A plan for Milwaukee

History and culture

Milwaukee's human history begins with American Indian people who lived near the confluence of Milwaukee's three rivers into Lake Michigan for centuries. Tribes who inhabited the area that is now Milwaukee included Menominee, Fox, Mascouten, Sauk, and Potawatomi. With the arrival of Europeans and an increasing population, large and often violent divides become more prominent. These settlers built three dueling settlements, Juneautown, Kilbourntown, and Walker's Point, around what is now Downtown. The two former communities were extremely competitive and created two non-aligning street grids. This is why 1st Street is west of the Milwaukee River and many of the city's bridges cross the river diagonally (connecting the two grids).

Milwaukee has historically been a major immigrant city. During the early 20th century, German and Polish immigrants tended to dominate. The city still strongly identifies with its German and Polish heritage. For part of the early 20th-century German was even the main language of the city, and German names are still very common.

As waves of immigrants arrived in Milwaukee they tended (and tend) to form communities in specific areas. The Near North and Northwest sides used to be German, but are now mainly African American with Hmong enclaves. The Near South side used to be Polish but is now mainly Mexican. Juneautown was mainly settled by English immigrants and people from the eastern United States.

In the 1960s and 70s many white Milwaukeeans moved to the suburbs ("white flight") creating a large racial and socio-economic divide between the city and suburbs. Today the city remains highly segregated with low rates of social and economic mobility for African Americans.

Milwaukee is home to some instantly recognized corporations such as Miller Brewing and Harley Davidson. Harley holds an enormous celebration on every fifth anniversary. The 120th anniversary was celebrated in August 2023.

1 US Bank Center, 777 E Wisconsin Ave (between Van Buren and Cass Sts), ☏ +1 414-765-4460. Built in 1973, is the tallest building in the state at 42 stories. Bud Selig, the commissioner of Major League Baseball and former owner of the Brewers has an office inside.

2 Hoan Bridge, I-794. The Hoan Bridge is one of the most recognizable Milwaukee landmarks. It is a tied arch bridge suspended over the port of Milwaukee on the Milwaukee River. It's part of I-794 that leads into downtown.

3 Pabst Brewery Complex (between N 9th St, W Winnebago St, W Highland Ave, and I-43). The former brewery sits on the north east side of downtown, adjacent to the Milwaukee County Courthouse and overlooking I-43. It contains many wonderful "old world" style buildings. Though the brewery is no longer in operation it remains an icon of the city. It is being renovated and re-developed for condos, offices, and restaurants.

4 Pabst Mansion, 2000 W Wisconsin Ave (just W of the Marquette campus, bus 10 and 30 from Downtown), ☏ +1 414-931-0808, info@pabstmansion.com. Mon-Sat 10AM-4PM, Sun noon-4PM. In 1892, the Flemish Renaissance Revival Mansion of Captain Frederick Pabst, world famous beer baron, accomplished sea captain, real estate developer, philanthropist and patron of the arts, was completed. From the day the house was inhabited, it was considered the jewel of Milwaukee's famous avenue of mansions called Grand Avenue and represented the epitome of America's Gilded Age Splendor in Milwaukee. Adult $14; senior, college student, or military $12; child (6-15) $8; child under 6 free. (updated Aug 2020)

5 Mitchell Park Domes Horticulture Conservatory (The Domes), 524 S Layton Blvd (S Layton Blvd and W Pierce St, buses 19 and 27), ☏ +1 414-395-1922. Mon-Fri 9AM 5PM, Sat-Sun 9AM-4PM. One of the city's most recognizable landmarks. The three huge glass domes serve as the city's horticultural gardens, and house a desert habitat, rainforest, and varying themed exhibits. Adult (age 18 to 59) $10, free parking.

Breweries

Breweries are integral to Milwaukee's image. Although the number of large scale operations has dwindled in the last decade, the nickname "the Brew City" still rings true, and microbreweries are booming. In several spots around the city, the smell of yeast from the beer factories is quite strong. Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest breweries: Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller. For many years it was the number one beer producing city in the world. Of those four only Miller remains.

