How to experience Milwaukee like a local in 2024

The following guest post was posted on the site by my friend Adam stamp. He and his wife are long-time residents of Milwaukee, and since I’ve never been to Milwaukee, I asked him to share some tips for getting around the city.

In my opinion, Milwaukee is underrated. I love it!

Wisconsin’s largest city, just 1.5 hours north of Chicago, is the perfect size: not too small, not too big. It offers great food and drinks, great sports teams, and fun festivals. Plus, it’s affordable. Don’t forget the friendly locals!

I have lived here my whole life and my wife has lived here for 20 years. We have traveled around the world so much that when it came time to put down roots and start a family we could go anywhere. But we chose to return to our hometown of Milwaukee, where there is so much to see.

If you’re wondering how to experience it like a local, here are my insider tips:

1. Stay centered

I highly recommend staying in the city center or in the 3rd arrondissement. This is where most of the popular attractions are located. These hotels may be slightly more expensive than other places, but you’ll save money on transportation since everything is within walking distance.

Here are two hotels I like:

2. Take advantage of free rides

Milwaukee doesn’t have a subway system, but it does have an amazing free streetcar service called Hop, which has many stops downtown and around the Third Ward. Just hop on and off – no tickets or reservations required! Hop operates every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 20 minutes during off-peak hours and weekends. Click here for map and schedule.

Insider information: If you’re going to a sporting event, many bars and restaurants offer free shuttles to American Family Field for Brewer baseball games and concerts, Summerfest Grounds for festivals and concerts, Fiserv Forum for Bucks basketball games, and others around town Activity.

3. Eat like a local

You might think Milwaukee is full of beer and cheese (and there’s no shortage of them), but there’s a lot more to the food scene. Milwaukee has its own (sometimes quirky) food traditions and staples, like butterburgers and frozen custard.

It also has some incredible markets where you can enjoy the best food in the city from many vendors in one place and in a fun and affordable food court atmosphere. Here are two of my favorites:

• Third Street Market Hall – This is a must-visit destination as it offers visitors and locals alike a place to enjoy Milwaukee’s diverse cuisine. Here you’ll find the aforementioned frozen custard, as well as pho, pizza, burgers, artisanal sandwiches, tacos, hot dogs, home-cooked meals, ramen, sushi, tacos, and more at affordable prices.
• milwaukee public market – Located in the historic 3rd Arrondissement, this great market is the perfect place to visit a variety of vendors offering unique products, food and drink pairings. This is a unique place where you can experience the culinary flavors of Milwaukee under one roof and immerse yourself in the local culture while shopping or tasting.

4. Taste local food

There are some foods you need to try but you (perhaps with good reason) can’t find them elsewhere. They’re unique, delicious, and overall pretty affordable!

• Fried cheese curds – Yes, it’s a thing and they’re awesome – order them and thank us later. Lakeside Brewery is our first choice.
• frozen custard – It may look like ice cream, but it’s richer, creamier, and has a few extra ingredients added to it. Corpus is the best place to eat it (and has great burgers) – and is also one of those places where if you don’t go, you haven’t even been to Milwaukee?
• sausage – another Milwaukee staple. No one does it higher than them Pioneer Restaurant In the Bayview neighborhood. It’s known for its amazing homemade sausages, including vegan sausages, many priced under $10.

We’re just focusing on Milwaukee favorites in this list, but foodies who want to delve deeper into the culinary scene may also want to check out our full list Milwaukee’s Best Restaurants.

5. Explore brewing history

While microbreweries aren’t a new trend, Milwaukee has been brewing beer since before it became popular. At one time, it brewed more beer than any city in the world. This history can be seen throughout the town’s breweries, restaurants and bars.

Lakeside Brewery Offering possibly the best brewery tours in the city. It’s a lot more fun than just looking at the shiny tanks and sniffing the pungent cans full of hops. The tour guides are hilarious (some are actually comedians at local clubs) and your tour will include four beer samples. This was the best value trip so far and our personal favorite – plus the beer hall was a lot of fun. These tours are very popular and sell out on weekends, so it is recommended to purchase tickets in advance.

