Milwaukee isn’t especially known for one thing or another but it’s a city with a great variety of things to see and do. It has plenty of parks, and there are places where you can get out by, or on, Lake Michigan during the summer. Sailing is popular and summers are a time when Milwaukee hosts many festivals. There are also numerous museums here and if you’re living in Milwaukee remember that the larger city of Chicago is only 100 miles down the highway.
Milwaukee’s Cuisine and Restaurants
Historically Milwaukee attracted huge numbers of European immigrants, many of whom are still here today. These different ethnic backgrounds have contributed to a varied palette when it comes to restaurants. These cultural differences are also celebrated in some of the city’s festivals such as German Fest and Festa Italiana.
There are some 900 restaurants to choose from in Milwaukee, with cuisines ranging from American to German, to Greek and Polish. Among the top rated places on TripAdvisor is Sanford Restaurant where the dishes are an eclectic mix of American and International cuisines. If you want to try one of the ethnic cuisines head for Karl Ratzsch’s Restaurant where German is the specialty.
Parks in Milwaukee
Milwaukee has many parks where you can walk, try out some different recreational activities, or just have fun with the kids. Among the popular ones is Riverside Park in Upper East Side, and directly west of here, on Lake Michigan, is Lake Park where there’s a long beach for the summer months. The Oak Leaf Trail passes through here on its way around Milwaukee County and if you enjoy bicycling then this is a great trail to use. It’s paved and runs 108 miles.
City of Festivals
Milwaukee is often referred to as the City of Festivals because of its numerous festivals, especially during the summer. Henry Maier Festival Park is a top location where there’s something going on almost every weekend in the summer. There’s Summerfest which is touted as the World’s Biggest Music Festival, held over 11 days from late June into July.
German Fest is among the popular festivals in Milwaukee too, but it’s just one of the ethnic focused events; others include Polish Fest, Arab World Fest, Irish Fest, and Mexican Fest.
Attractions in Milwaukee
As well as the above Milwaukee has numerous museums. If you live in the city, or you’re visiting, there are some great places to visit with the kids like the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum which is perfect for kids 10 and under. Discovery World will appeal to older kids, as will Milwaukee Public Museum where natural and human history are explored.
Milwaukee County Zoo is real popular too, with over 2,000 animals to see from 330 different species; it’s definitely a whole day attraction, and being a fan of Harley-Davidson helps when visiting the Harley-Davidson Museum!
Pabst Mansion is nice to visit if you like historic homes, and there are many other museums too including the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
