FAMILY-FRIENDLY GREATER MILWAUKEE
Milwaukee is a city full of opportunities for families to explore, learn, and discover—together!
An abundance of outdoor activities, an impressive arts and culture scene and unique
attractions guarantee that there’s plenty to keep everyone engaged.
INDOOR
Both kids and adults love to play at Bounce Milwaukee! Laser tag, rock climbing and
inflatable obstacle courses offer huge fun for everyone. Relax and refresh in our restaurant
and bar with fresh made, locally sourced food and drinks. Private parties, special events and
meeting space available. www.bouncemilwaukee.com
*CMP Tactical Lazer Tag - Defuse bombs, capture zones, plan bank heists and assassinate
enemy generals all while armed with precise metal equipment. We ripped the experience
straight out of the video games you know and love and put it into a multistory cityscape
arena. Hour and a half experience. Walk-ins welcome. www.cmptactical.com
*Escape Chambers MKE is Milwaukee's premier live escape room experience. Like a scene
straight out of National Treasure, DaVinci Code or Saw, our scenarios will bend your mind and
challenge your wits, as you attempt to escape within the 60 minute time limit. Can you
escape? Prove it! www.escapechambers.com
*Evolution Milwaukee is a high energy bar and restaurant with a table tennis theme located
in Milwaukee’s Westown. EVO houses two modern bars, three private rooms and 12 table
tennis courts. The perfect venue for work outings, private parties, weddings and more!
www.evolutionmke.com
First Stage Children’s Theatre is renowned as the premier children’s theater in
southeastern Wisconsin. Since 1987, First Stage has been entertaining families with more than
300 performances every year. It is the second largest theatre company in Milwaukee and
draws annual audiences of more than 145,000 people. www.firststage.org
JB’s on 41 is Milwaukee's premier bowling center, affordable family fun-35 lanes, arcade
game center, full service restaurant/bar, outdoor volleyball courts, private bowling area for
parties and corporate events. Minutes from downtown and close to airport. www.jbson41.com
Milwaukee Public Market beckons with delicious sights, tastes, and smells! Weekends mark
the time for food demonstrations done by fellow vendors, which allow visitors to enjoy the
flavor of authentic Wisconsin products. Fun for the whole family, the market has a lively
atmosphere to make the experience worthwhile. www.milwaukeepublicmarket.org
Strap on your ice skates and “glide” in the footsteps of Olympic greats at the Pettit National
Ice Center. The Pettit is an official U.S. Olympic training facility, boasting one of only 12
indoor 400-meter oval rinks in the world. The ice center also offers two full-size international
hockey rinks and a Hall of Fame lounge overlooking the ice arena. It was the first facility to
house speed skating, hockey and figure skating under one roof. www.thepettit.com
A must for any pizza lover is a stop at Palermo’s Pizza. Just relax and enjoy the authentic
tastes of Italy or take a tour of the factory to find out just how the first pizzeria style pizza
with a crust that rises in your oven as it bakes is made. Either way, you’ll quickly discover how
Papa Palermo came up with the slogan “Dat’s Da Best!TM” www.palermospizza.com
Kids looking to get acquainted with Milwaukee’s celebrated brewery scene are welcome at the
Sprecher Brewery, home to one of Milwaukee’s most treasured tours. The tour takes you
from the gift shop to the brew house, onto the bottling warehouse and more until you reach
the indoor sampling tent. Here, kids can sample a wide variety of delicious sodas while parents
can enjoy the specialty beer brews. http://www.sprecherbrewery.com/index.php
*Recommended for children over 10 years old.
MUSEUMS
Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is Milwaukee’s only place for hands-on play and interactive
learning, just for kids ten and under and their grown-ups! Established in 1995, the museum is
dedicated to helping children establish good self-esteem, working well with others and
developing fundamental skills. www.bbcmkids.org
Explore the Milwaukee Public Museum, one of the country's best natural history museums.
Travel the globe at exhibits from Asia, Africa, the Arctic, South and Middle America and the
Costa Rican Rainforest! See the world’s largest-known dinosaur skull, stroll among free-flying
butterflies from around the world in the Puelicher Butterfly Wing or transport yourself to 1880s
Milwaukee with gaslit lanes, granite blocks and historic architecture at the newly reimagined
Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit. The museum complex also houses an IMAX Theater and
the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. www.mpm.edu
The Milwaukee Art Museum, considered Wisconsin’s premier arts institution as well as
Milwaukee’s lakefront masterpiece, houses more than 20,000 permanent art pieces. These
collections span antiquity to the present and include works by Monet, Warhol and Picasso, in
addition to one of the largest Georgia O’Keefe collections in the world. Kohl’s Art Generation is
a new collaborative program encouraging creative expression for kids by allowing them to
partake in exciting art projects at the Museum; the best will be chosen and put on display
exclusively at the Museum. www.mam.org
Discovery World connects innovation, science and technology with exploration, environment
and our Great Lakes freshwater resources. The museum features experiential learning through
interactive exhibits, fresh and saltwater aquariums, touch tanks, digital theaters and labs.
