YEAR VISITED: 2008, 2018, and 2025.

FAVORITE CITIES AND EXPERIENCES: Travel is expensive. It is no secret that hotels, gas, airfare, and eating out is costly and seems to be getting more expensive every year. One way our family has attempted to maximize our funds is to stay with friends and family on many of our travels. We have stayed in extra bedrooms, basements, and slept on couches. While it may not always be the most glamorous, it really is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family and save some money simultaneously. Making it as least obtrusive as possible on the host, we typically make a point of arriving late and leaving early. In 2018 we rolled into the city of Milwaukee for the first time and stayed with my sisters college friend, Liesel. As crazy as it sounds we had only met one time at my sisters graduation party years earlier.

Yet she still opened her home to our crazy road tripping family. We will forever be grateful to Liesel and the countless other friends that have opened their home to us on our adventures. On our couple of days staying in the city we drove through downtown, attended a Brewers game, explored the Riverwalk, and ate dinner out. The Riverwalk was outstanding – I would highly recommend this as your first activity as it really gives you a good look at the city. The path is three miles long and lines both sides of the Milwaukee River. While on the Riverwalk we stumbled upon the Bronz Fonz Statue. This statue of Henry Winkler, the actor that starred as “The Fonz” on the hit TV show Happy Days, was erected in 2008.

The setting for “Happy Days” was Milwaukee and even though it was filmed in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, there are still references around the city. Following our walk, we headed to State Street for dinner. We chose the Milwaukee Brat House for a dinner and a beer.

This establishment just screamed Midwest to me – we had a good night! Before leaving the city, we took a Miller Brewery Tour. The tour lasted nearly 80 minutes and detailed the factories 165+ years of producing Miller beer.

While we weren’t sure how entertaining the kids would find this tour, we all ended up enjoying ourselves.

With my youngest daughter being named Madison, we made a point to drive the hour and a half west to the capital city of Madison. After taking a handful of random photos of her with Madison signs, we then toured the grounds of the Capital.

It stands at 284 feet tall, only three feet shy of the Capital building in Washington DC, which makes it the tallest building in the city. Interestingly enough a city ordinance ensues that it will remain the tallest building in the city.

When I think of Wisconsin, I think of cheese. On the drive North from Chicago to Milwaukee on I-41 we stopped at the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha.

The huge sign, combined with the fact the store is shaped like a castle, definitely gets your attention. We sampled cheeses and ordered lunch from the deli. Less than 10 minutes down the road, also just outside of Kenosha, is The Brat Stop. There is a restaurant and gift shop and their webpage claims that they are, “world famously known for all things brat and cheese related.” Of course we stopped, shopped, and enjoyed a brat!

STADIUMS AND/OR SPORTING EVENTS: Seeing a Brewers game at Miller Park has been on my list for a while. Unfortunately, anytime we were in the Midwest it seemed like the Brewers were out of town. If my memory serves me correct, I believe this was true on three separate occasions. Finally in 2018 the stars aligned and I was able to see my first Brewers game.

The whole family attended a weekend day game on jersey give-a-way day.

Prior to entering the stadium we walked around the exterior where we stumbled upon the Walk of Fame as well as statues of Milwaukee greats Henry Aaron, Bob Uecker, and Bud Selig.

Hammerin’ Hank and Bob Uecker are both two of my favorite personalities.

Once inside it was cool to see the slide that Bernie the Brewer famously slides down following a Brewer home run.

I also got a kick out of running into the famous Racing Sausages while exploring the stadium. While I don’t remember which inning, the sausages race each other around the warning track during every home game.

At the time Bud Selig, former owner of the Brewers, was the Commissioner of Baseball. Therefore, the stadium had set up a museum entitled the Selig Experience which we toured in between innings.

Bob Uecker, also known as Mr. Baseball, is one of my favorite MLB personalities. ‘Ueck’ was the Brewers play-by-play announcer for fifty-four years and before that was a player for the Brewers, Braves, Cardinals, and Phillies. He is known for his self deprecating sense of humor and has been featured in the Movie Major League and multiple other commercials. One such commercial (Front Row) was advertising Miller Lite in the mid-80’s. In the commercial ‘Ueck’ makes a big deal that he is such a celebrity the team will most likely upgrade his seats to the front row. The commercial then shows him being “upgraded” to another seat… in the very top row of the stadium.

I explain the commercial because the Brewers have done an awesome job of immortalizing Bob Uecker and the hilarious commercial with a plaque and a statue of Bob Uecker at the very top row of the stadium. It is located behind home plate, with a view obstructed that is obstructed by a pole – exactly like it the commercial. My advice is to get there early and sit with Mr. Baseball!

I attended my second Brewers game in the summer of 2025. Ironically, it was another Saturday jersey give away day and the place was packed. The stadium has a lot of character and I consider it a top tier Major League stadium, but I didn’t enjoy either game I attended. The concourses were packed, lines were long everywhere I went, and whether you sat in the 300 level or right behind home plate leg room was really tight. While exploring the stadium, I was shoulder checked by a drunk fan, had the backs of my feet stepped on, and even had beer spilled on me while I was in my seat. As a result I didn’t enjoy either of my visits to Milwaukee’s stadium.

ADVENTURE(S): In the summer of 2008, Bailey was 2 years old and Maddie was 2 months. We flew to Minneapolis for Cousin Tom’s wedding and then rented a car and drove to Siren, Wisconsin for a family reunion. Much of Jill’s family is from the Midwest (Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska) and for many of them this was the first time they were meeting our children. We stayed at the Lodge at Crooked Lake which had plenty of space to spread out and catch up with family.

As the name suggests, there was a lake as well as a putt putt golf course adjacent to the Lodge. We enjoyed our family time in and around the Lodge, and then ventured up to the city of Duluth and Lake Superior as well.

The kids played in the water, the adults explored the Breakwater Lighthouse, and we all enjoyed some ice cream.

Another day trip from Siren that we enjoyed was to Couderay where we toured Al Capones Hideout.

This is where the legendary bootlegger had his booze flown in from Canada. During Prohibition, bootleggers would land on the lake, store the alcohol in the cabin, and then when safe load onto trucks to be delivered to Chicago.

While I am unsure if this location is still available to the public, I loved the tour and stories about Capone and other 1920’s gangsters.

NOTABLE DESTINATIONS & STOPS: On our drive from Minneapolis to the reunion in Siren, we passed the town of Hayward and the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.

The girls were tired and needed a break so we pulled in. Unfortunately, the HOF was preparing to close but I was still able to wander around the grounds. While we weren’t able to purchase a ticket, I was still pretty pleased with myself for stumbling upon this unique location.

• OUR LIST TO VISIT OR RETURN TO:
• Harley Davidson Museum, Milwaukee
• Green Bay Packer football game at Lambeau Field
• Hike & kayak Door County, NE of Green Bay
• Ice Age Trail – 1,000 mile long National Scenic Trail