Milwaukee

The beer city on Lake Michigan, drawing visitors with the Harley-Davidson Museum, the wing-like Milwaukee Art Museum and Summerfest.

Milwaukee lies in southeastern Wisconsin on the western shore of Lake Michigan, about 140 km north of Chicago, and is Wisconsin's largest city. In the 19th century, waves of German immigrants opened breweries here, and brands like Pabst, Schlitz and Miller earned it the nickname "Brew City"; Harley-Davidson motorcycles were born here too. The city has four distinct seasons, with bitterly cold, snowy winters; June–September is the best time to visit, when the lakefront Henry Maier Festival Park hosts a music or ethnic festival almost every weekend, including Summerfest in late June to early July, one of the largest music festivals in the world.

The main sights cluster along the lakefront and downtown: by the lake are the Milwaukee Art Museum, designed by Santiago Calatrava with a sunscreen that opens and closes like wings, Discovery World and Lakeshore State Park; to the west are the Historic Third Ward's red-brick warehouse district, the Milwaukee Public Market and the RiverWalk running through downtown, past the Bronze Fonz statue and City Hall; the Menomonee Valley is home to the Harley-Davidson Museum; to the north are craft breweries and Brady Street, and farther east are Lake Park and the North Point Lighthouse. On the west side are the Miller brewery, the Milwaukee County Zoo and the Mitchell Park Domes, and sports fans can catch the NBA's Bucks or baseball's Brewers.

Getting there: Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is about 12 km from downtown, or take Amtrak's Hiawatha from Chicago in about 1.5 hours. Downtown has The Hop, a free streetcar; for other sights, rely on buses or taxis, though driving is most convenient. Plan on 2–3 days. You must be 21 or older and carry ID to drink on brewery tours; the Domes have closed for repairs at times in recent years, so check before you go.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries