Milwaukee: home to the largest music festival in the world, Wisconsin’s biggest city and so much more! If you live in Chicago and never been here, you must make a weekend trip to check it out. You will find plenty to do whether traveling with friends, family or significant other. We had a really great time and would love to come here in fall. Below is your guide on how to spend a weekend in this one-of-a-kind city.
Where to Stay?
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is a must stay when visiting Milwaukee. The hotel is very upscale and bonus point; it has a massive Casino. If you want to feel a smidge of Vegas vibes, you don’t have to go that far :) The hotel is in a prime location with many restaurants and breweries very close by.
What To Do?
As mentioned in the beginning, Milwaukee has the biggest 2-week music festival in the world called Summerfest which usually runs in the beginning of the summer. If you miss that one, there are so many more festivals to attend. Considering our love for beer, we were lucky enough to check out German Fest and it did not disappoint! The food, the music, and the performances were amazing! It is a 3-day festival, where many come dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing and celebrate German heritage. It is hard not to feel German while walking the festival grounds.
List of upcoming festivals for the rest of the summer can be found here!
However these festivals should not be missed:
8/18-8/21- Irish Fest
8/26-8/28- Mexicana Fest
9/24-9/25- Festa Italiana
Where to Eat?
As you all know, Kam and I LOVE food, so we always try to find the best of the best. Luckily, with all the options we had, we could not go wrong. Milwaukee Public Market is THE bomb! With tons of variety of vendors, sky is the limit. It was quite hard to pick one place to try. For dinner, we checked out Sobelman’s and that was a huge win too. The service and food was phenomenal AND they have the craziest styles of Bloody Mary! If that’s up your alley, stop by and give it a try. For breakfast we had some deliciousness from Sweet Diner. Since we arrived on Sunday morning, it was quite busy. However, they have plenty of seating for those who are waiting, so you can easily grab a drink while you wait to be seated.
Locations mentioned:
Milwaukee Public Market 400 N Water St, Milwaukee
Sobelman’s 1900 W St Paul Ave, Milwaukee
Sweet Diner 239 E Chicago St, Milwaukee
Milwaukee Breweries
If you know anything about beer, you know the most famous beer by the name of Miller is brewed right here. However, if you want to try some unique brewskis, we suggest checking out some of the microbreweries. Sprecher Brewery was certainly our favorite! We had our first ever beer tour given by Christian, who had the best raps and made the tour so enjoyable! Also, they are the biggest producer of root beer, so even the kiddos will enjoy this place. Another brewery worth checking out is City Lights Brewing, which is located down the street from the hotel. They also make an interesting twist on hard seltzers along with Coconut Porter which is so yummy! Another stop in our beer journey was Mobcraft Brewery, and let me tell you something, these people know how to party. During our visit, they were celebrating their anniversary with tons of outdoor games, dressed up folks, and the best part: that’s right, wrestling… they had a full-sized outdoor ring! If you are up for some good vibes, make sure to swing by here.
Locations mentioned:
Sprecher Brewery 701 W Glendale, Glendale
City Lights Brewing 2200 W Mt. Vernon, Milwaukee
Mobcraft Beer Brewery 505 S 5th St, Milwaukee
Photo Worthy Spots
If you are ready to fill up your Instagram with some amazing views, look no further and check out these gems. The Milwaukee Art Museum is super cool, but make sure to swing by here before 5pm, because once they close, so do the wings! So wild! Black Cat Alley is certainly for those who love art murals. I was pleasantly surprised that the deer mural is still up! (we were here couple years back and loved how it was done). Another spot that should not be missed, is the Chase Tower mural: how cool is that one! Major props to Carlos Rolon for creating this beauty! Also, if you love light houses, make sure to check out North Point Lighthouse., They were setting up for a wedding during our visit, which I am sure turned out beautifully.
Locations mentioned:
Milwaukee Art Museum 700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee
Black Cat Alley E Ivanhoe Pl, Milwaukee
Chase Tower 111 E Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee
North Point Lighthouse 2650 N Wahl Ave, Milwaukee
Milwaukee being only 90 minutes away from us, is certainly worth spending a weekend in! ESPECIALLY if you live in Chicago. This city is full of life with the night scene, summer festivals, restaurants, and many other activities. Hope this quick Milwaukee guide helps in your planning for a fun getaway!
XoXo, Adri & Kam
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