I'll admit, Milwaukee doesn't usually jump to mind as a family travel destination. Actually, unless you're watching a Laverne and Shirley rerun, Milwaukee may not jump to mind at all. But anyone who has been to Milwaukee can tell you what a great, underrated city it is. And it's got some fun stuff to do with kids, too:
- Swim in the Winter. Your kids don't have to join the polar bear club to swim during a Midwest winter. Milwaukee's Hilton hotel has Paradise Landing, a 20,000 square foot indoor water park. Sure, there may be bigger indoor water parks elsewhere, but how many of them are smack in the middle of a sizable city? You don't necessarily have to stay at the Hilton to use the water park, but the hotel is a little cryptic about non-guests using it. Their policy states that, while you don't have to stay at the Hilton, guests are given preference if there's a capacity issue (hard to imagine). You also have to check directly with the hotel to determine a rate-- they don't post one on the website, except for special room rates that include Paradise Landing admission.
- Get Artsy. Although kids and art museums often go together like peanut butter and, well, peanut allergies, consider the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) a more hypoallergenic museum for kids. The main attraction is the
building itself, featuring architect Santiago Calatrava's Burke Brise Soleil, a movable, wing-like sunscreen comprised of 72 steel fins, resting on top of the glass-enclosed reception hall. I lifted most of that description from the MAM's website because, to me, it's almost indescribable. Wings or a sail are the two simplest descriptions, but I'll cop out with the old adage you've got to see it to believe it. Once you get inside the museum, the art collection is almost as impressive. The museum itself is also quite kid friendly, offering up family-friendly viewing tips and even a children's audio tour. Just don't get so caught up in the collection that you forget to watch Calatrava's shell open or close. - Witness the Running of the Encased Meats. Any baseball fan worth his sodium knows about the Miller Park sausage race. After the bottom of the sixth inning, five different seven-foot sausages line up for a race around the stadium: bratwurst, hot dog, polish sausage, Italian sausage, and (since 2006) chorizo.
Needless to say it's just about every kid's (and many adults') favorite minute of the game. Oh, and while you're there, you can watch the Brewers play baseball before and after the race. - Have A Taste of Germany. Milwaukee has a rich German heritage. What better way to experience it than through your stomach? Take the family to one of Milwaukee's old-school German restaurants, like Mader's or Karl Ratzsch's. Both have a distinct German feel and menu (although other menu options exist, including children's menus) and both are family-friendly. I've only eaten at Mader's, so that'll get my vote for now, although I'm hoping to educate myself on the other party's candidate sometime soon.
- Ask Mom(s). Frankly, I wasn't sure what to put as a fifth family-friendly option in Milwaukee, so I did some web searching to brainstorm. Instead of a place or event, I'll give you a resource I stumbled upon: MilwaukeeMoms.com. This site acts like a lilaguide for Milwaukee, offering some useful topics for visitors, like listings of kid-friendly restaurants, places, and parks.
Get a sitter and: Have a "big city" night out at smaller-town prices. Although Milwaukee certainly doesn't have the quantity of great restaurants that places like New York or Chicago do, it has a few that can match in quality. If you'd like to start at the top, visit Sanford. Consider chef Sandy D'Amato the Jean-Georges or Charlie Trotter of Milwaukee. Sure, Sanford is probably Milwaukee's most expensive restaurant, but a similar meal would cost you at least double in the other cities mentioned. And, speaking of starting at the top, a great place for a pre- (or post-)dinner drink is Blu, the martini bar at the top of Milwaukee's grand old Pfister hotel. Although the bar doesn't have any of the antique-y charm the rest of the hotel possesses, it makes up for it with great cocktails, great views, and, on Friday and Saturday nights, some pretty good live music.