If you want to continue sampling local beers, be sure to check out some of my other favorite Milwaukee breweries:

• Mobb Craft Beer – This brewery offers tours and has a great bar with delicious pizza, as well as really good IPAs and sour beers.
• Eagle Park Brewing Company – They don’t offer tours, but they do have a large selection of unique sour beers.
• Good City Brewing – There are two locations: one in the East End with tours, and one in the city center without tours. But the latter is right across the street from Feather Forum and is a great place to grab a beer before the game.

6. Do affordable activities

There are far more things to do in Milwaukee than we can cover on this page, but we’ve narrowed it down to focus on must-do and budget-friendly options (some are even free!):

• bradford beach – This is a beach park on the shores of Lake Michigan. Bring a towel and go swimming, join a game of beach volleyball, or enjoy custard at MooSa’s or lunch at The Dock Waterfront Bar & Grill.
• Stroll the Milwaukee Riverwalk – Experience the heart of the city and immerse yourself in its culture. Many of Milwaukee’s best shops and restaurants are located along a three-mile stretch of the Milwaukee River.
• Disc Golf at Milwaukee County Parks – Milwaukee has 11 disc golf courses — Six full exercises ($5) and five short exercises (free).
• Bike along the Oak Leaf Trail – Milwaukee County has more than 135 miles of bike trails, many with beautiful views of Lake Michigan. You can find the route map here.
• Bronze Fonz – Stop to take a photo with the bronze sculpture of Arthur Fonzarelli (aka the Fonz) from “Happy Days,” a sitcom about a 1950s Milwaukee family.
• Indoor Lawn Games at Third Street Market Hall – Enjoy a variety of unique restaurants and free indoor games including giant Jenga, shuffleboard, shuffleboard and a golf simulator. This is a fun place, especially when the weather is bad!

After you’ve browsed through this guide, if you need to fill in any gaps in your itinerary, we’ve got a detailed list that covers them all Milwaukee Attractions.

7. Enjoy free admission days

Some popular attractions in Milwaukee welcome visitors for free on certain days. Checking the calendar can earn you free tickets that would otherwise cost your group hundreds of dollars.

8. Chasing cheap happy hours

For better or worse, Milwaukeeans enjoy happy hour with a beer or three. For an exciting night out in Milwaukee, head where the locals go: find a great happy hour, or head to an affordable dive bar.

• McGillicuddy – $1 taps, $2 craft beers, $4 rails and mixers, and $5 appetizers (Tuesday-Friday, 3-7 p.m.).
• Mo’s Irish Pub – $2.72 draft beers, $5 wine (Tuesday-Thursday 4-6pm, Friday 3-6pm); and free brewery shuttle.
• milwaukee home for boys – Happy hour specials change daily (Monday-Friday 3-6pm).

9. Explore the vibrant public art scene

There are large public art exhibitions in many places around town that you can visit for free. Most of these pieces are located in some of the most interesting and fashionable areas. Here are some of our favorites:

• black cat alley – One of the largest public mural areas is located off North Avenue in the East End neighborhood. In addition to the arts, you’ll find great restaurants, breweries, and artisanal shops.
• sculpture milwaukee – Each year, this city-funded project displays sculptural works by artists from around the world along Wisconsin Avenue. Some are permanent and some are replaced every year, so there’s always something new to see.

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From great food to free days, bratwurst to beer, Milwaukee has plenty to do and see on a budget. Hopefully this list gives you an idea of ​​where to start!

Hannah and Adam Lukaszewicz are full-time travel writers and run this travel website stampdedicated to providing them with first-hand guides to their favorite places around the world. When they’re not traveling the world, you can find them in Milwaukee, where they give an in-depth look at their hometown on their website Milwaukee Insider. You can follow their adventures on Instagram and social media @gettingstamped.