This Milwaukee Itinerary for Kids includes a trio of kid-centric museums, an exceptional playground, a First Stage Children's Theater performance, and a spy-themed restaurant meal. While the "Beer Capital of the World" might not seem like a family-friendly destination, we thought it was a wonderful place for a quick getaway with two four-year-olds. They loved it.
We didn't want to do a big spring break vacation. We went to Mexico in January, had a ski weekend in February, and I hosted a Mom's Retreat in March. On top of all of that, we are busy planning a three-week European summer vacation. I wanted to do something for spring break, but I wanted to keep it simple.
When I pitched the idea of taking a Mom and kids trip to Milwaukee to one of my Mom friends, she said "yes" immediately. I threw together an itinerary and booked an Airbnb. While we happened to travel from Wednesday to Friday, this would be the perfect Friday-to-Sunday weekend itinerary.
Milwaukee was a desirable destination for a few reasons. First, the drive is under two hours from Chicago. Trips that don't involve air travel with rambunctious four-year-olds are easier for everyone. In addition to being geographically appealing, I found that Milwaukee has several wonderful museums for families. We adore all of the Chicago museums, but we have been to those so many times that it made sense to try some new ones!
What to Know about Milwaukee:
Getting there:
You could fly, drive, or take the Amtrak train to Milwaukee. The trip from Chicago takes about 90 minutes without traffic. It took just about 90 minutes to drive to Milwaukee, and the trip home took two hours with some traffic and a stop for gas.
Where to stay:
Many museums and activities on this Milwaukee itinerary are in the Juneau Town neighborhood. Here you will find the grand historic Pfister Hotel and the new trendy Saint Kate hotels. The Historic Third Ward is just south of Juneau Town, home to the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel, which I enjoyed on a previous trip to Milwaukee.
For this trip, I booked an Airbnb in Brewer's Hill. On the map, the neighborhood looked a bit out of the way, but, we were never in the car for more than ten minutes to drive to a museum or activity.
Driving and Parking:
Milwaukee is small, and getting around is easy. For comparison, Milwaukee is just 97 square miles compared to Chicago's 234. Milwaukee has 561,000 residents while Chicago has 2.8 million. It felt uncrowded, which was delightful. Parking was a breeze. We sometimes found street parking, and the museums all had their own garages. If you go to the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, take your parking ticket with you so that it can be validated, and you pay just $3.
Milwaukee Itinerary for Kids
This itinerary was created for two sweet and silly four-year-olds. These activities would be ideal for children ages three-six.
Milwaukee Itinerary for Kids: Day One
This is Milwaukee's natural history museum and planetarium, and it's impressive! The dinosaur exhibits were a big hit.
Dinosaur skeletons and other extinct species were on display, including mastodons and moas. The mastodon skeleton was found in Indiana, which I find fascinating.
The kids were in awe of the Hell Creek exhibit featuring a giant T-Rex. I learned that Hell Creek is a real place in Montana that is a hotbed of dinosaur bones. This exhibit tied in well with T. Rex, a short documentary showing in the domed IMAX theater that focused on the hunt for dinosaur bones in Hell Creek.
At first glance, the recreation of European homes and towns looked small, but it truly was a tiny town with a town square, a real candy shop, homes, and businesses. Gwen loved it. She picked out homes for each of us, and then she would make me stand at my home, and she would run to her home and then come back to visit me. We did this for at least half an hour.
Children 5 years old and under get in free. We spent three and a half hours here, including about 30 minutes at the IMAX theater. We skipped the planetarium, but entry to a planetarium show is included in admission to the Public Museum.
Check In
When we were ready to depart the Public Museum, it was time to check into our accommodations. We stayed at a two-bedroom apartment in Brewer's Hill, and we loved the location and size of the apartment. Once the kids were in bed, my friend and I could sip wine and watch Schitt's Creek. Having a kitchen was a big help since it allowed us to prepare breakfast before heading out for the day.
Dinner at Lakefront Brewery
You haven't been to Milwaukee if you haven't been to this brewery, which has a large family-friendly beer hall. We chose to eat here since we were staying just a block away, but it's a great choice for families since the menu has all the Wisconsin classics (including the famous cheese curds), and the food arrives quickly.
If you want more family-friendly restaurant recommendations, there is a list at the end of this post.
