I’m just going to use this as an opportunity to shill for my hometown, Milwaukee. Many east coasters I know don’t think to visit the Midwest but it’s a varied region that has a LOT to offer. Here’s a VERY quick rundown of things I think make Milwaukee stand out as a city… a truly underrated city. I tried to keep the list only to things you wouldn’t find in NE.
TL: DR version: there isn’t one… read this and I dare you not to want to visit.
Unique architecture – Milwaukee has done a great job of preserving the old and embracing the new. The city wasn’t as bad with urban renewal and modern population booms as to wipe out the old architecture, but as a modern thriving city has a lot of awesome new architecture to enjoy. We’re talking everything from well preserved Renaissance, Neo-renaissance, Victorian, etc styles to newer designs by modern architects like Santiago Calatrava’s first US project at the Milwaukee art museum and Frank Lloyd Wright.
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Harley Museum – This is NOT a museum that just caters to Harley riders. This is for everyone, especially people who love US industrial history and art. This is a true destination Museum.
Other Museums- The Milwaukee Art Museum has a surprisingly large collection and is home to a world renowned collection of German Expressionism (probably due to the strong German heritage of the city) but also many other 17th-20th central European and American artists and also hosts the highest level of traveling exhibits. But the city has a lot more to offer in the arts and culture as well, including world class orchestra, Opera, top rated traveling shows, etc.
Festivals- Already mentioned here are the festivals. It’s home to the largest music festival in the world, Summerfest. Literally you pay $17 (or some days bring 2 cans of food to get in Free) and you can see any band you want except for the nightly headliner for FREE. It is really ridiculous when you see the lineup that is better than a lot of the big music festivals you may already be familiar with. Beyond that there are cultural fests all spring/summer/fall. Whenever you go, there’s probably some festival going on.
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Sports -7 PGA/WPGA courses in the Milwaukee area including Whistling straights (home of Ryder Cup this year), Erin Hills (US Open 2017), Blackwolf Run, etc.
-Road America – Historical racetrack that hosts Indycar, NASCAR, American LeMans series, AMA Superbike, etc.
-Brewers/Bucks/Marquette -Brewers games are especially unique in that Brewers fans tailgate like southern college football fans. Catch you team playing in Milwaukee, walk around and randomly introduce yourself as an opposing fan on your first trip to the city and I guarantee you’ll be offered food/beverages/and a good light ribbing (maybe not even that). You will make friends, I promise. Miller Park (Now American Familiy Field) is a great park to watch a game too. Modern, comfortable, no bad seats, and a retractable roof if weather is bad.
Food/Beer/Distilleries -From way too many James Beard winners and nominees for a city it’s size to a wide variety of dining options, the food scene punches way above it’s weight… and you can actually get in to places and not take out a mortgage to eat. Beer is obviously central to the city culture and there are a strong number of microbreweries and brew pubs. One thing Milwaukee does great is TRADITIONAL beers. Yes you can find sours and fruity whateveryouwants, but if you appreciate beer as beer, this is the place. And of course you can always visit Miller Brewing too… but only if you’re interested from an industrial/large production point of view.
Water -Water is core to the city. Being right on lake Michigan shores is something you have to experience to understand. It’s like being at the ocean… but with fresh water… except when the weather is calm… or severe. Just trust me. The water can be a beautiful Caribbean turquoise color, or complete clear so you can see down 30 ft… or it can be rough with rollers great for surfing. There’s incredible beaches but you also have a premiere riverwalk downtown. San Antonio’s Riverwalk is like a patio with a water feature compared to Milwaukee’s. You can do boat tours, personal water sports, dinner cruises, sail on a tall ship, etc. And did I mention it’s fresh water? From the beaches to boating, it makes a HUGE difference. There’s also a lot of inland lakes nearby that are great for fishing and water sports without being over crowded (although sometimes the number of FIBs -Our friends from the south/Chicago area- can push that definition).
Milwaukee County Zoo is one of the nations top. Think level of San Diego/Bronx/etc.
Frozen Custard! -It’s like ice cream, but smoother. You don’t generally find good frozen custard outside of Wisconsin. Try it in Milwaukee for the real deal at one of the small local spots.
edit* I'd be remiss if I did not mention the cheese... because you know, Wisconsin. It really is incredible. You may say "Oh, but we can road trip to Vermont! You'd be right, great cheese there... but WI is a whole different level of depth, variety, and world class quality. Just trust me here... hit up the cheese bar downtown.
There’s a lot more to toffer, but like I said I tried to stick to things you can’t find in NE. And if nothing else, after spending a week in Milwaukee, you can always hop the Amtrak to visit that little city an hour and a half to the south for a day or two.
