BettyBrinn Children’s Museum
929E. Wisconsin Ave.
414-390-5437
Named after Betty Brinn, awoman dedicated to helping make the lives of children and young women prosperous,the museum carries out her vision with galleries and enrichment activities thatencourage community. Through role-playing, performing arts and learning fromthe land in exhibits such as the Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl environmentalworkshop, the museum is preparing kids to be thinkers, makers and doers. Themuseum is a prime example that work and play can go hand in hand. (CieraMckissick)
Bucyrus Museum
1970 10thAve., South Milwaukee
414-768-4999
Mining.cat.com/south-milwaukee-visitors-center
Did youknow that part of the equipment for the Panama Canal was made here? The Bucyrusmuseum on the grounds of Bucyrus International’s manufacturing complex reveals SouthMilwaukee’s rich manufacturing heritage in multimedia exhibits, vintage companymemorabilia, scale models of enormous mining shovels, life-size replicas ofmachine parts, and even a diorama of an open pit mine. There’s an interactivedigger/dumper area on the main level for younger individuals, and visitors canclimb into the driver’s seat of a replica of a 495 shovel. An immense archiveof photos, machine drawings, memorabilia and artifacts exists to tell thestories of the employees and these amazing, mammoth machines. The museum isfree and open to the public. (Danielle Stevens)
Charles Allis Decorative Art Museum
1800 N.Prospect Ave.
414-278-8295
Commissionedin 1909, the museum was originally the home of Charles and Sarah Allis, acouple active in the arts, businesses and charities. They amassed a vast andunique collection, with the intention of bestowing it to the public. Thecollection of paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramics spans nearly 2,000years. The Tudor-style building is impressive, and the interior is largelyintact with its original tasteful and lavish furnishings, including hand-carvedmarble fireplaces. There are several changing exhibits each year featuringMilwaukee artists; the museum hosts concerts with Milwaukee musicians and aclassic film series. (D.S.)
ChudnowMuseum of Yesteryear
839N. 11th St.
414-273-1680
An homage to things cherishedfrom the past, The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear holds Avrum Chudnow’s vastcollection of 1920s Americana. Visitors can take a walk down memory lane,viewing advertisements for Butter-Nut Bread, Squirt soda signs and figurines ofBig Boy and Miller High Life Girl. Local schools have been known to use themuseum to enhance curriculum, for it is truly a snapshot of the period. (C.M.)
Discovery World
500 N. Harbor Drive
414-765-9966
Located on the shore of “our” Great Lake,Discovery World offers interactive exhibits highlighting nearly every aspect ofthe impact and importance of the Great lakes. Included are large-scale modelsof the lakes themselves, aquariums stocked with many varieties of lake fish,and the Challenge, a replica of a 19th-century schooner. In addition toshowcasing Lake Michigan, Discovery World is chock-full of fun, hands-on,exhibits that tout Milwaukee’s industry, creativity and innovations. Don’t missthe amazing “Les Paul’s House of Sound” with memorabilia and rare guitars. Fora small fee you can make a DVD with a virtual Les Paul. (Susan Harpt Grimes)
GrohmannMuseum
1000 N. Broadway
414-277-2300
www.msoe.edu/museum
Located on the campus of theMilwaukee School of Engineering, the Grohmann Museum is dedicated to theengineering behind human work. The museum contains one of the world’s largestdisplays of the evolution of humans at work. Composed of more than 900 paintingsand sculptures, the collection includes depictions of agriculture andconcentrates on the Industrial Revolution with scenes of mining, railroads andfactories. (C.M.)
Haggerty Museum of Art
530 N. 13th St,
414-288-1669
The Haggerty Museum of Art, located on theMarquette University campus, features an impressive collection of more than4,500 pieces of artwork. The two-level building holds paintings and sculptures.The permanent collection includes work by Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and RoyLichtenstein. In addition, the Haggerty holds regular discussions, poetryreadings, workshops, lectures, gallery talks, performances and concerts. Themuseum’s primary focus is on education, and it is very involved with localgrade schools and high schools. The museum, its events and its exhibits aremainly free and open to the public. (D.S.)
