24 Hours In Milwaukee

We arrived in Milwaukee on the Lake Express Ferry in the evening. It had been a scenic ride across Lake Michigan from Muskegon, Michigan.

It was good to be back to in Milwaukee. I had wanted to return for years, and it never worked out. Although this was to be a short trip, I wanted to make it happen.

My friend, Lynn, and I were staying at a most unusual hotel. The Brewhouse Inn & Suites has a long history, going all the way back to 1848. It was a brewery, at one point for Pabst Blue Ribbon. It then became a boutique hotel and was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

The current Brewhouse Inn & Suites opened with a remodel in 2013. It is beautifully laid out, with reminiscent brewery tanks and intricate woodwork throughout.

Although the front entrance to Brewhouse is not accessible, there is a side door I was able to go in with my power chair. It is right next to the parking lot. They also offer valet parking.

We had a large accessible suite with a sitting area and a full kitchen. The bathroom was large enough to move around in the wheelchair, and the shower was easy to navigate with rails and a shower seat. We got settled before heading out to dinner.

Mader’s Restaurant is one of those places that speaks a lot about the city it is in. It has been in to Visit Milwaukee for 120 years. The food is German, a nationality well-represented in this Midwest town, especially in the early 20^th century.

One visit to Mader’s is not enough so I was ready to go back for more and I started it with a crisp German Riesling from Mosel. I am equally fond of German food and wanted to take a “tapas” attitude to try as much as possible.

We started with a giant, fresh from the oven, pretzel, with fried pickles and Weisswurst (a white sausage). It was followed by potato pancakes covered in applesauce and sour cream, spaetzle, and sauteed mushrooms.

Dessert was an easy choice of Apple Strudel, with ice cream, of course. We then headed back to the hotel exhausted from the day, but ready to see more Milwaukee in the morning.

 

Breakfast was at the Brewhouse’s Restaurant, On Tap. My friend, Ryan, came to meet us and we enjoyed chicken & waffles, eggs, and bacon.

The Milwaukee Museum of Art is one of my favorite museums. The building alone, which opens and closes like an airplane, is a design worth seeing. When making a trip here, I always request it on my itinerary.

I was not disappointed.

I’m a fan of Georgia O’Keefe and was excited to see some of the beautiful paintings by her they had, as well as contemporary Roy Lichtenstein. While the museum’s design and many pieces are modern, you’ll still find representation of more classic and ancient art among 30,000 works.

We went up to the roof to catch the 12:00 noon moving of the “wings” of the museum. It was a bit cool out, but worth it. From there you’ll also find a bridge that takes you to downtown.

The entire Milwaukee Museum of Art is extremely accessible with wide hallways, ramps, and elevators. They have wheelchairs available for use at the admissions desk. Although I didn’t bring Teddy on this trip, service animals are welcome.

From the museum, we drove to one of Milwaukee’s most popular spots, the Public Market.

The Public Market was busy and filled with delicious-looking foods. We had a tough time making a decision, but eventually settled on Foltz Wood Fire Pizza & Calzones. Lynn got a Reuben Panini and I went for a Margharita Pizza. Both were fantastic. Before we left, I couldn’t resist a cookie from Adam’s Bakery.

The plan was to go the Harley Davidson Museum after the market, but it was getting late. I had been previously, but it had been a while. It would have to wait until the next, longer, Milwaukee trip.

We finished a wonderful girls’ trip through Michigan and then Milwaukee with a scenic drive home and thoughts where our next adventure might be!

 I was hosted on this trip by Visit Milwaukee but opinions are my own.

Milwaukee Summerfest Finale

I had a full schedule for my final day in Milwaukee and had a new friend to share it with.

It turned out Roberta, who I had met the previous day, and I had a lot in common, including our desire to check out some of the highlights of Milwaukee for the first time.

Roberta picked me up at the Hilton Milwaukee and we took a scenic drive to Lake Park Bistro. It was a quaint restaurant with a view and we both new immediately we’d love the French brunch.

