Yacht Services, which offers service and parts, haul and launch, indoor and outdoor storage, as well as a fuel dock and boat sales.

Maritime and beer history

While Wisconsin’s largest city is often assumed to have been founded by beer barons in the mid to late 1860s, even earlier — during the 1700s — were the French fur traders. And even before that, American Indian tribes lived off of the rich, fertile land. Throughout its history, Milwaukee has served as a place of maritime importance, enabling ships to traverse from the St. Lawrence Seaway into Lake Michigan, by way of Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Port Milwaukee, in operation since 1835 and much larger than Chicago’s port, transports commodities that include salt, limestone, steel, fertilizers and ethanol. In 2020 the port handled its highest annual volume of cargo, according to Port Milwaukee data. Viking Cruises and Pearl Seas — two small-ship cruise lines — have already started to market itineraries that stop in Milwaukee. Housed at the Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library branch in downtown Milwaukee, the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society maintains the Great Lakes Maritime Collection.

In addition to these deep maritime roots, beer barons from Germany are largely responsible for growing Milwaukee on a commercial level. Breweries like Pabst, Schlitz, Miller and Blatz were all brewed here by the late 1800s.

Museums and attractions

You needn’t leave the lakeshore to visit two major cultural attractions: The Santiago Calatravadesigned Milwaukee Art Museum (a work so marvelous TIME Magazine named it “the best new design of the year” in 2001) and Discovery World (a science center for all ages with a replica 19th-century three-masted wooden, gaff-rigged schooner called S/V Denis Sullivan). The art museum is attached to the 1957 Milwaukee County War Memorial Center, designed by Eero Saarinen and an events center today. Adjacent to these three institutions, just to the south, is Lakeshore State Park, a fantastic spot to stretch your legs and be close to the water.

Simply strolling the streets of downtown Milwaukee reveals hints of its German-immigrant heritage, from the 1895 city hall, looming into the sky from its angular position along North Water Street. Until Hamburg, Germany, unveiled its new city hall in 1897, this was the world’s tallest building, and the older building actually inspired Milwaukee’s. The Flemish Renaissance Revival style is the masterwork of architect Henry Koch. Further south, in the Third Ward, which is another walkable neighborhood, former meat- and vegetable-packing warehouses are now home to art galleries, clothing boutiques, cafes and restaurants. The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, on Erie Street, frequently hosts student and community art shows. Renting bikes from Bublr (just look for a kiosk) provides an opportunity to explore the Oak Leaf Trail’s 135 miles of trails for hiking and bicycling or the 14-mile paved Hank Aaron Trail stretching from Milwaukee’s lakeshore to the Milwaukee-Waukesha county line.

Nearly every weekend in summer is a different ethnic or cultural festival at the 75-acre Henry Maier Festival Park, anchored by Summerfest, the longest-running musical festival lasting about 10 days from late June through early July. In 2022, the festival’s format pivots to three consecutive weekends, fi lled with live-music performances from internationally known acts, as well as food and beer stands highlighting Milwaukee institutions. Other summer festivals at the grounds, which are next to Lakeshore State Park, include Polish Fest, German Fest, Irish Fest and Festa Italiana, fi lled with music, crafts and food.

For some on-water fun, try Boat MKE, located on the Milwaukee River in the East Town neighborhood. Here you can rent circular donut boats (complete with a donut bar), retro boats, a Duffy electric boat or a speed boat, which riders can take out to Lake Michigan.

Dining

For a taste of Key West — complete with the laid-back vibe and slices of key-lime pie and lobster rolls — dock at Barnacle Bud’s, adjacent to SkipperBud’s south of Walker’s Point and north of Bay View. (SkipperBud’s offers dry-dock and winter storage, not on the water, but it’s still a popular hub for sailors.) A recent expansion at Barnacle Bud’s means even more outdoor seating.

Naturally, Milwaukee’s monikers of cheese and brats are not hard to fi nd. Scoop up both at Milwaukee Public Market, designed after Seattle’s Pike Place Market, which highlights food artisans in the state, including award-winning Wisconsin cheesemakers at West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe or a “Milwaukee Brat” (grilled beer brat stuffed in a pretzel bun) at Fultz Family Market, with a side of truffl e frites.

For a peek at innovation, drop into one of the country’s few urban creameries: Clock Shadow Creamery, inside an eco-friendly building in Walker’s Point. Witness cheese curds being made on select afternoons, although you can always score a bag in the store, along with cheese from other Wisconsin creameries.

If fi ne dining is a must — paired with a Lake Michigan view — two Bartolotta Restaurants’ eateries deliver. Wedged between Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World, Harbor House is a sleek, narrow and glass-walled dining room jutting out into Lake Michigan serving oysters, surf and turf, and one of the city’s best wine lists. On a nice day, sink into Adirondack chairs on the patio overlooking the art museum. In the eastern edge of Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Lake Park, Lake Park Bistro is a veritable trip to France with dishes like butter-poached lobster and artichokes in a lobster beurre blanc with aromatic herbs, a dish Chef Paul Bartolotta unearthed while an apprentice at the Michelin three-star Le Moulin de Mougins on the Cote d’Azur. Dine inside a former park pavilion, its windows framing lake views. The prix-fi xe Haut Bistro Menu is a four-course experience folding in a starter, middle course, main course and dessert.

Beer

It would be practically criminal to not talk about how to experience Milwaukee’s craft beer scene. While most major cities foster craft brewers today, what’s unique about Brew City is that the suds hearken back to its roots. While you can still tour (and taste) at Miller Brewing Company, there are also 30-some breweries to whet your palate; most debuted within the last decade. A handy Brew City Beer Pass Brewery Map on Visit Milwaukee’s website is a great place to start plotting your route. Many tasting rooms fl aunt beautiful water views, such as City Lights Brewing Co.’s perch along the Menomonee River, where live music provides a reason to linger on warm weekends. You can also book an hour-long tour of its 118-year-old buildings that once housed the Milwaukee Gas Light Company. Milwaukee’s second-oldest craft brewery — Lakefront Brewery — hosts a tasting room along the Milwaukee River in Brewers Hill, not far from where many of the beer barons once lived in Victorian-style homes. Visit on a Friday night and you’ll be treated to a fi sh fry and live polka performance in its beer hall. Tours are also offered.

Big city by an even bigger lake

Blending experiences surrounding architecture, cuisine and craft beer — not to mention an abundance of green spaces — Milwaukee’s lakefront setting is one not to miss or overlook. Each of the four seasons shows vibrancy, whether it’s a quiet morning along the snowdusted lake, basking in the long days of sunlight come summer, or autumn’s brilliantly hued foliage later in the year. ★

RESOURCES

BOAT FACILITIES McKinley Marina

COUNTY.MILWAUKEE.GOV South Shore Yacht Club

SSYC.ORG Milwaukee Community Sailing Center

SAILINGCENTER.ORG SkipperBud’s - Milwaukee

SKIPPERBUDS.COM

CenterPointe Yacht Services

CENTERPOINTESERVICE.COM

ATTRACTIONS Discovery World

DISCOVERYWORLD.ORG Milwaukee Art Museum

MAM.ORG

Milwaukee Public Market

MILWAUKEEPUBLICMARKET.ORG Wisconsin Marine Historical Society

WMHS.ORG

TOURISM Visit Milwaukee

VISITMILWAUKEE.ORG

Summerfest Summerfest

Donut Boat MKE Night Market

Lakefront Brewery

Milwaukee Public Market