If you live in Chicago, Milwaukee is an hour and a half ride north, a straight shot on I-94, past Gurnee Mills and Six Flags. The first time I took a day trip to Milwaukee was Mother's Day 2011. My son was home from some far-flung travel of his and staying with me for a few days. I got up that morning and spontaneously said, "Why don't we go to Milwaukee for the day?" What a great day it was too. Lucky for us, after days of grey and gloomy weather, we got a bright sunny day, so we took our phones with their GPS capability, programmed the Milwaukee Art Museum and off we went. The building itself sits right on Lake Michigan and the architecture is amazing; it kind of looks like a big boat with wings. The wings open at 10 am, noon, and at 5, they close for the night. You can stand in a glass solarium and watch the wings open; an event I've missed so far... next trip for sure. Since then, I've returned on a couple of occasions for different exhibitions. (I've been there more than the Art Institute right in Chicago during the same time frame!)
I've taken the tour of the home of Milwaukee's pioneer brewing family (and 5 archbishops), Captain Frederick Pabst, which has been restored to it's original splendor. I've visited the Harley Davidson museum, and last summer I took a boat ride on Lake Michigan.
What I love about Milwaukee is that it's like a ghost town on the week-ends. You can drive and park ANYWHERE, and their parking prices are not nearly as ridiculously high as Chicago's.
I have gone up there and shopped their antique and thrift stores. Into cheese? I stopped at a Cheese Castle on the way home one visit that was pretty pricey but offered lots of goodies. I think whatever your interests are, Milwaukee makes a fun, easy, fast getaway; try it!
No comments:
Post a Comment