Milwaukee City Guide

Milwaukee is situated on Lake Michigan and is Wisconsin’s largest city. Milwaukee originated as a Native American settlement that went on to later attract French fur traders and missionaries in the early 1880’s.

In the mid l800s, Milwaukee came to be settled by waves of German immigrants who greatly aided the growth and development of the city by establishing much industry and commerce and setting the stage for a booming brewing industry. Milwaukee then soon went on to become the beer capital of the world.

The city which until today has a strong German affinity continues to host a booming brewpub culture. Milwaukee’s thriving beer industry in fact is one of its greatest tourist attractions. However the city also offers a slew of waterside recreational activities like sailing, jet-skiing, power boating, which are conducted on the calm waters of the vast Lake Michigan and are extremely popular with visitors who choose to book a vacation in Milwaukee.

Another reason for Milwaukee’s popularity as a vacation destination is the numerous festivals that it hosts throughout the year. In fact the city is often referred to as the ‘City of Festivals’ for it hosts a huge variety of festivals including the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest, which succeeds in attracting hordes of visitors to Milwaukee’s shores each year.

Most business and leisure visitors to Milwaukee like to stay within Milwaukee’s city center. The Milwaukee waterfront and city center can be explored easily on foot and this area hosts the popular Milwaukee attraction, the RiverWalk. The RiverWalk is a riverside system of bridges and promenades that link the central downtown area and the city’s Historic Third Ward. Downtown Milwaukee also encompasses the city’s Financial and Westown districts, which offer a variety of restaurants, clubs and hotels as well as the popular business travel destination, The Frontier Airlines Center, which is one of main venues in Milwaukee for conventions and meetings. Also located in the downtown area are various performance arts venues and an upscale shopping mall.

The South Milwaukee hotels are essentially business-oriented hotels located around the city’s General Mitchell International Airport.

The Glendale neighborhood of Milwaukee is located on the north shore of the river and is yet another industrial and commercial district in Milwaukee, which hosts an assortment of hotels that range from business hotel properties to grand historic hotels.

Depending on your preferences, Fare Buzz can help you locate the right Milwaukee hotel for your stay in Milwaukee at the right hotel rate of course.

Miller Park is the one of the most prominent attractions in Milwaukee. This ball park, which is home turf of the major league baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers, was inaugurated in 2001. The park is equipped with many state of the art features including a fan shaped convertible roof. The best way to enjoy the park on a vacation in Milwaukee is to buy tickets and take part in the truly festive atmosphere that prevails at the park during a ball game.

The Miller Brewing Company is yet another landmark attraction in Milwaukee. This brewery was established in 1855 and offers free guided tours of its brewhouse, packaging center and caves. These guided tours also include free samplings at the Old Miller Inn or the Beer Garden (weather permitting). The beer tours are definitely a must-do for any beer enthusiast on a visit to Milwaukee.

The spectacular Milwaukee Art Museum is housed in a stunning building designed by celebrated Spanish architect Santiage Calatrava. The museum has a magnificent roof that opens and closes and is said to resemble a large white sea-gull. The museum offers a permanent collection that features artworks that hail from ancient Greek times to American, Asian and African contemporary art.

This exciting art space offers exhibits of over 400 classic motor bikes including a 1956 motorcycle that belonged to Elvis Presley. The museum offers much other memorabilia, photo exhibits and a park, café, restaurant and retail store.

The Milwaukee Public museum offers various interesting exhibits including a stimulated rainforest, re-created international villages, a live butterfly garden and others. It also offers a planetarium and an IMAX theater. The museum should be considered a must-do on your itinerary if you are on vacation in Milwaukee with your children.

Yet another popular attraction for children in Milwaukee, is the Milwaukee County Zoo. This zoo offers displays of animals like elephants, bears, zebras, gorillas along with raptor and lion shows and camel rides. The Milwaukee County Zoo promises hours of fun for all the family.

Milwaukee has a humid continental climate though the city is known to experience, second coldest average winter temperature in the USA after Minneapolis. The warmest month of the year in Milwaukee is usually July, when daily average temperatures register 72.0 °F (22.2 °C). January is usually the coldest month in Milwaukee when temperatures register an average of 20.7 °F (-6.3 °C).

As Milwaukee is located close to Lake Michigan it experiences ‘lake-effect’ conditions. In summer, areas along the lake are comparatively cooler than inner areas of the city while in the winter, these lakeside neighborhoods are generally warmer due to the lake-effect. Milwaukee also experiences a tornado season that extends from March to June. No matter when you decide to visit Milwaukee, Fare Buzz can procure cheap air tickets for your journey for it often announces tempting flight deals for Milwaukee on both legacy carriers as well as low cost airlines.

The city of Milwaukee is usually accessed via its General Mitchell International Airport, which receives a whole host of full service and low cost domestic carriers. The airport is connected to the city center by several modes of public transport that include buses, coaches and taxis. Several hotels also offer free shuttle services from the airport for their patrons.

If you are based in central Milwaukee during your stay in the city, you can easily navigate many of the city’s attractions on foot or on the city’s bus network. However if you are located away from the city center, you will probably need to rent a car for the duration of your stay in Milwaukee. Fare Buzz in fact offers a good selection of affordable car rentals for Milwaukee, which can be booked at the same time and via the same booking platforms that you make your other travel bookings for Milwaukee.

The appeal of destination is greatly enhanced when it offers great shopping options. Milwaukee delights on that front, for it offers a wealth of shopping options at the many malls, boutiques and specialty shops that litter every quadrant of the city.

The Milwaukee metro area, the state’s largest urban center is home to several huge shopping malls like the Mayfair Mall, Brookfield Square, the open-air Bayshore Town Center, the Shops of Grand Avenue and Southridge, all of which host outposts of well-known retailers and department stores, like Macy’s, American Eagle Outfitters, Sephora, Talbot’s amongst others. In addition to retail stores, these malls also offer a plethora of dining and entertainment options, as they endeavor to provide a more complete shopping experience.

If you don’t fancy being confined in a mall during your shopping expeditions in Milwaukee, you could instead choose to peruse the city’s lively, shopping districts like the Historic Third Ward, a former wholesale and manufacturing district, that today hosts several interesting shops, galleries and restaurants Also recommended, are areas like Brady Street situated on the eastside of the city and the North Avenue District, both vibrant shopping areas, home to a plethora of independent boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants and nightspots.

Milwaukee’s ethnic traditions have bestowed the city with a diverse dining landscape. As a result its many restaurants offer several international cuisine in addition traditional American eats.

Well-regarded and highly ranked eateries in Milwaukee currently include spots like Tony and Mia’s, Buckleys’ Restaurant and Bar and Ristorante Bartolotta (all Italian restaurants), Sanford, Odd Duck, Braise and Meritage (restaurants serving New American fare), Umami Moto(Asian fusion), Dream Dance Steak and Carnevor (both steak houses).

Miwaukee’s nightlife scene features many facets. The city’s nightlife arena offers numerous bars, dance clubs housed in gritty warehouses and cocktail lounges Additionally, the city’s history as brew-making town has equipped with it breweries of every kind.

Popular nightlife haunts in Milwaukee include hotspots like Club Anything, Hot water nightclub/wherehouse, Tangerine (all dance clubs), Club Charlie’s, International Exports Ltd-Safe house, Foundation (all bars) and Blu (a jazz lounge).