Illustration by Melissa Lee Johnson
“Staycation” didn’t enter the vocabulary until 15 years ago, but we understood the notion long before then. Who hasn’t stayed home during vacation time yet found a way to splurge on something special?
The best of these little luxuries are novel experiences that expose you to something new and maybe stretch your comfort zone. Consider this range of what you can do without leaving Milwaukee.
Take a nip, nibble: Time to widen your world, infusing authenticity and variety into the familiar. Count “Barbecue, Bourbon and Beer” among the group outings arranged by Milwaukee Food and City Tours, which may veer into new-to-you neighborhoods. Example: The Latin Quarter stars in “Tacos and Tequila,” not the T-Bell. The three-stop fish fry bus tour sniffs beyond the obvious, too. Bonus: Tour guide chatter addresses local history and heritage. Most options are around three hours and $65. milwaukeefoodtours.com
Blue-collar art at work: Think you work hard? At the Grohmann Museum on the Milwaukee School of Engineering campus, the toll, toil and tediousness of hard labor is treated like fine art. The 1,000 paintings, sculptures and more pay particular attention to assembly lines, trade work and household tasks. Most settings are European, and most artwork is hundreds of years old. Don’t miss the rooftop garden with bronze figures that depict workers with the equipment of their trade. Admission is $5. msoe.edu/grohmann-museum
Get cooking: Chef-owner Dave Swanson of Braise restaurant historically has found ways to exceed culinary expectations. He’ll teach you how to make cheese, bread, Spanish tapas, Cajun classics—whatever, usually $65 for a one-shot, two-hour session. Or eat dinner on a farm that provides key, seasonal ingredients for a three-course meal with matching wines. Price depends on meal theme and location. Don’t dawdle. Events typically hit capacity fast. braiselocalfood.com
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Stay afloat: Booking a massage is fine but oh-so-pedestrian. Go out on a limb to soothe the psyche in an extraordinary way, by soaking in 10 inches of warm water that contains 900 pounds of Epsom salts at Float Milwaukee. An hour, or more, in a ventilated sensory deprivation pod reportedly provides the equivalent of eight hours of sleep. All that salt water means gentle and effortless bobbing above water, heated to match average skin temperature. Cost: $75 for 60 minutes. floatmilwaukee.com
Set sail. Most people get acquainted with the S/V Denis Sullivan (the clone of a 19th-century cargo schooner) while the vessel is docked at Discovery World on Lake Michigan. Better: Leaving shore on the tall ship with three masts. Let the kids dress like pirates for a two-hour sail ($120 for a family of four). Or skim the coast from Milwaukee to Port Washington in five hours, as the crew narrates ($150 per person). Most adventurous: a four-day voyage in early September, going wherever the wind blows ($875). discoveryworld.org
Feel like an Olympian: Escape summer heat and humidity at the Pettit National Ice Center by maneuvering the same speed-skating oval where Olympic hopefuls and medalists—Bonnie Blair, Dan Jansen, Chris Witty, Shani Davis—have trained and competed. Cost: $7.50 for adults, less for kids. Or sign up for a five-week skate school to feed those gold-medal dreams. Classes are for beginners on up. Bring your own skates or rent from the 1,000 pairs of figure, hockey and speed skates in stock. thepettit.com
Work up a thirst: Make cocktail hour more interesting while pedaling a 14-passenger Milwaukee Paddle Tavern along the Milwaukee River. If cumulative leg power sputters, a 20 horsepower motor kicks in; boat rental starts at $375, or just reserve one seat, starting at $30. Landlubbers, quench your thirst on a 16-person Pedal Tavern, a covered wagon with bench seats facing a table. The bicycle-powered contraption rolls around the Third Ward and Walker’s Point at 5 mph. Prices start at $289 for a private rental, or $25 for a reserved seat with strangers. Be it land or sea, don’t sweat the navigating: Somebody else steers. It’s fine to bring your own beverages for these two-hour excursions and/or tell the captain where to go for tavern refueling. pedaltavern.com
Brews for all ages: In Milwaukee there is no shortage of beer tours, but Sprecher Brewing delights both children and adults. That’s because the visit ends with four beer samples for adults and bottomless samples of the brewer’s nine sodas for all ages: Flavors include root beer, orange, cream, grape and cherry cola. Tour price: $5 to $8. Another option is specialty tours for small groups of only adults, a $20 or $30 ticket. sprecherbrewery.com
Follow the Oak Leaf: No recreational route shows off more of Milwaukee County’s parks and neighborhoods than the paved, 120-mile Oak Leaf Trail for strolling, biking and inline skating. If it were a tree, it would have many lovely branches, some of which loop. Parts follow the Milwaukee River (where the edgy-fun Urban Ecology Center at Riverside Park offers a pleasant respite) and Lake Michigan shoreline. Pack a trail app or map (from traillinks.com) because signage isn’t complete, and some trail segments veer onto streets. Feeling overly ambitious? Follow the Oak Leaf north, where it links to the 30-mile Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which ends in Cedar Grove. county.milwaukee.gov
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Go hog wild: Maybe you non-bikers have avoided the Harley-Davidson Museum. Such a shame. Truth is, the brawny, industrial-chic building is about pop culture too, and a treat for children because they can put on pint-sized Harley gear, rev a Knucklehead engine, create their own bike, and delve into books and puzzles. Head to the 20-acre campus before the motorcycle manufacturer’s 115th anniversary party (Labor Day weekend) fills the property with droves of Panheads to Revolution riders. Or make that your weekend to strut like a real H.O.G. at street parties. Museum admission: $20 ($10 for ages 7-12). hdmuseum.com, h-d.com/115
