With a few days to spare before our wedding in Wisconsin we darted off to the city to explore Milwaukee. We arrived early Thursday afternoon which was perfect, giving us time to freshen up at our hotel at the Hilton and enjoy a cocktail at the Monarch Lounge. Milwaukee was filled with cool historic architecture and has a huge Irish/German influence with pubs scattered throughout the city.

There were different parts of the city we made sure to map out and places we wanted to see so it was important we stayed in between both Third Ward and the new vibrant area of Fiserv Forum. There are a handful of unique hotels in the area, however we found The Hilton to be one of the most centrally located, if you are looking for a great hotel in the middle of the city with a historic setting, this is the one! With that being said, here is a run-down on our favorite things we did in our short stay here in Milwaukee.

Eat//Drink

Public Market – If you just got into town and looking to hit it off immediately head over to Milwaukee’s public market and take it all in. From Mexican food to sushi this open food hall has everything and more, from wine gardens to liquor stands there is no shortage of drink options, this was the first area we scoped out and was pretty cool to visit.

Benelux – Right after exiting from a different side of the building we found ourselves right across from a roof top bar to start our adventures in the historic third ward which made our next decision pretty simple. With an incredible amount of beer options we were in shock when the server had to explain the beer book with over 20 pages of beer options. If you are looking for a cool rooftop bar in Milwaukee head here to start off the day.

Broken Bat Brew – This was a cool low scale brewery that had great IPA’s and felt like a cool local place to hang out during the afternoon. If you are roaming the Third Ward area, you should check this brewery out.

Scoter’s Pub – Looking for the best happy hour in Wisconsin? Look no further #1 draft beers... Yes, $1. No wonder this was the busiest place in the city as we randomly walked up and saw this place was buzzing with people who looked like they just got off work. Scooter’s and Dukes are connected and offer a dive bar type vibe with darts, pool and basketball games.

Trinity Three Irish Pubs – We told you this city has a huge Irish culture, this pub offers incredible live music, good food and awesome drinks. Directly across the river we made our way to the next spot on our list

Good City Brewing – This is a brand new scene right out front the Fiserv Forum where the Bucks play. We were bummed the Bucks didn’t make it to the finals but that didn’t stop us and many others from watching the first game of the NBA finals on the 75 foot screen outside in the beer Garden. There are great new modern restaurants in this area and you can take your food or drink and hang out in the seating area outside to watch any games that are going on.

Stay//Hotels

Iron Horse – The industrial-chic rooms have exposed-brick walls, wet bars, walk-in showers and lounge areas. Since the hotel is located off the strip, many of the rooms have skyline views from the back of the building. Although we did not stay here we went to check it out and grab a drink in the bar lobby. The grungy/bike vibe was felt immediately and truly gives off a hip, modern feel. When we first began exploring hotels this was our first choice, but the area was a little off the beaten path and required more ubers than we wanted to take instead of being in the city and allowing us to walk place to place. If you’d rather drive to different areas, and don’t mind spending a premium on rooms, the iron horse is one of the top hotels in Milwaukee.

Kimpton Journeyman - This hotel was on our radar as it is upscale and looks amazing, right in the heart of Historic Third Ward district is a minute's walk from the nearest bus stop. It is also just a mile from both the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Harley-Davidson Museum. The hotel offers loaner bikes to get around as well, If you are looking for a cool place to stay, definitely look into the Kimpton.

       Hope this brief itinerary helps a tad in your explorations of the city! We’re off to Rubicon to shoot our next wedding! Cheers!

About us: We are destination wedding photographers based in Southern California. We love this career and being able to explore new cities whenever we photograph weddings in new areas, allowing us to visit new places we may otherwise never have chosen to see. If you are recently engaged and planning your wedding, we would love to chat and see how we can be a part of your day. We offer both wedding videography and wedding photography, whether you are celebrating locally in California or a distant city or state we love capturing the moments of weddings. If you are still searching for your wedding photographer, feel free to contact us! Congratulations & enjoy the planning!