Harley-Davidson Museum
400 W Canal St.
414-287-2789
Whether ornot motorcycles rev your engine, there is plenty to see at the Harley-DavidsonMuseum. The treasury is home to more than 450 motorcycles, starting with theoriginal Serial Number One, through present models. These varied and creativesculptures, with beautiful design and sleek engineering, are not just a meansfrom point A to point B. They are a delight to the eye. Along with the hogs arethousands of artifacts, pictures, videos and interactive experiences. Thethree-building complex on the Menomonee River has been open since 2008, andcelebrates a century of this defining Milwaukee industry. The interior issleek, modern, clean and innovative, and holds a restaurant, retail shop, caféand special event spaces. (D.S.)
Irish Cultural and Heritage Center
2133 W.Wisconsin Ave.
414-345-8800
Thelandmark Grand Avenue Congregational Church, built in 1887, is home to theIrish Cultural and Heritage Center. The main space, called the Hallamór, houses large, gorgeousstained-glass windows, a cruciform floor plan with three balconies and a4,000-pipe Kimbal organ. The museum has a gallery of Celtic art, engravings,photographs and historical displays, as well as three performance spaces, andtwo bars. There is an Irish genealogical library, as well as a library focusingon fiction and culture. The museum is available for weddings, concerts andlectures, and holds dance schools, Irish music classes, plays, films, lectures,parties and events. It has attracted famous Irish musical groups anddignitaries. (D.S.)
Jewish Museum of Milwaukee
1360 N. Prospect Ave.
414-390-5730
With aMarc Chagall tapestry dominating the entrance foyer, the Jewish Museum ofMilwaukee contains permanent exhibits on the rich history of Milwaukee’s Jewishcommunity along with an eclectic series of changing exhibits of visual anddecorative arts (plus sound recordings in the upcoming “Jews Who Rock”) thatspeak to the Jewish experience. The museum’s broader mission is rooted in thehistory of the Jewish people: the quest for freedom, dignity and tolerance. (DavidLuhrssen)
Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. ArtMuseum Drive
414-224-3200
Herestands the pride of the city, a rare twin-set architectural gem—Eero Saarinen’s stately,hovering modernism and Santiago Calatrava’s soaring, kiss-the-sky climax, aptlycompleted in 2001. Inside, begin an odyssey. The pavilion’s cathedral heightspull you into the changing exhibit galleries and on to the magnificentpermanent holdings, 30,000 works, built around the Bradley Collection’s deeplayers of modernism. See Winslow Homer and Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, ClaudeMonet, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe. And beyond, begin a vastEuropean tour; see stunning collections of German expressionism, decorativearts, Haitian and folk art. Come for an hour or two, or for a lifetime. “Artlives here,” and art invigorates here. (Kevin Lynch)
Milwaukee Bicycle Museum (inside South Shore Cyclery)
4758 S. Packard Ave.
414-831-0211
Bicycle enthusiasts, or really anyone who liketo ride bikes, will enjoy the opportunity to see the hundreds of vintage bikeson display in the Milwaukee Bicycle Museum. Showcasing bicycles from every eraof American cycling ranging from the 1860s to the 1980s, there are a lot of interestingthings to see. A fair portion of the collection is focused on the 1960s “musclebikes” like the Schwinn Sting Rays and Krates. The 1887 high-wheel bicycle isespecially cool to see in person. The museum is located inside South ShoreCyclery bike store, so you can check out the newest models after viewingbicycles of the past. (S.H.G)
Milwaukee Country Historical Society
910 N. OldWorld Third St.
414-273-8288
Are youresearching Milwaukee history—anything from tracing long-lost relatives to findingphotos of old buildings? If so, you should put the County Historical Society atthe top of your list. However, more than archives are housed in the handsomebuilding in Pere Marquette Park, formerly a branch of the First Wisconsin Bankand used as a setting for a John Dillinger bank robbery in Johnny Depp’s Public Enemy. The Historical Societyhosts public exhibits and events within its marbled corridors and operates fourhistoric museum homes (dwellings of early settlers) elsewhere in Milwaukee County.Tours of those homes are available by appointment. (D.L.)