During the summer, the inner harbor is home to Wisconsin’s Flagship, the S/V Denis Sullivan,
a 137-foot re-creation of a three-masted Great Lakes schooner and floating classroom. Visitors
can come aboard for a short sail, or an actual voyage to learn how to survive on the Great
Lakes, the Atlantic and the Caribbean. www.discoveryworld.org
Rev up your engines with a trip to the world’s only Harley-Davidson Museum. In addition to
great exhibits including the Engine Room (find out just where that potato, potato sound comes
from) and the Experience Gallery (practically feel the wind on your face as you saddle up on
several different motorcycle models), families will find “The Road Pack” to be too good to pass
up. Available to ticketed museum visitors AT NO CHARGE any day of the week, this back pack
includes four activities for parents and kids to complete while exploring the museum. You can’t
get much more interactive than that! www.harley-davidson.com
The North Point Lighthouse is a historic maritime treasure. This mid-19th century lighthouse
stands tall along the bluff of historic Lake Park, overlooking Lake Michigan. Explore the
keepers quarters, climb to the top of the lighthouse and get a birdseye view of the lake, and
learn about the brave men and women who kept watch over the sometimes treacherous
shoreline. www.northpointlighthouse.org
Located inside General Mitchell International Airport, the Mitchell Gallery of Flight displays
artifacts, memorabilia, photographs and artwork representing the contributions of aviation
pioneers from Milwaukee County and Wisconsin. As a destination for family members, the
changing displays offer a variety of information, education and entertainment.
www.mitchellgallery.org
History and architecture buffs alike will relish The Pabst Mansion, a jewel amidst the urban
backdrop of downtown Milwaukee. The mansion is a testament to Captain Frederick Pabst,
accomplished sea captain and art advocate, offering tours to showcase its elegant original
furnishings, intricate interior craftsmanship and rare stained glass displays.
http://pabstmansion.com/index.html
OUTDOOR
Referred to as “Milwaukee’s Living Museum,” Boerner Botanical Gardens in Whitnall Park
boasts one of the nation’s largest crabapple tree collections. These gardens became the official
test site in 1960 for All America Rose Selections, one of only 23 in the country. Currently, over
550 varieties of rosebushes allow visitors to immerse themselves among striking natural
beauty and wondrous floral aromas. www.boernerbotanicalgardens.org
Gift of Wings offers high-flying fun for the entire family. Situated in the heart of Veteran’s
Park, Gift of Wings has a wide array of kites and gifts related to the spirit of aviation.
www.giftofwings.com
Historic Third Ward, one of Milwaukee’s best-kept secrets, has the highest concentration of
art galleries in the city, an abundance of specialty stores and restaurants, and the Broadway
Theatre Center. The RiverWalk, which stretches from the East Side to the Third Ward, offers a
scenic, energetic walk around this turn-of-the-century warehouse and manufacturing district.
www.historicthirdward.org
Holy Hill is the highest point in southeastern Wisconsin, home to the astonishing Basilica of
the Nature Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians. Surrounded by 435 acres of rural countryside,
the Basilica is a wonder to behold with its towering twin spires, impeccably crafted statues and
unparalleled sense of serenity and spirituality. https://holyhill.com/
Milwaukee County Zoo houses more than 2,500 mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and
reptiles representing more than 300 species across a 200-acre landscape. The Milwaukee
County Zoo is recognized as one of the country’s finest zoological attractions and serves as a
resource to educate, entertain and inspire. Monkey around on Monkey Island or get face-toface with gentle giants at the Miller Brewing Company Giraffe Experience.
www.milwaukeezoo.org
Riveredge Nature Center is a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate people of all
ages about their interrelationships with the earth and its plant and animal life through hand-on
activities and programs. The dense landscape includes 370-acres with over 10 miles of trails,
prairies, ponds and great views of the Milwaukee River. www.riveredgenaturecenter.org
Come face to face with The King of Cool. Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzerelli has taken up permanent
residence along the city’s RiverWalk on the southeast corner of Wells Street in the form of a
bronze statue. Complete with leather jacket and signature double thumbs-up, this life-sized
likeness of the pop culture icon provides a perfect photo opportunity, among many other
brilliant photographic sights that await River-walkers.
