24 Hours In Milwaukee

We arrived in Milwaukee on the Lake Express Ferry in the evening. It had been a scenic ride across Lake Michigan from Muskegon, Michigan.

It was good to be back to in Milwaukee. I had wanted to return for years, and it never worked out. Although this was to be a short trip, I wanted to make it happen.

My friend, Lynn, and I were staying at a most unusual hotel. The Brewhouse Inn & Suites has a long history, going all the way back to 1848. It was a brewery, at one point for Pabst Blue Ribbon. It then became a boutique hotel and was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

The current Brewhouse Inn & Suites opened with a remodel in 2013. It is beautifully laid out, with reminiscent brewery tanks and intricate woodwork throughout.

Although the front entrance to Brewhouse is not accessible, there is a side door I was able to go in with my power chair. It is right next to the parking lot. They also offer valet parking.

We had a large accessible suite with a sitting area and a full kitchen. The bathroom was large enough to move around in the wheelchair, and the shower was easy to navigate with rails and a shower seat. We got settled before heading out to dinner.

Mader’s Restaurant is one of those places that speaks a lot about the city it is in. It has been in to Visit Milwaukee for 120 years. The food is German, a nationality well-represented in this Midwest town, especially in the early 20^th century.

One visit to Mader’s is not enough so I was ready to go back for more and I started it with a crisp German Riesling from Mosel. I am equally fond of German food and wanted to take a “tapas” attitude to try as much as possible.

We started with a giant, fresh from the oven, pretzel, with fried pickles and Weisswurst (a white sausage). It was followed by potato pancakes covered in applesauce and sour cream, spaetzle, and sauteed mushrooms.

Dessert was an easy choice of Apple Strudel, with ice cream, of course. We then headed back to the hotel exhausted from the day, but ready to see more Milwaukee in the morning.

 

Breakfast was at the Brewhouse’s Restaurant, On Tap. My friend, Ryan, came to meet us and we enjoyed chicken & waffles, eggs, and bacon.

The Milwaukee Museum of Art is one of my favorite museums. The building alone, which opens and closes like an airplane, is a design worth seeing. When making a trip here, I always request it on my itinerary.

I was not disappointed.

I’m a fan of Georgia O’Keefe and was excited to see some of the beautiful paintings by her they had, as well as contemporary Roy Lichtenstein. While the museum’s design and many pieces are modern, you’ll still find representation of more classic and ancient art among 30,000 works.

We went up to the roof to catch the 12:00 noon moving of the “wings” of the museum. It was a bit cool out, but worth it. From there you’ll also find a bridge that takes you to downtown.

The entire Milwaukee Museum of Art is extremely accessible with wide hallways, ramps, and elevators. They have wheelchairs available for use at the admissions desk. Although I didn’t bring Teddy on this trip, service animals are welcome.

From the museum, we drove to one of Milwaukee’s most popular spots, the Public Market.

The Public Market was busy and filled with delicious-looking foods. We had a tough time making a decision, but eventually settled on Foltz Wood Fire Pizza & Calzones. Lynn got a Reuben Panini and I went for a Margharita Pizza. Both were fantastic. Before we left, I couldn’t resist a cookie from Adam’s Bakery.

The plan was to go the Harley Davidson Museum after the market, but it was getting late. I had been previously, but it had been a while. It would have to wait until the next, longer, Milwaukee trip.

We finished a wonderful girls’ trip through Michigan and then Milwaukee with a scenic drive home and thoughts where our next adventure might be!