Question:
What else is there to do in Milwaukee on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon,especially next weekend. Are there any especially worthwile museums,neighborhoods, galleries, etc to check out?
Answer:
I may have missed the beginning of this thread but I hope someonepointed out the 'big' brewery tours -- Miller and Pabst. Pabst is at917 W. Juneau Ave, on the northwest corner of downtown. Their tournumber is (414) 223-3709. Miller is at 4000 W. State street (justnorth of Wisconsin Avenue, the main street). I don't see a number fortheir tours, but they advertise more than Pabst and seem to besomewhat more organized/commercialized about it. Their main officenumber is 931-2000.
Since you expressed interest in museums etc. and beer, let merecommend the Pabst Mansion at 2000 W. Wisconsin. A pretty fun tourof the mansion of the guy who started Pabst, circa 1895. Their numberis 931-0808.
The big museum is the Art Museum at the lake end of Wisconsin avenue.A regular art museum, but some nice collections. The other biggie isthe Milwaukee Public Museum, the kind of regular mixed museum that youalways thought was fun as a kid. 800 W. Wells in downtown, just northof Wisconsin Avenue.
Just south of there on Wisconsin avenue is the Milw. Public Librarywhich contains the Discovery World Museum--a hand-on science andtechnology demo kind of thing. It's more aimed at the kids, but theyhave two technology demonstrations/shows for a buck or two extra, oneabout lightning and electricity where they make some huge arcs on amonster Jacob's Ladder ala Frankenstein movies and other neatelectricty stuff, and a laser show. These I find very fun even as anadult with a degree in Physics.
Neighborhoodwise, I like the East Side the best, mostly the areaaround Downer avenue which you will find around 2600 North and a fewblocks in from the Lake. Just a nice neighborhood to walk around in,kinda hip and trendy, nice restaurants, etc. If you like, take adrive along Lake Drive north from this point and see all the nicemansions along the lakefront, up to Whitefish Bay or so.
I'm more of an outdoorsy person so I like Milwaukee best in theSummer, but if its nice weather, and it's been unusually warmrecently--close to 60, it's fun just to go hang out along thelakefront, between Bradford Beach and downtown. Rent somerollerblades or bikes in Veteran's Park (entrance off Lincoln MemorialDrive about 1 mile north of downtown) if that's your thing. There'ssome nice pedestrian/bike paths in the park and the sidewalks north ofthere are well used for those purposes too.
Also nice parks on the south side on the Lake, but you'd have to bringyour own bike, skates, whatever. Stretching almost continuously fromBayview Park (at Oklahoma Avenue, 3200 south) to Grant Park down inOak Creek.