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, featured in November 2008 by the Nickelodeon Parents
Connect site as the “Best Place for Family Bonding in Milwaukee,” is located just 15 minutes from
downtown. Schlitz also won an Ideal of Environmental Excellence Award in the education
category “for an organization that educates and teaches the principles and values of sustainability
and environmental stewardship” from Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Inc. Open year-round, it
is a great place to explore 185 acres of untouched natural beauty, and the center’s soaring 60foot observation tower offers a brilliant display you need to see to believe.
www.schlitzauduboncenter.com
The Rock Sports Complex - Baseball, downhill biking, BMX, skiing, snowboarding and snow
tubing; along with numerous entertainment events - featuring the Midwest's first Umbrella Bar
open year round. www.rockcomplex.com
The Urban Ecology Center offers canoe trips for adults and children that provide a riverside
look at downtown and the architectural and ecological features of urban Milwaukee.
www.urbanecologycenter.org
Veterans Park is considered the green gift along Milwaukee’s lakefront. There are plenty of
ways to enjoy this nature-dense wonderland including rollerblading, jogging and biking. On the
south end of the park sits the Milwaukee Art Museum and on the north end you’ll find McKinley
Marina.
Wehr Nature Center offers an opportunity to explore the natural world just minutes from the
city. This “living laboratory’s” hiking trails wind through wetland, oak savanna, prairie and
woodland environments. Enjoy a self-guided tour or join a program led by one of the staff
naturalists. Native wildflowers and a scenic waterfall are among the natural treasures awaiting
visitors. www.countyparks.com
SEASONAL
Edelweiss Cruise Lines - your family will enjoy a custom-design European canal boat cruise
showcasing downtown Milwaukee from a nautical perspective. Their public cruise packages fit
every budget and occasion, while offering lunch, brunch and dinner sightseeing cruises
throughout the summer season. www.edelweissboats.com
Milwaukee celebrates its diversity with a procession of ethnic festivals that last through the
summer and well into the fall. Visitors can enjoy sampling cultures from around the world at
major festivals such as Polish Fest, Festa Italiana, German Fest, Arab World Fest, Irish
Fest, Mexican Fiesta, and Indian Summer all taking place along the lakefront at Henry
Maier Festival Park. The grounds are also home to Summerfest, the world’s largest music
festival. Eleven days of continuous music on 10 ground stages and the 23,000-seat Marcus
Amphitheater offers diverse musical lineups of regional and national entertainment including
everything from classic rock and cool jazz to world music and country.
mkeBOAT - Sightseeing Tours, Party Cruise & Private Charters allows visitors to enjoy
the Milwaukee skyline aboard double decker VISTA KING & VOYAGEUR. The vessel can carry
up to 150 passengers and tours include the scenic Milwaukee skyline, historic lighthouses,
Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin and the world’s largest four-sided clock! www.mkeboat.com
Juneau Park Paddleboats, Inc.- enjoy a relaxing time to slow down the hectic pace of
everyday life with a paddleboat or a hydro-bike ride on the picturesque lagoon along
Milwaukee’s lakefront. www.travelwisconsin.com
Check out the Milwaukee Urban Water Trail. Designated as a National Recreation Trail, this
25-mile “liquid parkway” runs through the urban portions of the city’s three rivers: the
Milwaukee, the Menomonee and the Kinnickinnic. This popular waterway attracts kayakers and
canoeists of all abilities who enjoy the river’s scenic mix of natural areas, low level rapids and
urban landscapes. Access points are located at various parks and dams along the river.
www.mkeriverkeeper.org
Sea Dog Sailing provides a comfortable and relaxing journey aboard “Blue Chip,” a Catalina
34’ sailing yacht. See Milwaukee's scenic shoreline from Lake Michigan. Enjoy a sailing
excursion in the Milwaukee Harbor offering day sails or sunset cruises.
www.seadogsailingmilwaukee.com
Ride the Trolley – Ride free through the City of Milwaukee. Take the trolley to all of
Milwaukee’s favorite spots: East Town, West Town, Water Street, Brady Street, Old World
Third Street, the Historic Third Ward and now the Milwaukee Art Museum. Fun for the whole
family, the travel time to complete the loop is 60 minutes! www.iridetrolley.com
Wisconsin State Fair is the premier fun family event of the summer featuring something for
everyone! Take part in 11 action-packed days filled with agriculture, food, shopping, national
headlining entertainment, and 30 FREE stages of local and national entertainment.
www.wistatefair.com
SPORTS
Milwaukee Admirals show hockey fans that their Milwaukee home is something to be proud
of. The chilly ice sessions let the twenty-four players give action-packed plays that have the
crowd hollering for their defense! www.milwaukeeadmirals.com
Visit the boys of summer at Miller Park, home to the Milwaukee Brewers and the nation’s
only stadium with a fan-shaped convertible roof that allows the team to play rain or shine.
