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Milwaukee
Largest city in Wisconsin, United States

Milwaukee

Milwaukee is the most populous city in the U.S.

Plan a trip to Milwaukee→From Chicago

state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it had a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, making it the 31st-most populous city in the United States and the fifth-most populous city in the Midwest. The Milwaukee metropolitan area has over 1.57 million residents and ranks as the 40th-largest metropolitan area in the nation. The city is the county seat of Milwaukee County.

Get in

Getting to Milwaukee

There is an array of almost every transportation mode thinkable to get to Milwaukee. The cheapest way is by bus, but many travelers prefer the comfort and convenience of air, boat, car, or train travel. Chicago, a massive transportation hub, is less than 100 miles (161 km) away. = = Milwaukee is served by

  1. 01
    Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport

    The airport has service with the following airlines from its 2 concourses.

Do

Things to do

Breweries are integral to Milwaukee's image. Although the number of large scale operations has dwindled in the last decade, the nickname "the Brew City" still rings true, and microbreweries are booming. In several spots around the city, the smell of yeast from the beer factories is quite strong. Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest breweries: Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller.

  1. 01
    Miller Brewing Company

    Miller Brewing Company offers excellent tours and also has a visitor's center at its gigantic brewing complex on Milwaukee's west side.

  2. 02
    Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery

    Tours: Mon noon, 2PM & 4PM; Thu 2PM & 4PM; Fri noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM & 4PM; Sat 11AM, noon, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM & 4PM; Sun 11AM, 1PM & 3PM.

  3. 03
    Sprecher Brewery
  4. 04
    Lakefront Brewery

    Another small, locally-owned microbrewery specializing in handmade beers in the tradition of early Milwaukee brewers.

  5. 05
    Milwaukee Brewing Company

    Offers tours (on Friday and Saturday) of their growing operation in the Fifth Ward.

  6. 06
    Great Lakes Distillery

    It's not a brewery, but they make premium "Rehorst" vodkas and gin.

Eat

Where to eat

With its immigrant heritage, Milwaukee is a major restaurant city. Good local restaurants serve almost every kind of food imaginable, usually quite cheaply. Different neighborhoods have different specialities when it comes to food. Old World Third St along (and just west of) the Milwaukee River provides a richer variety of restaurants and also many of the more upscale restaurants (and clubs) in town.

  1. 01
    Apollo Cafe

    Serves authentic Greek food the whole family can enjoy.

  2. 02
    Conejito's Place
  3. 03
    Zaffiro's

    Great old-fashioned pizza place that hasn't been changed in decades.

  4. 04
    George Webb's

    812 North Old World 3rd St.,.

  5. 05
    George Webb's

    The majority of mid-range, non-chain places in Downtown are on Milwaukee Street or near Cathedral Square east of the river.

How locals move

Getting around Milwaukee the local way

  • Get intransit corridor, and have stops a couple blocks from the Intermodal Station.) Go Riteway Airport Shuttle shared taxi-van shuttle.
  • Get inLake Express high-speed ferry operates several daily trips across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, Michigan.
  • Get inThe ferry docks on the south side of the port near Bayview.
  • Get inChartered tours of Milwaukee are also arranged from cities in the region, and there are casino charters from across the Midwest.

From Wikivoyage: Milwaukee, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.