We started with the pastry assortment. It was tough not to finish the Croissants, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, and Blueberry Scones, but I wanted to save room for the rest of the food.

We shared a wonderful beet salad, which had feta cheese, fennel, and pistachios in a red wine vinaigrette.

For a main course, Roberta loved the Crab Eggs Benedict and I was satisfied with my Vegetarian Omelet, though I couldn’t understand why a vegetarian omelet was topped with two thick slices of bacon.

Both dishes at the Lake Park Bistro were served with Dauphinoise Potatoes. They were excellent, but too rich to eat a lot of.

We were too full to order dessert. The waitress still brought us some refreshing fresh fruit sherbets to finish our meal with.

After brunch we went to the Pabst Mansion for a tour. The former home of Captain Frederick Pabst, founder of Pabst Brewing, and his family is a must-see in Milwaukee.

The mansion has been preserved and restored by a local historic preservation group, who took it over in 1975 after it had been sold to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and used as a home for their priests.

The tour is quite complete and includes history of the items as well as the family who originally built it. It’s also safe to say it’s the only historical mansion you can buy a PBR cap in!

When the tour was over, we were off to the Harley-Davidson Museum. 

I confess that I am not a huge motorcycle fan and expected to be in and out quickly, but we found it very interesting with tons to see.

I had never been on a motorcycle in my life. A family friend had been severely injured when I was a kid and I just never had the desire, but it was kind of fun sitting on one that I knew wasn’t going anywhere.

Roberta also enjoyed trying out a few bikes before finding one that was just right.

We ended up spending a few hours learning about the history of yet another Milwaukee family who had become known throughout the world, the Davidsons.

I took some time to head back to my room at the Hilton a bit before Roberta picked me up and dropped me at Summerfest. We said goodbye, knowing we would meet again.

Before I even got inside, there were vendors with food, drinks, and other items. 

I stopped to sample some Cupcake Vineyards wine. I liked their Riesling and Pinot Grigio.

When I was at Summerfest on Friday night, my friend Lisa and I arrived just before the Doobie Brothers concert so I didn’t have a lot of time to explore. We had also just eaten a big meal so food was not on my mind.

This all changed when I arrived on Sunday evening with $40 in food gift certificates from the Milwaukee Convention & Visitors Bureau and an appetite.

I had mixed feelings on the Solo Pizza Cone. Thanks to gravity, the sauce had dropped to the bottom and it was a bit dry on top.  

I heard great things about their Mac & Cheese cone, though.

I enjoyed the King and I Thai Egg Roll, a bargain at $1.75, as were the Potato Chips on a Stick.

The Chicken in a Waffle Cone with maple and cole slaw was delicious, as was the

I finished my food tasting with an amazing dish of Brownie Cascade from Wisconsin’s Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. It was chocolate ice cream with pieces of brownies, caramel cups, and fudge.

Despite the fact that I didn’t finish anything I ate, I was stuffed and the only thing I wanted next was an iced tea (I always get half sweet, half unsweetened), but there were plenty of other eating and drinking options at Summerfest.

Lots of Wisconsin beers had tents selling their products, including Water Street Brewery and Lakefront Brewery.

I also walked around and checked out some of the different stages at Summerfest between food venues. There were 11 stages, each with a different band. It was so wonderfully put together that you didn’t hear any of the music interfering with anything else that was on.

The bands ranged from country to rock, without a little pop and hip hop thrown in.

It was nice to see all the families enjoying the activities, or just picnics along the lake.

I met up with friend and fellow travel writer, KristineHansen and her husband. We had a glass of Yellow Tail Pinot Grigio – it was, after all, mostly a beer festival -- to celebrate the reunion.

We had fun catching up, but they had tickets to the Neil Young concert in the Amphitheater and had to head there.

