Milwaukee is a small Midwestern city full of breweries and good vibes
MKE Tips:
Milwaukee has a ton of breweries so if you are visiting for a beer trip be sure to plan ahead so you’re not hopping back and forth between neighborhoods.
Overall the city is pretty small so you could easily get by without a car.
Summer is the ideal time to visit—the temperatures never get too high, there is relatively low humidity, there are pop-up beer gardens and events and the city is super bike friendly.
A lot of places have weird hours or are closed during some weekdays, so be sure to triple check opening hours before visiting.
Planning a Wisconsin road trip? Check out my Madison beer and travel guide here!
Milwaukee is only 1.5 hours north of Chicago! Check out my Chicago beer and travel guide here!
Adventures & Ales Top Milwaukee Recommendations:
Lakefront Brewery: A very popular brewery on the river with waterfront seating and a large taproom. They have a full food menu and the cheese curds are superb. Inside it is a German bier hall style set-up with long tables and high ceilings. They also offer tours.
Eagle Park Brewing: A fantastic brewery just across the river from Lakefront Brewery. These were the best beers in all of Milwaukee. They have a nice taproom and a small patio space along with a kitchen and distillery.
Amorphic Beer: A great brewery a bit off the beaten path on the north side of the city. Their beers are fantastic and they have fun flight boards made at the shop next door. The tap list is mostly focused on IPAs but there is a good variety overall.
Café Benelux: A popular Belgian restaurant known for their Bloody Mary’s and fun rooftop space. They are located directly across from the Public Market and have great food and drinks.
Kinn Guesthouse Bay View: A unique hotel that is structured as guest rooms with a communal kitchen and living space. The rooms are loft style and similar to individual apartments. It is a super cute space and right in the heart of the Bay View neighborhood.
Sorella: An Italian restaurant on the ground level of the hotel. They have a nice outdoor patio, a pretty bar, a solid beer selection along with wines and cocktails, and a full Italian food menu with pizza, pasta and appetizers.
Colectivo Coffee: A local chain coffeeshop with great coffee and food. The Bay View location is huge and has an adorable outdoor space.
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting:
Milwaukee Art Museum: A cool art museum in a gorgeous building downtown on the water. It is pretty large with a variety of exhibits so I’d recommend setting aside at least a couple of hours to explore. You have to pay for admission and for parking which I thought was quite silly to charge for both. You can park near Discovery World on the street for free and walk over instead.
Milwaukee Public Market: Your classic public market with restaurants, shops and bars. Go hungry and eat your way through the different stalls.
Explore the RiverWalk, a trail meandering alongside the river throughout different neighborhoods of the city.
Bublr Bikes: The best way to get around town! These rentable shared bikes are docked everywhere throughout the city. Overall they are super easy to use and Milwaukee is very bike friendly.
Explore the Oak Leaf Trail: This 135 mile trail runs throughout the city and is very nice. In the summer there are pop-up beer gardens along the route.
South Shore Park: A nice area on Lake Michigan with a beach, marina, terrace, playground and more!
Café Benelux
Other Milwaukee Things To Do:
Central Waters Brewing Co.: This Amherst, WI based brewery also has a Milwaukee taproom in the old Pabst factory. Dairyland has a kitchen here with delicious burgers, fries and more.
Third Space Brewing: This brewery has a large taproom and a large outdoor space with a massive tap list. They focus on Hazy IPAs but still have a variety of beers overall. Triciclo Peru is their onsite food truck with empanadas.
Good City Brewing: A brewery with 4 locations in Wisconsin. They have a full food menu, a wide variety of beers and a rooftop.
The Explorium Brewpub: A restaurant-style brewery that is downtown just across the river from the Public Market. They have a full food menu and solid beers.
Anodyne Coffee: A cute little neighborhood spot with coffee in the morning and then pizza and cocktails in the evening.
City Lights Brewing Co.: A brewery in the old city powerhouse with a small tap list, a unique atmosphere and a large patio.
MobCraft Beer: A brewery that creates crowdsourced beers in the Walker’s Point neighborhood. They also have a kitchen and specials each weekday.
Vennture Brew Co: A coffee shop and brewery on the west side of the city. It is a nice open air space that is more coffee focused than beer but a good stop overall.
Broken Bat Brewery: A baseball themed brewery with games and an indoor wiffleball field. They have a pretty large tap list with average beers.
