Pass the Snacks Adventures

1. Overview
2. Milwaukee Public Market
3. Milwaukee Art Museum
4. RiverWalk & Bronze Fonz
5. SafeHouse
6. Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel
7. Old World 3rd Street
8. Fiserv Forum

Beer, cheese, sports…Milwaukee has all of this and so much more. Visitors are often pleasantly surprised by the architecture, thriving art scene, variety of dining options, and sweeping views of Lake Michigan. Laura grew up in MKE, so when a friend had her bachelorette party there earlier this year, it was a great opportunity to put together a silly scavenger hunt that would take the group to some can’t-miss places.

Below, you’ll find a fun, self-guided walking tour route that fuses food, history, and culture. Whether you’re a longtime resident of the 414 on a staycation or are visiting for the first time, we hope you enjoy.

➜ Check out our other Milwaukee walking tour itinerary, which is mainly centered around food and drinks with a slightly lower step count!

Overview

Start	End	Walking Time
Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N Water Street	Fiserv Forum, 111 N Vel R Philips Avenue	~ 55 minutes (~ 37 minutes without the Public Market)

Click here to open this map in a new window!

Milwaukee Public Market

📍400 N Water Street

Start the walking tour at the Milwaukee Public Market, where you can buy meals, artisan groceries, and Milwaukee merch from 19 vendors. We recommend grabbing coffee at the locally owned Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. or a bite to eat at Forage Kitchen.

If you’re feeling fancy, sample artisan olive oils and vinegars at ORO di Oliva. We like the blood orange, Persian lime, and jalapeño olive oils and the blackberry ginger and espresso dark balsamic vinegars.

Milwaukee Art Museum

📍700 N Art Museum Drive

Image: O Palsson, Flickr

From the Public Market, take a relaxed 20-minute stroll to the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), open Wednesday—Sunday.

MAM offers a stunning view of Lake Michigan and the opportunity to appreciate a collection of works by artists including Georgia O’Keefe (a Wisconsin native), Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso. A personal favorite is Self-Portrait in Yellow by Tony Oursler (also known as “guy with a chair on his head”), a quirky installation that has become something of a cult classic.

The Quadracci Pavilion is the museum’s newest and most iconic building. Designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, it’s reminiscent of a white ship with wings that open and close.

RiverWalk & Bronze Fonz

📍N Riverwalk Way (south of Wells Street)

When you’ve had your fill of indoor art, head on over to the RiverWalk, a scenic pathway where you’ll find a pop art icon, the Bronze Fonz statue. The Bronze Fonz pays homage to Henry Winkler’s character from the 1950s sitcom “Happy Days,” which is set in Milwaukee. Snap a picture with the statue and continue along!

(PS—We recommend taking a RiverWalk Boat Tour or renting a kayak from Milwaukee Kayak Company for further exploration of the Milwaukee River when time allows.)

SafeHouse

📍 779 N Front Street

Now it’s time to embrace the kitsch at SafeHouse, a spy-themed bar that has been a Milwaukee institution since 1966. It opens at 11 AM every day of the week.

The entrance is tucked away in an alley via a door marked International Exports Ltd. The bouncer will request a password when you enter. If you don’t have it, be prepared to sing, dance, and make a bit of an ass out of yourself to earn your entry up a hidden staircase. A camera in the corner of the entryway ensures that everyone inside SafeHouse can watch your light embarrassment.

Once inside, sidle up to the bar for a Pabst, Schlitz, or Miller or—if your stomach is grumbling—sit down for pub grub (the cheese curds are highly rated). Just be sure to spend time exploring the cold war memorabilia and spy decor. From two-way mirrors to a secret exit down an elevator and through a tunnel, you’ll find some surprises as you poke around.

Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel

📍139 East Kilbourn Avenue

Next, pop across the street to Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, where you can grab a cocktail (may we suggest a Wisconsin Old Fashioned with brandy?), catch live music during happy hour, check out permanent and rotating art exhibits, and make up ridiculous backstories for the glamorous people milling about. This place is always good fodder for the imagination.

Old World 3rd Street

📍1000 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive

From Saint Kate it’s a quick walk across the river again to Old World 3rd Street, a historic business district with German Beer Halls, restaurants, pubs, and shops. Among the most famous restaurants is 120-year-old Mader’s, whose founder responded to Prohibition by hanging a sign in the window that read “Prohibition is coming. Prepare for the worst. Stock up now! Today and tomorrow, there’s beer. Soon, there will only be the lake.” Classic German dishes including wiener schnitzel and sauerbraten were popular enough to keep the establishment afloat until 1933, when the prohibition on alcohol sales was lifted. Today, visitors can enjoy both food and drinks in Mader’s cavernous dining hall.

As you continue to wander around this neighborhood, don’t miss Usinger’s Sausage, a historic shop and factory founded by Fred Usinger, a German immigrant who arrived in Milwaukee with $400 in his pocket, in 1880.

Wisconsin Cheese Mart is also on Old World 3rd Street and is worth a visit if you’d like to sample some local cheese or buy some delicious souvenirs (there are over 250 cheese varieties and 35,000 dairy farms in the state!).

Fiserv Forum

📍1111 N Vel R Phillips Avenue

Finally, walk over to Fiserv Forum, a multi-purpose arena that opened in 2018 and is home to the Milwaukee Bucks. In this downtown hub, you can find more restaurants and other businesses. Expect it to be buzzing if it’s a game day!

When you’re done poking around, you can grab a bus or hop on The Hop Streetcar (it’s free!) to make your way to your next destination.

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Have you done this walking tour, or a version of it? Any other stops to add? Let us know!