Milwaukee FireHistorical Society
1615 W. Oklahoma Ave.
414-286-5272
Besides extinguishing fires,the Milwaukee Fire Department is also preserving Milwaukee’s fire history inthe Milwaukee Fire Historical Society. The museum, founded in 1981, holds firememorabilia dating back to the 19th century. On display are the original firehousefurniture, a 1910 fire alarm telegraph system, an original hand pump used inthe 1850s and an original 1947 Cadillac Ambulance. The museum is free and openevery first Sunday of the month or by appointment. (C.M.)
Milwaukee Public Museum
800 W. WellsSt.
414-278-2728
Almost allMilwaukeeans can recollect at least one enriching childhood field trip to theMilwaukee Public Museum, exploring its three spacious floors of natural scienceand human history. In addition to passing through villages from different timesand cultures, what kid can forget the frightening T-rex feasting on anunfortunate victim? Today, MPM still retains the majority of the same classiclife-size and miniature dioramas, depicting action in the Streets of OldMilwaukee, Antarctica, Africa, Asia, the Rainforest and so many more. A few ofthe more modern features include a butterfly wing and the IMAX Dome Theater andPlanetarium. Admission is always free on the first Thursday of every month forMilwaukee County Residents. (D.S.)
Mitchell Gallery of Flight
5300 S.Howell Ave.
414-747-4503
For most people, visiting the airport is aboutpassing through to far-flung destinations. However, making a trip to MitchellInternational just to check out the Mitchell Gallery of Flight is worth it fora crash course on Milwaukee’s connection to the sky. The compact museum on theupper floor of the airport manages to tell a fairly thorough local aviationhistory in a limited space. Exhibits focus on hometown heroes like Capt. JamesLovell and Gen. William Mitchell, World War II airplane models and artifacts,and the history of military and commercial aircraft that have ties to Milwaukee.(S.H.G.)
Old South Side Settlement Museum
707 W.Lincoln Ave.
414-271-9417
Themuseum is one part real estate viewing tour, one part taste of OldMilwaukee—ethnic Old Milwaukee that is, not the refreshing beer. The 115-year-oldhouse in the shadow of St. Josaphat Basilica near Kosciuszko Park isa cultural anthropological museum retro-fitted to represent families (largelyPolish and Mexican) who called the neighborhood home throughout the years. Thehome’s original owners still run the funeral home next door. (Willy Thorn)
PabstMansion
2000W. Wisconsin Ave.
414-931-0808
The Pabst Mansion offeringtours, Retro Beer Night and holiday events like its Dickens Dinner featuring anEnglish feast. The facility gives the public a glimpse into the life of thePabst family of brewing fame. Built in 1890, the mansion is complete with agreenhouse pavilion, 37 rooms, marble mosaic tiles and an intricately carvedwooden grand staircase. Visitors can also explore the 14 hidden compartmentsthat include remnants left in the nooks and crannies of Captain Pabst’s study. (C.M.)
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
2220 NorthTerrace Ave.
414-271-3986
Set highabove the lakefront, the villa quietly exudes world-class sophistication,without undue ostentation. The sprawling two stories spread like open arms asyou enter the courtyard, welcomed by marble Hermes. Inside as outside, mosteverything carries the tint and weather of the villa’s 90 years, from paintingsof animated domestic scenes to a ravishing portrait, purportedly of CountessTambourine. Her countenance, a peachy glow wrapped in high, graceful style, isthe essence of modern pulchritude. Beauty abounds, with exquisitely craftedbureaus, the Zuber Gallery’s hand-painted flora-and-fauna wallpaper andeccentric wrought-iron sculptures by Cyril Colnick. (K.L.)
