Milwaukee

About Milwaukee

Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin, set on the western shore of Lake Michigan where the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet. Its name comes from an Algonquian word often translated as gathering place by the water. The city was formed in 1846 from three rival settlements, and waves of German immigrants soon made it one of the most German cities in America, famous for its beer halls, breweries and social clubs. Names like Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz and Miller made Milwaukee the beer capital of the world.

Today Milwaukee has about 560,000 residents and a down-to-earth, friendly character. Its industrial past lives on in the Harley-Davidson Museum, which celebrates the motorcycle company founded here in 1903, and in the Miller brewery tours and the converted warehouses of the Historic Third Ward, now full of boutiques, galleries, lofts and the Milwaukee Public Market. The Riverwalk follows the Milwaukee River through downtown, lined with bars, restaurants and public art, including the famous Bronze Fonz statue.

The lakefront is the city's showpiece. The Milwaukee Art Museum's Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Santiago Calatrava, opens and closes its huge white wings over the water, and nearby Discovery World and the beaches and parks along Lake Michigan draw crowds all summer. Summerfest, one of the world's largest music festivals, takes over the lakefront Henry Maier Festival Park each year, followed by ethnic festivals nearly every weekend. Sports fans can cheer on the Brewers at American Family Field and the Bucks at Fiserv Forum, and the Mitchell Park Domes and Lakefront Brewery round out a visit.