Weekend Wanderings: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

by Janis on July 16, 2010

9 Fun Things to Do in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, we thought, was all about brats and beer. Turns out, it’s a city for art and foodies. And there’s still plenty of beer, brats, cheese, Friday Night Fish Fries, Harley Davidson and Brewery tours to keep you entertained and fueled in the traditional style.

We visited on a cold weekend in May, and here are 9 fun things we found on our weekend wanderings in Milwaukee.

Watch the “wings” sail at the Milwaukee Art Museum Located on the Lake Michigan waterfront, the Santiago Calatrava-designed museum addition features a wing-like brise soleil which opens to a 217 foot span. You can watch the “wings” open Tuesday -Sunday at 10 am, and again at 12 noon, or close at 5 pm, unless high wind or causes the wings to stay in their folded position. Inside the art museum, there are 20,000 works of art, ranging from antiquities to the present, including an extensive collection of American Folk Art, plus special exhibits, a delicious café and well-stocked gift shop.
Eat terrific Italian food at Zarletti Food like we’ve enjoyed in northern Italy: Osso Bucco, hearty risotto and hand-made rustic pastas, plus a huge wine list for a small restaurant with emphasis on small Italian grower producers. We loved the friendly service and the Wilhelm Walch Pinor Noir from Italy’s Alto Adige region.
Visit the Milwaukee Public Market Patterned after the Seattle Public Market, the Milwaukee Public Market was opened in 1995 in the former Commission Row area of Milwaukee’s Third Ward. More like an endless assortment of restaurants, each with a single focus specialities, this is a great dining choice. The second floor offers table seating to dine on all of our purchases. The Market also showcases a variety of cooking classes in The Madame Kuony Demonstration Kitchen.
Have a wine flight and then buy a bottle of your favorite at Thief Wine Shop & Bar. Our favorite stop in the Public Market, this wine bar offers 30 wines by the taste, glass or flight, and offers plates of accompanying food or allows you to bring food from other market vendors. Across the aisle, the retail store offers more than 500 different wines by the bottle from around the world, and offers a discount if you’ve tasted in the wine bar. The Wine Thief is owned and operated by Sonoma wine country veterans Phil Bilodeau and Aimee Murphy.
Walk, taste & learn on a Milwaukee Food Tour. Theresa Nemetz knows how to make history fun with food and drink samples at six or more restaurant and/or bar stops throughout Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. It’s a walking tour, with history, insider secrets and a progressive dinner. The company also offers tours of Brady Street, the Riverwalk and Old World Third St. and a Bloody Mary Brunch. You won’t leave this tour hungry.
Walk around; you might run into a “Food War” As we were walking around downtown Milwaukee on a Saturday morning in May, we heard screaming and saw signs of a television or movie shoot as we walked by Bar Louie, 1114 N. Water Street. Later in the afternoon, we learned it was the Travel Channel’s “Food Wars”, filming a “Battle of the Burgers” episode with Sobelman’s Pub & Grill and AJ Bombers duking it out for the best burger. The show is supposed to air on the Travel Channel this summer or fall. Walking around Milwaukee, you never know what you might run into.
Don’t forget the cheese, it’s Wisconsin. Sample cheese, beer and wine flights at the Wisconsin Cheese Bar. You can buy your favorite cheeses and sausages in to-go packs next door at the Wisconsin Cheese Mart at 1048 N. Old World Third St.
Engage a friendly bartender like ours at Avenue Lounge in the Doubletree Hotel. Besides sharing all the tips for the best places to see, he explained the Friday Fish Fry, advised of good restaurants, and sold us on Wisconsin’s second largest beer brand. It’s Spotted Cow from New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, WI.
Take a brewery tour: we didn’t have time but our friendly bartender advised that while the Miller Brewery Tour has the best production value, the Lakefront Brewery offers the cheapest tour with the most beer samples.

Have you visited Milwaukee? Or perhaps you live there or spent your summers at festivals there? What’s your favorite Milwaukee discovery? Please share in comments.