Attractions in Milwaukee Area and SE WI Cover letter Kathy and I have put together the attached documents to try to help everyone get as much as you can out of your visit to Milwaukee for our 2018 Red Warriors reunion. Hopefully, all of you will be able to use your free time during the reunion to visit some of these attractions. We’ve listed most of the high-profile attractions in southeast Wisconsin, tried to categorize them, provided summary information about each of them, and basic descriptions for each as well. Most of the description information was copied from the internet. Some personal comments were added where we thought appropriate. We have personally visited most of the attractions ourselves to see if they are, in our opinion, worthy of your time. We feel most are, but that is a matter of personal likes and dislikes. Most of the attractions are reasonably easy to find. All will require some mode of transportation to get to them from the Embassy Suites. If you are flying in and are not renting a car, maybe you can hook up with friends from the reunion who do have a car and ride with them to the attractions you all want to see. Our favorites from the list are: Harley Museum – Very interesting for Harley riders as well as non- riders. Really! Pabst Mansion – A grand turn of the 19th century home. Architecture, quality of construction, and contents are very interesting. Chudnow Museum – A very interesting, massive collection of everyday stuff from about the turn of the 19th century till about the 1940’s. We are sure everyone in our age bracket, will see many things there that they have not seen since they last visited their grandparents house or since they were kids themselves. Basilica of St. Josaphat – Magnificent large church, filled with stained glass windows, a high dome, and religious paintings. A complete work of art. Old World Wisconsin – Very interesting to see actual 19th century log homes that were taken apart and then rebuilt here in a ‘working’ farm setting. Many of the ‘roll-playing’ employees are very informative. Shuttle service makes it easy to get from homestead to homestead. House on the Rock – Easily one of the most unique places you will ever visit. You will be shaking your head constantly saying to yourself “Who thought this up?” or “How did they collect all this stuff?” or “Wow!” or “Why???”. Reserve lots of time for the visit. Not something you want to rush through. So much to see! Lambeau Field – What more can we say than that? In Milwaukee, most of the attractions on the list are close enough so that two or more can be seen in day. For instance, you could visit the Harley Museum in late morning, eat lunch at TGI Friday’s at Miller Park, and then do a Brewery tour that afternoon. Or, like we recently did, you could visit the Chudnow Museum, have lunch on Old World 3rd Street, visit the North Point Lighthouse, visit the Basilica of St. Josaphat, and still spend some time walking around the Historic Third Ward. We did this between 10:00 AM and about 3:30 PM. If you are coming from the west and are driving to and from Milwaukee, we have one other suggestion. The southwest portion of Wisconsin is known as the ‘Driftless Area’. It is the part of Wisconsin that has not been glaciated for the last 100,000 years which makes its geology much different from the rest of the state. The last glaciers left the rest of the state about 10,000 years ago. The Driftless Area runs from just west of Madison to the Mississippi River and into Minnesota. If you haven’t seen it and if you have or can take the time to drive through that portion of Wisconsin on your way home, DO IT. It is very beautiful. We have taken many weekend trips to that part of the state and love it out there. Both of our recommended routes through the Driftless Area (see below) end up in Prairie Du Chien, WI where the Wisconsin River empties into the great Mississippi River. From there you can proceed home as you wish. However, the ‘Great River Road’ running north and south from Prairie Du Chien along the Mississippi is very beautiful in its own right and should be considered as part of your route home, if possible. Driftless Area routes we recommend: Route 1 (about 3 hours – nonstop - from Embassy Suites to Prairie Du Chien): I-94 to Hy 19 (just north of Madison near Lake Windser) Hy 19 to Hy 14 (near Mazomanie) Hy 14 to Hy 60 (Near Gotham) Hy 60 to Hy 18 (Near Bridgeport) Hy 18 to Prairie Du Chien Route 2 (maybe 5 - 10 minutes faster than Route 1 but not quite as pretty): I-94 to Hy 18 just south of Madison Hy 18 to Prairie Du Chien Note - Both ‘The House on the Rock’ and ‘Taliesin Preservation’ are short detours along both routes in case you are interested. If you want to linger a day in Prairie Du Chien, be sure to visit Effigy Mounds National Monument across the river