1 Miller Brewing Company, 4251 W. State St, ☏ +1 414-931-2337. Miller Brewing Company offers excellent tours and also has a visitor's center at its gigantic brewing complex on Milwaukee's west side. Miller and Coors have merged operate the brewery jointly but the tour is still based around the historic Miller operation. The tour begins with a short video of famous Miller commercials, continues to the original brewery to demonstrate the growth and progress of the company, and finishes at a pub for a little beer-tasting. Call or go to their website to set up a tour. (updated Apr 2022)

2 Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, 917 W. Juneau Ave, ☏ +1 414-223-4709. Gift Shop: Mon 11AM-5PM, Thu 1PM-5PM, Fr 11AM-6PM, Sat 10:30AM-6PM, Sun 10:30AM-4PM. Tours: Mon noon, 2PM & 4PM; Thu 2PM & 4PM; Fri noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM & 4PM; Sat 11AM, noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM & 4PM; Sun 11AM, 1PM & 3PM. While the company is long gone, a new tavern, reserveable hall, and a giftshop are open on the site. Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, the former Pabst Corporate Offices & Visitor's Center, is a Certified Historic Structure on the National Register of Historic Places. Tours: $12 adults; $10 seniors (60+), military & students with ID; children 12 & under are free. (updated Apr 2022)

3 Sprecher Brewery (maker of beer, root beer, and sodas), 701 Glendale Ave, Glendale, WI, ☏ +1 414-964-2739. A well-respected local brewery on the North Side. Known for making the largest variety of beers of any local brewery. They offer tours, tastings included. The sodas are popular as well: the kids and non-drinkers will get plenty out of this tour. Make sure to look for their root beer at local businesses.

With its immigrant heritage, Milwaukee is a major restaurant city. Good local restaurants serve almost every kind of food imaginable, usually quite cheaply. Different neighborhoods have different specialities when it comes to food.

Old World Third St along (and just west of) the Milwaukee River provides a richer variety of restaurants and also many of the more upscale restaurants (and clubs) in town. Traditional Germanic and Mediterranean foods are the highlights.

Milwaukee St, between Wisconsin and Wells Sts., offers many trendy and top rated restaurants in the city as well as an upscale nightlife for the after dinner drink.

The east side also has many nice restaurants, bakeries, and cafes. Most places are clustered on Farwell, North, or Brady Streets.

The Fifth Ward and South Side contain many different authentic and cheap Mexican and Latin American restaurants.

Bay View has a variety of different kinds of places, especially with regards to "hip" comfort food.

Budget

1 Apollo Cafe, 1310 E Brady St, ☏ +1 414-272-2233. Sun-Thu 11AM-10PM, Fri Sat 11AM-3AM. Serves authentic Greek food the whole family can enjoy. A variety of healthy yet tasty food, it'll make you wonder why these sorts of food aren't more popular. (updated May 2016)

2 Conejito's Place, 539 West Virginia St. (on 6th St just N of National Ave), ☏ +1 414-278-9106, tommiller@steakhouse100.com. Daily 11AM-8PM. The best place to eat Mexican food on a budget in Milwaukee is here. Food and drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is one of the best in the city as far as Mexican restaurants go. under $10.

3 Zaffiro's, 1724 N Farwell Ave. Great old-fashioned pizza place that hasn't been changed in decades. Has a bar, too. under $10.

George Webb's (Three locations). most 24 hr. A scuzzy, cheap local diner chain, known for the two clocks next to each other in each restaurant (usually unsynchronized). The food isn't great, but its unbelieveably cheap and the mix of people is usually an experience in itself. The greenish chicken-flavored soup is strangely popular. under $10.

4 George Webb's, 812 North Old World 3rd St., ☏ +1 414-278-0225. (updated Apr 2022)

Cafes

Milwaukee has a strong culture with a large number of unique local places despite the onslaught of Starbucks. Some are open late, until midnight or so.

