This past May, we made our way up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We had never been to the state before so everything would be fun discovery. I really believe one of the best aspects of my golf quest is seeing different parts of our country. While my trips are golf-centric, we try to see as much of the locale as we can. My wife deserves most of the credit for the non-golf planning.
I made it a personal goal to be better at remembering “off the course” activities in 2019 and going forward. With that in mind, here are some of my musings on the food and other activities we encountered in Wisconsin.
We based ourselves in downtown Milwaukee, not too far from FiServ Forum, the home of the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA. During our trip, they were in the midst of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors. While they eventually lost, you could tell the excitement in the city.
Our hotel sat on the city’s River Walk that had been conceived in the ’90s. This cool path connects three neighborhoods and is the best way to see the city on foot. You can see the sites, grab a bite, and stop off at a brewery. The view below was a block up from our hotel.
Activities
The best decision we made was booking a city tour with Untapped Tours. This three-hour tour took us to many places in the city and gave us a surface level understanding of Milwaukee. It was great for us as first-time visitors.
Mike, the tour guide, was awesome and funny. From what we could see, he does all the tours. They also have a brewery tour on Saturdays.
We got to see Milwaukee’s neighborhoods and find some spots for later visits (more on that later).
From this tour, we visited the city’s Public Market that is derived from Seattle’s Pike Place. You can grab a drink and walk around the entire enclosed area. There are multiple eateries and stores.
On our last night, we visited Miller Park to see the hometown Brewers take on the Philadelphia Phillies. We had great seats behind home plate. Check it out below.
Earlier in our trip, while we up at Erin Hills we took the chance to see the Holy Hill Basilica. You’ll see from the Erin Hills post that the basilica is visible from the golf course about five miles away.
The site was very beautiful and I highly recommend visiting while you are Erin Hills. Everything we looked at was free of charge.
Food
Swingin’ Door Exchange (Milwaukee) – One of our first dinners was at this small bar and restaurant. It was a short walk from our hotel. The intimate setting during the Bucks game was cool to experience. I had the Crusty Chicken Sandwich that was plenty of food! I paired it with the local Motto Pale Ale from Good City Brewing.
Calderone Club (Milwaukee) – This Italian spot was great. I had the spaghetti and their award-winning meatballs. Seriously, they won a meatball competition in the city. The dinner was great but where this place really stood out was the cheesecake. More specifically the NY-style version. The wife and I agreed that it was in the discussion for best we’ve ever had. I highly recommend it.
Horse & Plow (Kohler) – After the rounds at Kohler, I was keen to visit this famous watering hole. I had seen so many social media posts from inside these walls. Situated at the American Club, the dining area sits a little below street level. I went with the Plow Burger and it did not disappoint. My wife had the Pesto Chicken Pasta and gave it her seal of approval. I paired dinner with New Glarus Brewing’s Spotted Cow.
Lakefront Brewery (Milwaukee) – This was a stop on our city tour but we enjoyed it so we went back once the tour was over for lunch and some brews. The brewery tour was quite good. Ben, our guide, was a very funny guy that made it one of the more enjoyable tours I’ve been on. From a beer standpoint, I most enjoyed their Riverwest Stein. I recommend getting a flight and finding your favorite. You can get a sense of the place as you are greeted by the guys below as you walk in.
Milwaukee pleasantly surprised us. We didn’t have any expectations going in but we loved the trip. There are so many cool spots and neighborhoods. I hope this summary has given you some insight into what you can do away from the course. Be on the lookout in the coming weeks and months for course tours from my rounds.