Last summer we headed West to visit Courtney’s awesome cousin Kelsey and to watch more Braves baseball. We were only in Milwaukee a few days, but we made the most of it. Books, beer, bobbleheads and baseball? What more could you ask for?
Our first day in town, Kelsey and her husband took us on a little tour of the city. One of our first stops was to check out one of our favorite places: a bookstore. Boswell Book Company is a local bookstore with a huge selection of books and a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. This is actually the location where the author duo Juneau Black met. We found a few great Milwaukee-themed kid’s books and had a great conversation with one of the employees about the Braves’ history in Milwaukee. We walked out with a few new books, wishing we had more local bookshops near us.
The day we arrived in town, there happened to be a beer festival taking place at Heidelberg Park. Court- There were a lot of great beers at this beer fest. There were quite a few local breweries present with 3-5 beers each. Almost every brewery had several kinds of beers to offer something for everyone, which was great. We tried a lot of great sours and lagers. Mal- My favorite was a sangria made with a sour beer.
We also took a stroll down the River Walk, which of course included a stop at the famous Fonzie statue. Heey!
It wouldn’t be a trip to Milwaukee without a visit to Milwaukee Public Market. With many vendors offering everything from ready to eat food, to groceries, to flowers, to Milwaukee merch, you can find something you need here. We grabbed coffee and lunch from the market multiple times (more on that below). We would definitely recommend making time to stop here.
The weekend we were in town also happened to be the weekend of the Milwaukee Pride Parade. We ubered downtown to check it out and, though it did rain the entire time, we enjoyed this colorful and celebratory event.
Our third day, we decided to take a stroll along Lake Michigan, our end destination being the Milwaukee Art Museum. We spent several hours here, taking in various mediums of art, including those by the likes of Andy Warhall and Picasso. Even the outside of the building is its own art piece, moving to spread and close its wings as the day progresses. This is a must do if you enjoy art (or maybe even if you don’t). Tickets are $27 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. Kids under 12 are free. The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so plan accordingly.
And, of course, we had to catch a few Braves/Brewers games at American Family Field. The stadium was nice and did have a retractable roof, great for bad weather. They have a team museum, but it was closed for renovations when were were there. We enjoyed the custard and cheese curds, which were both very tasty. And the Braves won, so that made it even better!
Several places offer shuttles to the games, including Kelly’s bar. To take the shuttle, you just had to order a drink from the bar that you could then take on the shuttle. It is a short ride so make sure you allow yourself time to finish your drink (or you may end up chugging vodka…eek). The shuttle does come back to pick you up after the game and we just happened to find ourself on the ‘party bus’ with karaoke as our entertainment on the ride back.
We couldn’t very well visit Brew City without going to at least one brewery. Upon recommendations, we chose to schedule a tour at Lakefront Brewing. Our tour guide (George?) was funny and informative. The tour was 45 minutes long and took you through the brewing process and to where beer is canned. It also featured a Laverne and Shirley sing-a-long.
The tour was $14 per person and included 4 beer tickets and a souvenir glass. This is well worth it, even if you don’t drink all of the beers.
When we learned of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum, we knew it was something we had to see. With thousands of bobbleheads, this is the largest known collection in the world. They have almost anything you could think of, from sports to movies to Joe Exotic. If you find Waldo, you win a prize. Tickets are only $6, so it was a pretty neat thing to see.
Food & Drinks
We had a lot of delicious food and drinks in Milwaukee. Here is a rundown of where we ate/bought iced coffee.
Conela Cafe– for brunch – Mal- I had the eggs benedict w/ chicken chorizo, smashed avocado, chipotle hollandaise sauce with fried potatoes. Very tasty. Court- I had the Big Boss Burrito which was very similar to Mal’s dish, just in Burrito format.
Vagabond– dinner- Mal- I had a spicy shrimp taco and steak taco. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. Court- I had a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto Taco and a Greek Freak Taco. Both tacos had a lot of meat and toppings and were delicious. We shared a pitcher of strawberry margaritas between the four of us and they were very refreshing.
Blue Egg– breakfast- We both had a Bananas Foster Latte (strange but not bad) plus shared blueberry pancakes and loaded hash browns with bacon, caramelized onions and cheese. The food was amazing.
Eagle Park Brewing-dinner- Mal- I had the Buffalo chicken wrap with blue cheese crumbles, sweet potato chops and a vodka cran. All good. Court- I had the chipotle chicken wrap with parmesan fries, seltzer flight with the Spekto Kooler Cabo Kooler and Purple Saurus Rex. We shared the brussels, which were fried and battered. Healthy? Probably not. Delicious? Yes.
Foltz Family Market (inside Third Ward)- lunch- Mal- We both did the soup and sandwich combo. I had the Italian panini and philly chowder. This was one of my favorite meals of the trip. Court- I also had the Italian panini, but I opted for the carrot ginger soup. It was spicy but warming and good.
Uncle Wolfies– brunch- Mal- I had a honey latte and the chorizo and sweet potato bowl with avocado, pico, crema, peppers and and egg (I did not love the crema, but I don’t love most crema to be fair). We also split a Jack cake (which is a pancake that tastes like cornbread). This was probably our favorite of the brunch spots we visited. Court- I had the Wolfie’s Breakfast Poutine and it was delicious. Definitely a fav!
Collectivo Coffee– breakfast-Mal- I had the pistachio matcha latte (very good). We shared the avo toast with egg and a blueberry parfait. The toast was excellent. Court- I am not sure what drink I got, but I know it was gone before we left the shop, so it was good. The location was beautiful and is a great place for a brief break or a to hang out for a while.
Likewise– coffee- Mal- I had the honey, rosemary and pollen latte. It was strange, but probably my favorite coffee of the trip. Court- I had the same latte and echo Mal. It was definitely the best coffee of the trip.
Discourse Coffee– coffee- This hipster shop might take itself a bit too seriously, but the coffee was quite good. Mal- I had the Moonwater; honey, cinnamon, pepper and sea salt latte. Court- I had the Damn Fine Cup of Coffee, which was a seasonal drink in an Homage to David Lynch as apparently this is a line from Twin Peaks. The iced coffee had brown butter, a damn fine pie syrup, saline (did we mention they take themselves too seriously?), damn fine bitters, and a little cherry and tart thing on top. It was good, but do not go to this spot if you don’t have a lot of time to wait on your drink. It is an experience, not a quick coffee shop.
All in all, we had a great time in Milwaukee. Definitely don’t skip this city on your travels.
Our McTravels 