I had planned on sticking around to see Kansas and Smash Mouth, but decided to head back to the Hilton instead. It had been a long, but wonderful, first trip to Milwaukee – a place I definitely plan on returning to. 

Exploring Milwaukee and Uber Surprise

It was day two in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with my friend Lisa and the day would definitely end much differently than it started. It just goes to show you that you never know what’s going to happen next.

Lisa and I were up early to head to the Milwaukee ArtMuseum. This museum had become as famous for its design as its exhibits. 

The main feature was a set of “wings” that would open at 10:00 am when the museum opened, “flap” at noon, and close when the museum did at 5:00 pm.

While we obviously couldn’t stay all day and watch the wings go, it was quite interesting to watch them open. 

We then went inside and saw the phenomenal exhibits, which included art from Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Dali, and even Andy Warhol. It was fascinating and I hadn’t seen so many of my favorite artists since I was in Vienna.

When we left the Art Museum, Lisa and I decided to take a long walk back downtown to the Milwaukee Public Market. 

We admired a few buildings along the way, but we had worked up quite an appetite and were anxious to see what the Milwaukee market had.

I think it would be easier to say what the market didn’t have.

There seemed to be every food imaginable, though, ironically, the lobster that had been recommended for Lisa to try was the only place that was not open.

We finally decided on a sandwich at Green Kitchen. We asked what their most popular item was and were told it was the #Thirteen, turkey with avocado, sprouts, tomato, Swiss cheese and mayo. It was a good choice.

We figured we’d share it and then look around for something else, but the sandwich was huge.  

We were more than satisfied when we finished it and figured we would come back for some cheeses before heading home from Milwaukee on Monday.

It was at this point that the weekend and the schedule came to a dramatic change. Lisa had an emergency at home and had to leave me, so I put the rest of the day’s activities on hold.

Instead of the original plan of the Harley-Davidson Museum and a brewery, I did some exploring of downtown, finishing up on Old World Third Street, known for its German heritage.

Mader’s Restaurant caught my eye and I decided to go inside. It was very quiet when I got there and the bartender recommended an excellent Gewurztraminer (PJ Valkenberg Rhein).

I decided I should try a few German specialties. Although I wasn’t thrilled with the Pretzel Crostini, I loved the Potato Pancakes. 

Also, a nice couple came in and ordered the Giant Pretzel and gave me a piece to try. It was perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

I took the long way back to the Hilton Milwaukee and took a rest for a bit before I showered and got ready for the evening. 

I was excited about going to the Smyth Restaurant at the Iron Horse Hotel, but disappointed Lisa wasn’t coming with me.

I called for an Uber car and within a few minutes Roberta appeared in front of my hotel. She greeted me with a big smile and we immediately started chatting. 

She told me how she had always wanted to go to the restaurant she was taking me to and I told her that my friend was supposed to come with me and had to leave last minute.

By the time we arrived at the Iron Horse Hotel, Roberta was more like an old friend than a driver. I invited her to join me for dinner. She signed out of her Uber duties and was thrilled to accept!

We took a tour of The Iron Horse Hotel before dinner. I was quite impressed. 

It had a very casual rustic feel, yet it also had a bit of elegance in the presentation and clientele. I definitely could see staying in this transformed warehouse at some point in the future.

The menu at the Smyth looked fantastic and we couldn’t decide what to order. 

I started with a Fleur De Violette Cocktail, made with local Rehorst Gin, Creme de Violette, simple syrup, and topped with rosewater and absinthe. It was very refreshing.

The Mushroom Chevre Cheese Soup was quite refreshing and Roberta, who loves grits, loved them combined with the Pork Belly.

In addition to what we ordered, the chef also sent Cheese Curds (amazing), Rabbit Meatballs, Bison Tartare, and Halibut, so we pretty much sampled everything on the menu! It was a great meal.

Then came dessert. Roberta and I had just took tastes. 

We were so full, but I can say the Blackberry Crumble with vanilla goat crème and the S’Mores were both scrumptious treats.