in Iowa, Villa Louis and the other historical sites along the Mississippi in Prairie Du Chien, and don’t miss the awesome overlook of the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers from the high bluffs in beautiful Wyalusing State Park just south of town. A short visit to the Casino Queen River Boat casino just across the Mississippi in Iowa might be fun too. We hope you get a lot out of this documentation and that you enjoy your stay in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Dennis & Kathy Witt Attractions in Milwaukee Area and SE WI Listed by Distance from Embassy Suites Note 1: Listed here are many of the top attractions of the Milwaukee and SE Wisconsin areas. Note 2: The information here is just to introduce you to some of the attractions. I recommend you do additional research and double check times and fees before committing to any of the attractions that you think might be of interest to you. Coupons may be available for some of the attractions. Check the web. Note 3: Estimated drive times are for non-rush hour periods. Rush hour in Milwaukee is usually between 7:00 to 9:00 AM and 3:30 to 6:00 PM. Note 4: The attractions that are farther than an hour away would make good day trips if you are coming in early or staying a few days extra. Attractions by distance from hotel: 1. Milwaukee Zoo (3-4 hours – approx. tour time - 4.5 score on Google Reviews rating of 5.0 max) - $12.50-$15.50 admission (plus a $12 zoo parking fee) – 10 to 15-minute drive from Embassy Suites. 2. Brewery Tours (1.5 hours – 4.5 / 4.6) – Miller Brewery - Free / Lakeside Brewery - $8-$11 - 15-minute drive / 20-minute drive 3. TGI Fridays for lunch / drinks inside Miller Park – NE Corner of stadium (1.5 hour – 3.5) – 15-minute drive 4. Harley Museum (2-3 hours – 4.7) - $14-$20 – 15-minute drive 5. Mitchell Park Domes (1-2 hours – 4.6) - $7 – 15-minute drive 6. Pabst Mansion (1.5 hours – 4.6) - $11-$12 – 15-minute drive 7. Potawatomi Casino (??? – 4.0) - $????? – 15-minute drive 8. Downtown area (all are 15 to 20-minute drives): a. Milwaukee Art Museum (1-3 hours – 4.7) - $15-$17 b. Discovery World (2-3 hours – 4.6) - $14-$19 c. Milwaukee Public Museum (2-4 hours – 4.7) - $15-$28 d. Maier Festival grounds event (Schedule permitting) (2-5 hours – 4.6) – Free to $??? e. Riverwalk & Bronze Fonz – walking tour of riverside / lunch (2-3 hours – 4.5) f. Boat Tours – Edelweiss / Milwaukee Boat tours (1.5 hours – 4.4 / 4.5) - $18-$20 g. Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear (1-2 hours – 4.9) - $5-$6 h. Jewish Museum Milwaukee (1-2 hours – 4.7) - $4-$7 i. Historic Third Ward – shopping / lunch (2-3 hours – 4.5) j. Old World 3rd Street - shopping / lunch (2-3 hours – 4.5) 9. Boerner Botanical Gardens (1-2 hours – 4.4) – Free - 20-minute drive 10. North Point Lighthouse (1-2 hours – 4.6) - $5-$8 – 20-minute drive 11. Basilica of St. Josaphat (1 hour – 4.8) – Free – 20-minute drive 12. Ten Chimneys (1-3 hours – 4.3) – $28-$35 – 30-minute drive 13. Aztalan State Park (1-2 hours – 4.5) – $3-$11 per vehicle - 40- minute drive 14. Old World Wisconsin (3-4 hours – 4.7) – $16-$19 - 45-minute drive 15. Wisconsin Veterans Museum (1-2 hours – 4.6) – Free – 1+ hour drive (Plus you could visit the Wisconsin Capital across the street) 16. Circus World Museum (2-4 hours – 4.5) - $5-$10 – 1 ½ hour drive 17. Taliesin Preservation – Frank Lloyd Wright Estate (2 hours – 4.8) - $22-$95 – 1 ¾ hour drive 18. House on the Rock (3-6 hours – 4.5) – $26.95-$29.95 - 2-hour drive 19. Lambeau Field (1-4 hours – 4.7) - $9-$41 – 2-hour drive Attractions in Milwaukee Area and SE WI Listed by Type of Attraction Historical: Pabst Mansion (1.5 hours - 4.6) - $11-$12 - downtown North Point Lighthouse (1-2 hours – 4.6) - $5-$8 – 20-minute drive Basilica of St. Josaphat (1 hour – 4.8) – Free – 20-minute drive Ten Chimneys (1-3 hours – 4.3) – $28-$35 – 30-minute drive Aztalan State Park (1-2 hours – 4.5) - $3-$11 per vehicle – 40-minute drive Old World Wisconsin (3-4 hours – 4.7) – $16-$19 – 45-minute drive Taliesin Preservation – Frank Lloyd Wright Estate (2 hours – 4.8) - $49-$54 – 1 ¾ hour drive Museums: Milwaukee Art Museum (1-3 hours – 4.7) - $15-$17 - downtown Milwaukee Public Museum (2-4 hours – 4.7) - $15-$28 – downtown Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear (1-2 hours – 4.9) - $5-$6 - downtown Harley Museum (2-3 hours – 4.7) - $16 – 15-minute drive Jewish Museum Milwaukee (1-2 hours – 4.7) - $4-$7 – downtown Wisconsin Veterans Museum (1-2 hours – 4.6) – Free – 1+ hour drive Circus World Museum (2-4 hours – 4.5) - $5-$10 – 1 ½ hour drive Nature: Boerner Botanical Gardens (1-2 hours – 4.4) – Free - 20-minute drive Mitchell Park Domes (1-2 hours – 4.6) - $7 – 15-minute drive Milwaukee Zoo (3-4 hours – 4.6) - $12.50–$15.50 plus $12 parking – 10 to 15- minute drive