Milwaukee
We have been to the Milwaukee area in 2021, 2023 & 2025, all in May, June or July.
Transportation: We used a car to get anywhere we needed to go. Parking garages in Milwaukee were much more expensive than we are used to.
Great Lakes Warning: The Great Lakes can have big waves and things like rip currents and such, like an ocean. Always check about safety before going and be careful while there. Check local sources for water quality too.
Milwaukee
Milwaukee Zoo
I liked this zoo. When we went (2021) they had an amazing seals and sea lions show. (I have been told (Dec 2025) that they no longer do the seals and sea lions show.) The zoo by us has so many hills. This zoo was pretty flat.
Grant Park Beach (Milwaukee, WI) (Lake Michigan)
There was supposed to be a cool hike called 7 Bridges, which I had read was great for kids, but we must have taken a short route because we got to the beach really fast. Or maybe we parked in the wrong area? I’m not sure. That hike looked really great though & I wish we had found it.
The beach felt like being at the ocean because we couldn’t see an end to the water. It was cold in early June though and the beach was really rocky too. The view was nice unless you looked to your right and then there were factories and smoke stacks. Not the best beach of the trip, but our first.
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (Milwaukee, WI)
There were different hikes we did that weren't great. The one that we liked was the one we did down to the beach. It was a big hill, but a pretty hike and a nice beach. It was a really gravely and rocky beach, but there were areas with sand too. It was quite chilly in early June. They did have a lookout tower thing at the Nature Center too.
Discovery World (Milwaukee, WI)
We went in 2023. It was a STEM kind of kid’s museum. There was a side that was 3 stories full of sciencey things: electricity, building, bed of nails, robotics, trains, air power, levers/pulleys and such. The other side was 3 stories of water things themed around the Great Lakes. There was a floor with a replica of the Great Lakes and how they connect. There was an aquarium section with Great Lake’s fish. Another floor had a huge ship thing to go on and explore. It was a pretty cool museum if you have kids.
Food Truck Friday (West Allis, WI)
This was at the West Allis Farmers Market at 6501 W National Ave. We went in 2025, but we know someone who goes often and loves it. We ate at the Chucho’s Red Taco’s food truck (I think they have a restaurant location too) and had the best birria tacos we have had since we were in Mexico. I highly recommend it! There were quite a few food trucks. We were with a group and some went to a hamburger truck, some got Asian food, there was elote & others too. I think this is just in the summer months, but I’m not 100% sure. It is just on Fridays when it is going & I think only twice a month. Definitely check online first!