Milwaukee Itinerary for Kids: Day Two
Discovery World is Milwaukee's science museum and aquarium. The large museum is divided into the Tech Side and the Aqua Side, and it is easy to spend 3-4 hours exploring.
Highlights include a large replica of a 19th-century schooner, a driving simulator, an interactive model of the Great Lakes, touch tanks, and a giant aquarium tank devoted to species found in Lake Michigan.
The aquarium side is on the small side, but it allows visitors a real up-close look at sea and lake life. This photo was taken inside an elevator that looks into the large tank!
See A Play
First Stage's performance of Finding Nemo at the Marcus Performing Arts Center involved beautiful puppets and classic songs from the Pixar film. The kids loved it!
First Stage is a children's theater company with productions that range from shows for very young audiences to shows aimed at teenagers. Check their website for information on their show schedule and the suggested age range for each show.
When we told the kids that we were taking them to a restaurant for spies, they informed us that they didn't want to go because they "don't like spies". After a bit of convincing, we walked through the doors to SafeHouse. Upon entering, guests press a lever that opens a secret door behind a bookcase. The kids' jaws hit the floor, and they suddenly decided they were spies on a secret mission.
The cavernous restaurant is decorated with posters from James Bond films and spy-themed decor. The website says "Missions by Day and Martinis by Night," meaning that the space is family-friendly during the day and welcomes junior spies who are given a mission and a list of clues when they enter. After 9 pm, the restaurant is 21-plus.
The menu is classic American, featuring sandwiches, burgers, salads, and mac and cheese. There is a children's menu.
Northwestern Mutual Community Park at Henry Maier Festival Park
I consider myself an expert on playgrounds. I have written about the best playgrounds in several cities and am on the board for my local park. So when I say that the Northwestern Mutual Community Park Playground is top-tier, I mean it. This beautiful, colorful playground on the grounds of Henry Maier Festival Park has play equipment for children of all ages, including some inclusive equipment.
We spent about 45 minutes here, but would have stayed longer if it hadn't been a bit cold.
I want to note that the bathroom facilities at this park are the best I have ever seen in a public park. There are several individual family restrooms with adult and child-sized toilets, and there are even changing tables for older children.
Milwaukee Itinerary for Kids: Day Three
My daughter was so sad that we had to leave this museum after three hours of playing that she cried real tears. Highlights included a huge tiny town with a mechanic shop, grocery store, bank, and pizzeria, a maker space for arts and craft projects, and a floor is lava-themed room.
We spent three hours here, but my child clearly wanted to stay even longer. When compared to the other museums on this Milwaukee Itinerary for Kids, this museum is geared toward younger children. The website says children ages 2-8 enjoy this museum the most.
Downtown Kitchen / Colectivo Coffee
Walk about a block from the children's museum to 777 East Wisconsin Avenue to the U.S. Bank building, go inside, and take the escalator up to the second floor. Here you will find a Colectivo Coffee which offers a breakfast menu, pastries, and sandwiches, in addition to Downtown Kitchen, a cafeteria-style restaurant with sandwiches, salads, tacos, and other meal options. Between Colectivo and Downtown Kitchen, there are plenty of lunch options for children and adults. Plus, there is a lot of seating. This was a quick, easy meal option that let us fuel up before hitting the road and heading back to Chicago.
Family-Friendly Milwaukee Restaurant Recommendations
This large market is home to 19 independently owned merchants, including taquerias, bakeries, coffee shops, pizzerias, and restaurants.
This is a chain restaurant that several people recommended. The kid's menu has classics like buttered noodles, grilled cheese, and chicken tenders. The main menu is more southern-focused with offerings including fried chicken, shrimp & grits, collard greens, and fried okra.
This restaurant celebrates cuisine from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The kid's menu has options like mac and cheese, grilled cheese, corndogs, and cheeseburgers while the main menu has mussels, fries, sandwiches, and several salads.
Is there a law that children's menus in Milwaukee must include burgers, noodles, tenders, mac and cheese, and grilled cheese - because they are all on this eatery's children's menu too! The globally inspired main menu has salads, street food (like doner kebab), quesadillas, and cauliflower tikka masala.
A tavern-style pizza joint that also offers sandwiches and pastas.
My neighbor recommended this pizzeria, and I trust his taste! Compared to Zaffiros, Flourchild seems to have a more Americanized menu with buffalo dip, chicken wings, and a flight of ranch dressing.