1 Rochambo, 1317 E Brady St, ☏ +1 414-291-0095. Mon-Fri 7AM-midnight, Sat 8AM-midnight, Sun 9AM-midnight. A popular down-to-earth teahouse in a great old house. Spills out onto busy Brady Street during the summer. Full drink selection as well. (updated Jul 2015)

2 Hi-Fi Cafe, 2640 S Kinnickinnic Ave (Bus 15), ☏ +1 414-486-0504. Mon-Sat 8AM-10PM, Sun 9AM-10PM. A great retro coffee shop in Bayview. Its cheap and they have beer and basic meals, too. (updated Oct 2021)

Roasters

3 Alderaan Coffee, 1560 N Water St, ☏ +1 414-395-9955. Mon–Fri 6AM-6PM, Sat Sun 7AM-6PM. A cool spot for gourmet coffee with a rotating selection of different pour-over options. They also have homemade granola, yogurt, and pastries. (updated Jan 2018)

4 Anodyne, 2920 S Kinnickinnic Ave (Bus 15), ☏ +1 414-489-0765. Mon-Fri 6:30AM-9PM, Sat Sun 7:30AM-9PM. A great small local roaster in Bayview, enjoy the coffee on-site. Their coffee is also used at Brewed on Brady St.

Colectivo, Several cafes. The local roaster. Huge variety and creativity, normally very fresh and carefully roasted. Cafes in the 5th Ward, Downtown, East Side and Riverwest, also at the Airport before security or in concourse C or D. The Humboldt Blvd location is where they roast the beans, which takes place in the same room as the cafe.

Stone Creek, Several cafes. The other roaster. Also very good and with a wide variety of coffees and cafe locations including Bay View and Downtown.

Getting around in Milwaukee is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the city, including most of the suburbs, starting roughly where the Milwaukee and Menominee rivers meet. All numbered streets run north-south, increasing in number as you head west from 1st Street. Most named streets go east-west, with the notable exception of streets east of 1st St. Standard blocks are 1/8th of a mile long north to south, and 1/16th of a mile east to west.

By public transit

Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS)

Milwaukee's bus system, MCTS, has an extensive coverage area (85% of Milwaukee County) and core routes with very frequent service. Outlying suburbs have shorter hours, slower and less-frequent service. Express buses called "UBuses" offer service to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. MCTS also serves Mitchell International Airport with both a local bus and a new, more express route; see Get In for details. Most routes run from about 5AM until at least midnight.

Fares:

Single trips cost $2.75 (July 2026). For visitors, the easiest way to pay is with contactless card, phone, or smartwatch wallets or the Umo app. MCTS also has a contactless smart card known as the WisGo card that allows you to load stored value. There is a one-time fee of $2 to purchase a WisGo card, which can be purchased online or at 120 sales outlets in Milwaukee County; they are not sold by bus drivers. The Umo app and WisGo card can also be used on the Waukesha Metro, which has connections to MCTS, but not contactless payments.

At the stops for Connect 1, a bus rapid transit (BRT) line from downtown Milwaukee to the regional medical center in Wauwatosa, there are ticket vending machines. While they are intended for use on that route, they print tickets that are valid on any route for 90 minutes. The machines accept cash (exact change only) and card payments.

Milwaukee, like all major American cities, has a relatively high crime rate. Since most crime is concentrated in specific poorer areas, the majority of the city is perfectly safe. Though virtually all tourist destinations in and around Milwaukee are safe and accessible during the day and night, common sense should always apply. Like anywhere else, it helps to be aware of your surroundings. As in most American cities, dangerous neighborhoods tend to be very run down.

The areas of Milwaukee along the lakeshore (also where most attractions are) tend to be the safest.

The west and south sides of Milwaukee also offer interesting tourist opportunities that include Milwaukee's famous Basilica and Frank Lloyd Wright's Greek Orthodox church. Crime can happen anywhere; don't let geographic stereotypes dictate your travels.

The area bounded by I-43 on the east, Capitol Dr on the north, North Ave on the south and Sherman Blvd on the west contains some of the poorest areas of the city and is especially dangerous. The Near South Side also has serious gang-related crime problems but is fine during the day, especially along the main commercial streets.