Milwaukee: beer, brats & cheese curds

Reasons to Visit

Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a Great Place on the Great Lakes. (official slogan). Fun for foodies, art. architecture, nature lovers, and don’t forget the many festivals. We suggest on your first day taking a food tour and sample some local delicacies. Besides, plan on indulging on fried fish, sausages, cheese shops, and maybe a pint of local beer. In this post we’ll concentrate on downtown and surrounds. Milwaukee is only 90 miles south of Chicago, a perfect diversion for a day or more.

Local Slang

• Up Nort Translation: go upstate
• Ya Der Hey Translation: yep, right on, or of course
• Shop the Pig: Translation: Piggly Wiggly grocery store
• Uff Da! Translation: surprise, exhaustion, or wow.
• Bubbler Translation: drinking fountain
• Go Cheese Heads! Translation: Green Bay Packers fans

Milwaukee Art Museum

• Known as the MAM, this modern marvel was designed by Santiago Calatrava.
• Don’t you want to see the largest dinosaur head ever found?
• The museum has more than 30,000 works and 400,000 visitors each year.
• The pedestrian bridge has the best photo ops, overlooking Lake Michigan.
  

Milwaukee Public Market

This is the ultimate spot for lunch, groceries and gifts. Really, it’s a sensory overload in the best way possible.

Bratwurst

Wisconsinites rightly proclaim they have the best brats outside of Germany. This sample plate is from Usinger’s, steps from the Milwaukee River.

Frozen Custard

You’re in the “Frozen Custard Capital”, so don’t leave until you’ve had a soft-serve cone of swirly goodness. In 1994 President Bill Clinton visited Leon’s Frozen Custard, a South Side drive-in. Another favorite is Kopp’s Custard, featuring flavor of the day.

Cheese Curds

Another mandatory stop is for cheese curds. Any good grocery store will have them. Besides, you’ll be hard pressed to find these squeaky snacks outside the Midwest.

Smoked Chubs

Locals wax poetic about this hard to find freshwater fish from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Chubs are best served smoked with a side of raw onions and farm fresh tomatoes. By the way, chubs are NOT white fish.

Friday Fish Fry

Speaking of fish, Milwaukee never lost the Friday Fish Fry tradition. This plate from the Public Market features local walleye. There’s even a giant Wally the Walleye sculpture up north.

Milwaukee RiverWalk

Once an eyesore, the river has been cleaned up and transformed. Spend some time strolling the pedestrian walkway, admire the sculptures and murals. Enjoy the view from one of the pier restaurants.

The Bronze Fonz

Behold “The Bronze Fonz“. IYKYK, but we’ll explain. Henry Winkler played the role of Arthur Fonzarelli, aka “The Fonz”, in the 70’s sitcom Happy Days. Later he had a recurring role in Laverne and Shirley. Both shows were based in Milwaukee.

Historic 3rd Ward

Are you an art lover? Then don’t miss the 3rd Ward. Plan to visit on Gallery Night. Here we’re having a chat with Timo Meyerring in his Timo Gallery.

Harley-Davidson Museum

Many don’t know that the original Harley motorcycle was made in Milwaukee. The museum is a treasure trove of memorabilia, like vintage posters and choppers. On the grounds is a bar / restaurant. There are a lot of bars in Milwaukee! On the grounds are two stores. You know you want to buy some Harley merch to impress your friends.

Recombobulate

At the Milwaukee International Airport, (MKE), make sure to look up after going through security. You arrive combobulated and leave recombobulated.

More Info:

Gallery Night: https://gallerynightmke.com

Milwaukee Art Museum: https://mam.org

Visitors Guide: https://visitmilwaukee.org

Book Activities: download the Get Your Guide App

all photographs by ©lynnfriedman