The Best Things to Do in Milwaukee with Kids (From a Local and Mom of 4)
Is Milwaukee one of the most underrated family travel destinations in the USA?
I may be biased, but I certainly think so! I grew up in a suburb just south of Milwaukee, and fondly remember going to Brewer games, frequent trips to the Milwaukee County Zoo, watching the Blue Angels at the lakefront, and wandering through the gardens of the Mitchell Park Domes.
In my college years, I spent a few summers waitressing at Mo’s Irish Pub in downtown Milwaukee, soaking in the lively ambiance of the city’s nightlife, or grabbing some food from Milwaukee Public Market on my lunch break and eating on a bench on the RiverWalk.
For a decade after college my husband and I lived in Minnesota and Florida, and those years gave me a newfound appreciation for my hometown. And now that I work as a travel creator with 4 kids, I realized I somehow had NO content from one of my favorite places to visit with kids - Milwaukee!
I knew I had to rectify this situation, so I took my kids to Milwaukee for a weekend visit, and we fit as many of my favorite activities as we could into our stay!
I’m sharing all of my favorite things to do in Milwaukee with kids, plus some tips on where to stay and where to eat.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Getting to Milwaukee
MKE Airport - the most obvious way to get to Milwaukee is to fly into the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport located just outside of the downtown area. You can rent a car to get to downtown Milwaukee, take an Uber, or booking a shuttle service.
ORD airport - you may find it’s cheaper to fly into Chicago O’Hare Airport, which is just over an hour from Milwaukee. In that case, you can use the Amtrak to get from O’Hare to Milwaukee.
Road trip - of course you can also road trip to Milwaukee if you live within driving distance. Milwaukee is located…
1.5 hours from Chicago
5 hours from Minneapolis- St. Paul
5 hours from Indianapolis
6-7 hours from Cleveland
5.5 hours from St. Louis
Where to Stay
On our weekend visit to Milwaukee, we were hosted by Drury Plaza Hotel Downtown Milwaukee.
They have both suites or the option to book connecting rooms for families of 5 or 6 like ours, and the rooms are very spacious.
One of our favorite things about staying at the Drury Plaza in Milwaukee (or any Drury Hotel for that matter!) is that they offer both a free continental breakfast, and ALSO a free 5:30 Kickback with hot food and cold beverages, plus 3 free alcoholic beverages for adults ages 21+.
The Kickback had food like tacos, nachos, hot dogs, soup, salad, baked potatoes, and more! There was something for everyone in our family, even our pickiest eaters. This also helped us save money on eating out on our trip to Milwaukee.
There’s also popcorn and soda available from 4-7, which my kids loved!
Drury Plaza Hotel Downtown Milwaukee is located right in the heart of downtown, just 1 block from the RiverWalk and less than a mile from the Lakefront, so you truly are within walking distance of all of Milwaukee’s major attractions.
We loved walking along the RiverFront around sunset after enjoying the hot food at the Kickback.
Things to Do in Milwaukee with Kids
AmFam Stadium Tour
Take a tour of the Milwaukee Brewer’s home field! Learn about the history of MLB baseball in Milwaukee (the video at the beginning of the tour almost brought me to tears), and see all of the behind-the-scenes of the stadium.
We purchased our tickets online ahead of time, and you’ll need the MLB Ballpark App to access your tickets. There are several tours daily during the season except on days when there are daytime home games.
As of September 2025 tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for kids age 3-12. Parking is free for the tour in the Brewers 2 parking lot.
We loved seeing the Visitors’ Clubhouse, the Visitors’ Dugout, the Press Box, and more! We are lifelong Milwaukee Brewers fans, and my mom even had a part time job giving tours back when the stadium was called Miller Park, but we still learned so much on our tour, and it made us love the Milwaukee Brewers even more than we already do.
Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum is an iconic part of the Milwaukee skyline. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect and structural engineer.
This gorgeous museum holds amazing art, but I think the building itself is a work of art! If you’ve ever been to the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it looks very similar because they were both designed by Calatrava!
Kids 12 and under have FREE entrance to the museum, and entry for adults is $27.
The museum has American, European, Contemporary, Modern, and Haitian Collections, to name a few. There’s also an art studio where kids can learn about and recreate art featured in the museum which is open on weekends.