Roberta drove me back to the hotel after dinner. We had such a great time I asked her if she wanted to join me the next day for brunch and museums. She agreed and we made plans.

You never know where or when you’ll make a new friend. For me, it was in Milwaukee. 

Tasting Through Milwaukee

I had never been to Milwaukee before. I didn’t make it there during my traveling years and I hadn’t been there in the seven years I’ve been living in the Midwest. When I received an invitation to cover one of the biggest music festivals in the world that happened to be in Milwaukee, it didn’t take me long to say, “Yes!”

My friend Lisa, who was living in Green Bay at the time, met me in Milwaukee for a girls’ weekend.

Margaret Casey of Visit Milwaukee picked us up at the Hilton for our first day of tasting and touring.

Our first stop was at Indulgence Chocolatiers. I wish we had a place like this in Champaign.

Julie, the owner of Indulgence, fell in love with the chocolate shops in Europe and decided to open one in Milwaukee. She creates a selection of chocolate truffles, barks, and bars. Then, she pairs them with your choice of white wine, red wine, beer, whiskey, or cheese.

Everything sounded scrumptious and we finally settled on sharing chocolate & cheese and a chocolate and red wine pairings.

It was a great choice and I loved the pairings Julie had come up with. Our favorites were: Petit Nuage cheese with a Citrus Basil Honey Truffle; Riverbend Goat’s Milk cheese with Vanilla Malt Truffle; The Chook Sparkling Shiraz from McLaren Vale, Australia with Raspberry Chipotle Pecan Bar; and a 2012 High Valley Vineyards Cabernet from Lake County with Smoked Cherry and Pine Nut Bark.

We had more than satisfied our sweet tooth when we left Indulgence, but Margaret felt we should at least make a quick stop at PurpleDoor Ice Cream next door, where we fell for their Blackberry Quark and Ginger.

After the ice cream, Margaret drove us around Milwaukee a bit, pointing out some of the hot spots, including the LGBT clubs, historic buildings and Miller, the only major brewery left in a town once known for being a large beer producing area.

We next stopped at Great Lakes Distillery. I had sampled a few of their products before, but I had never been to their distillery to sample everything and I was excited to have the opportunity.

They have a full bar set up with their spirits for both tasting and mixing into cocktails. The spirits did not disappoint. I especially liked the Rehorst Citrus & Honey Vodka, the Rehorst Premium Milwaukee Gin, and Roaring Dan’s Rum.

All of the liqueurs here are made from Wisconsin products in small batches. The Pear Brandy was quite good.

Before we left Great Lakes we met with Founder Guy Rehorst, who gave us a quick tour of the distillery.

Lisa and I went back to the Hilton, where we found a gift basket of all things Milwaukee waiting for us from the tourist board.  

We changed for the evening and Margaret picked us up a little while later.

We headed up to Wolf Peach for dinner. It was on top of a hill with a great view of Milwaukee.

Wolf Peach is all about fresh and locally sourced ingredients and proudly display their vendors on their menu. Because of this, the menu will change with what’s in season and available. While some of the menu items we had may not always be available, we did try to taste some things that appear to be standards on their menu.  

Everything sounded delicious so we each picked a dish or two and decided to share it all.

The Roasted Mushroom Bruschetta was one of my favorites. The mushrooms were meaty and flavorful.              

By the time the pizza – which in itself was a meal – came out we knew we had ordered too much, but it was worth it to at least taste, with goat cheese and fresh peas and mushrooms.

We really didn’t plan on getting dessert, but when the chocolate parfait and lavender ice cream came out we couldn’t help but sample.

We also enjoyed the Crispy Cauliflower, with chickpeas in a paprika seasoning.

After dinner, Lisa and I headed to Summerfest for the first time. We got to hear the Doobie Brothers while sipping drinks on the Harley-Davidson VIP Deck. There were fireworks in the background and it was a pretty great setting to complete the first day in Milwaukee.