heading to milwaukee??
 

okay, i live in atlanta and love to take cold trips in november / december. thinking about going to milwaukee area. any suggestions on places to go, things to see, etc. is there enough to do that time of year?

Milwaukee has typical small-town things: malls, breweries and a river-walk area. I would suggest staying in Chicago for winter fun where there's always plenty to do for every taste, and maybe renting a car for a short daytrip to Milwaukee to see for yourself without sacrificing too much of your time.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is excellent with a great lake front location. There's also a Milwaukee History museum downtown.

"small town"??? I live in a small town and we have nothing like a riverwalk or brewery.

Chicago has its appeal, I guess, but Milwaukee has the same essentials for a LOT less $$. Great town on a great lake with lots of diversity in neighborhoods, dining options and top notch museums.
Milwaukee has a lot of work to do on the mass transit picture but it's become very walkable.
Another option for a late fall fun spot is Madison.

Hi riddlekitty,

How fun!

I live halfway b'tween Milw & Chicago & love both cities.

One of my fav's in the winter, though, is Door County, WI... another 3-4 hours north of Milw... wonderful spot for a great time... check into it, depending on what you're looking for.

I am from Milwaukee. You can send me a private message if you'd like. Are you the only one going? I'll need a little more info...

Message: "small town"??? I live in a small town and we have nothing like a riverwalk or brewery.

Jette, sorry--I meant to write compact city. I LOVE Milwaukee. Since moving to Chicago a few years ago from DC, I have had a great deal of fun in Wis., at Summerfest, the breweries and sausage festivals (brats)... I was just saying that in the middle of winter, when riddlekitty wants to go, you have to admit, the city kind of empties out at night unless there's a concert or another event.

Milwaukee is a great summer town with the various festivals, the beautiful lake front drive and beaches, free concerts in the vast park system, great golf courses, fabulous restaurants and the riverwalk cafes.

In winter, the fests are over but you can still walk along the lake front, vist the wonderful museums, the Mitchell Park Domes and enjoy the fabulous restaurants. Plus you can ski within twenty-five miles of the city.

I agree that the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee Public Museum are worth a stop. There are other, smaller museums with changing exhibits.

In November, there is an International Folk Festival the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Thanks for all the info. Are there any holiday events usually? And just how cold does it get in during the fall months. (I live in Georgia and it rarely gets below 30) We never see snow and if we even get 1/2 an inch, the city just shuts down! Is there much snow action that time of year?

You >could< get some serious snow at that time of the year, it's just not as likely as, say, January. Like most US weather: really hard to call. I spent more than my lst half century in Chicago -in the city - and it's a great city. But we also find Milwaukee very enjoyable - less congested, more do-able. Good restaurants. If you go, check out Coquette, a neighborhood bistro with really good prices and really good food. (Owners also run a highly praised, much pricier place). I'm sure that beginning around T'giving, you're going to encounter a range of "holiday" things to do. Also, loding, compared to Chicago, is a hoot. We've pricelined a Marriott in downtown Milwaukee for $45 - as good as P'line gets in Chicago, that's not too all that likely a deal.

You'd probably need a car from downtown, but the Milwaukee Zoo and Botanical Gardens (separate) would both be fun winter visits.

Thanks arjay! Really appreciate all the feedback. Looks like a nice, cool, friendly place to visit - Looking forward to it.

The average annual snowfall in Milwaukee is 47 inches. It's rare, but not impossible, to have snow ion November. On recent year, we had all that snowfall in December, but that's rare, too.

There is a B&B called the County Clare that has an Irish pub/restaurant that is wonderful and room rates aren't too bad either for Milwaukee's east side. It's within a couple blocks of Lake Michigan. The nicest hotel is the Pfister right on Wisconsin Ave. a few blocks from the lake. At Christmas time the downtown bldgs and parks are decorated with lights and there is an outdoor ice rink...but I forgot which park they have that in. To the north of the downtown, which Milwaukeeans call the "fashionable east side" and up through the lakefront suburbs like Whitefish Bay there are beautiful old homes that are often very nicely decorated for Christmas.

Just north of Milwaukee is Holy Hill and the village of Cedarburg that are nice quaint little places to visit. To the southeast is Lake Geneva which is very beautiful also. All these are within an hour of downtown.

As for snow, well, you might find it but we haven't had a lot of snow in the last 10 yrs or so. We used to have lots more. My kids get to go sledding about a handful of time per year. We did that all winter long when I was a kid.

Fall is often our nicest time of the year but it can get cold and even an occasionaly snow flurry as early as October.

www.onmilwaukee.com is probably the best reference for calendar of events for whenever you decide to come.

This is an FYI that may or may not matter to you.

The weekend before Thanksgiving is opening deer hunting in WI. You will be hard pressed to find many males around town if that is of importance to you. On the other hand, there are lots of "ladies night out" things happening. On Sunday you will see a significant number of hunters with their bounty on the roads.

I do not want to start any debates here. This is a fact of life in WI at this time of year. As others have said, snow would be rare in Southern WI but common in Northern WI.

Again, thanks for all the feedback. Sounds great! Been checking out possible side-trips too. Areas near Madison - New Glarus sounds really cool. The quaint, German/Scandinavian cities are of special interest to me. Is there any holiday activities around that area?
Sounds like a lot of things close up in October - I would still like to check it out around Nov/Dec.

Beer, Brats, Potato Salad and warm Apple Pie! Fond du Lac is pretty cool. Cheese and Apples! Ah to see the farms of Wisconsin.

To order info from the WI Dept of Tourism, here's the web address...

http://www.travelwisconsin.com/

Right now it's pretty much all summer stuff but it you wait til fall, you'll find more winter/Christmas info.

I grew up in Milwaukee and have to say that I will never go back!

Mceranowski--You're the only one here telling the truth! Lucky you for leaving. I moved here from out of state and can't wait to move out. Summer is nice enough with the lakes, but in the winter it is a vast wasteland with NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING to do.
It would be interesting to see for a weekend, and that is the extent of it. The only reason someone might enjoy it is if they have nothing else to compare it to. There are so many other places in the country and the world so much more worthwhile to see.
Not only is there NOTHING to do in Milwaukee in the winter, but it is also ugly, grey, flat and depressing-- tons of high voltage wires are evem more visible this time of year, and there are water towers over every town---usually with the name of the town full blown written on the bubble--as tacky as can be. The prices to eat at nice restaurants are a joke--they charge New York prices for half the quality. In fact, in New York you can find MUCH better meals for half the price.
Sorry, I really could go on and on with so much more, but enough venting....I just would hate to see someone come here this time of year when they can actually spend their time and money in an enjoyable place. As I said in your other thread, if you want a nice winter place, go to Colorado, or how about Vermont for a real New England feel. Charming, lots of antique shops, country inns, rivers, mountains, and beauty.
Good luck whatever you do and sorry for putting the damper on Milwaukee but I didn't think it fair to sugar coat a place with no sugar.