Watch the ever-popular sausage race and take part in one of our most treasured baseball
traditions, tailgating. Be sure to stop by the Kids Zone where activities include batting cages
and clocking pitches. www.millerpark.com or www.brewers.mlb.com
The Milwaukee Bucks bring heat to the basketball court. Additional entertainment for the
Milwaukee Bucks is the Energee! Dance Team, fan-interactive team “Hoop Troop”, and Bango,
the team’s “buck” mascot. www.nba.com/bucks/
Milwaukee WAVE gives an extra kick to Milwaukee’s indoor soccer arena. Testing their skills
at every game the WAVE gives the family a treat as they face off with back and forth games.
Fans will be at the edge of their seat cheering on their favorite soccer players.
www.milwaukeewave.com
DINING
AJ Bombers - P-Nuts, Burgers & Beer! That's the best way to sum up this fun restaurant and
bar, home of the Milwaukee Burger, winner of the Travel Channel's "Food Wars." It's just as
fun to hang here with your friends or bring the kids in for a fun family meal.
www.ajbombers.com
Build-a-Breakfast / Build-a-Burger is a casual dining experience where you're the boss!
Build your own breakfast, build your own burger just the way you like it with fresh 100%
Angus Beef, fresh bakery, seasonal locally grown fruits and vegetables. Friendly staff takes
your order in a fun atmosphere with a full bar. Delivery service. www.bbmilwaukee.com
While visiting the Harley-Davidson Museum, Café Racer is the perfect place to refuel! Serving
pastries and Stone Creek Coffee, custom sandwiches, salads and ice cream. Enjoy free WiFi.
You don't need a museum ticket to visit Cafe Racer! www.h-dmuseum.com
The Chancery is known as the “Family Pub” of Greater Milwaukee, providing a welcoming
atmosphere for diners of all ages. Every Tuesday is “kid’s night”, where the kids are measured
at the door and charged a single penny-per-inch for their meals.
http://www.thechancery.com/
Culver’s began as a simple family-run root-beer stand that quickly skyrocketed in popularity
and is now recognized as a uniquely hospitable, family-centric restaurant chain. Kids have
their own menu that comes with a scoop of Frozen Custard- a staple in the Culvers
experience. http://www.culvers.com/
La Fuente is one of several Mexican restaurants in Milwaukee that genuinely embraces
families with children. With a patient staff of waiters and a noise level perfect for your vocal
children, La Fuente is the place to be for travelers looking to add a little family-friendly
Mexican flavor to their trip. http://ilovelafuente.com/lafuente-home.php
The Milwaukee Ale House has become a staple in Milwaukee’s dynamic dining scene with its
eclectic menu, rollicking live music and specialty brews. Parents will enjoy the specialty house
brews and kids will be enchanted by the patio’s views of the picturesque Milwaukee River. Kids
also eat free on Mondays! http://ale-house.com/
After a long day of fun in the sun at Bradford Beach, kids will go crazy for a stop at
Northpoint Custard. Boasting a menu that features Milwaukee favorites such as char-grilled
burgers, Italian sausage and white cheddar cheese curds, Northpoint’s claim to fame is its oldfashioned creamy, custard. http://www.northpointcustard.com/
Potbelly Sandwich Works - Since 1977, local charm, live music and the "holy grail" of
sandwich specialists serve up "terrific", "cheap", "oven toasted" sandwiches, washed down
with "great shakes & malts." Delivery & catering available. www.potbelly.com
Purple Door Ice Cream - Super-premium, homemade ice cream using many natural, local
ingredients. Our ice cream is made and sold in Milwaukee. Creating a quality, delicious product
while supporting the community and respecting the earth. www.purpledooricecream.com
One of Milwaukee’s best-kept secrets – literally – is the Safe House, perfect for those seeking
an exciting dinner unlike any other. This spy-themed restaurant begs to be explored, with a
truly unique ambiance and cool spy props. Kids have their own menu as well while parents can
enjoy the full-service bar. http://www.safe-house.com/mainmenu.html