If your kids need a snack break be sure to stop in the museum cafe for great views of Lake Michigan.
Discovery World
Discovery World is a combination of a children’s museum and an aquarium, and it’s located right next to the Milwaukee Art Museum! This is such a fun spot along the lakefront for kids.
Kids can learn about sea creatures from the Caribbean to Lake Michigan and beyond in the aquarium area, and there are multiple touch tanks where kids can see what sting rays and sturgeon feel like. Highlights of the aquarium for my kids included the axolotl and poisonous dart frogs!
If you head upstairs to the main floor you’ll see the Great Lakes weather cave which simulates weather on the Great Lakes, then head upstairs to the Doodle Studio where kids can see their drawings and names appear on a big screen, or explore a life-sized schooner.
Oddly, it was cheaper for us to buy an annual family pass than to buy tickets for one day as a family of 6, so we’ll definitely be back. Which is good because we got to the museum only an hour before closing time!
Milwaukee Public Market
Milwaukee Public Market is a great place to stop for coffee, a meal, drinks, candy, Milwaukee souvenirs, and more!
The indoor market has various vendors selling everything from fresh produce to artisan cheeses to Milwaukee merchandise, plus there’s plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy in the warmer months, and indoor seating on the second floor overlooking the market below.
My kids love stopping here for candy (they call it the candy shop instead of Milwaukee Public Market), and I love the treats from C. Adams Bakery.
RiverWalk
The Milwaukee RiverWalk has been one of my favorite spots to hang out since I waitressed in downtown Milwaukee as a college student.
Enjoy views of the stunning Milwaukee architecture along the Milwaukee River from the 3-mile stretch through downtown and Milwaukee’s Third Ward.
This was the perfect thing to do after dinner and before sunset with the kids since the Drury Plaza was located just one block from the Milwaukee River!
Bronze Fonz
The statue of “The Fonz” from Happy Days (which was set in Milwaukee) has a permanent spot on the River Walk. Be sure to get a thumbs up selfie with him!
Deer District
The Deer District is a fun area full of sports bars, beer gardens, pubs, restaurants, and open space just outside the Fiserv Forum (where the Milwaukee Bucks play).
It’s a great place to watch sporting events on giant tv screens, or to just hang out and enjoy the lively atmosphere of downtown Milwaukee.
Sprecher Brewery Tour
Tour the place where Sprecher Root Beer is made!
The Sprecher Brewery is located just a few minutes outside of downtown MKE, and you can tour the facility where the beer is brewed and the soda is made. It’s a 45-minute tour, and adults get 4 alcoholic beverage samples, while everyone gets unlimited soda samples.
The tasting room also has food like a giant soft pretzel, pizza, and sliders.
The kids loved trying all of the soda flavors, and I was actually shocked at how good the pizza was!
Mitchell Park Domes
Mitchell Park Domes is a garden and conservatory made up of 3 themed domes: floral, tropical, and desert.
Each dome has unique plants, so you can take your time exploring with kids. We loved the koi pond in the Tropical Dome, and we each picked out our favorite style of cactus in the Desert Dome.
There’s also an education center with exhibits that rotate quarterly, so you can really spend as long or short as you want exploring the Domes!
Strollers are welcome, but some pathways are narrow, so just keep that in mind. I would also recommend wearing layers, depending on the time of year you visit! The Tropical Dome is always pretty warm, but the Desert Dome can be cooler in the winter.
Historic Third Ward
Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward is a great neighborhood to wander around with kids. There are tons of restaurants, boutiques, and shops to peruse, plus the Third Ward is super close to the Lakefront where you can visit various festivals at Henry Maier Festival Park (like Summerfest, Irish Fest, Mexican Fiesta, and more).
Milwaukee County Zoo
I grew up going to this zoo, and it’s one of the best out there! Honestly, I think a lot has changed and improved at the Milwaukee County Zoo since I was a kid, and it’s so fun to go now that I have my own kids!
The hippo exhibit is one of our family’s favorites, and there’s a carousel, a safari train, and a ski safari where you can get a bird’s eye view of the zoo!
Milwaukee HIking Trails
If you like the outdoors, 2 great hiking paths near downtown Milwaukee are:
Lions Den Gorge
Seven Bridges
Where to Eat in Milwaukee with Kids
Mo’s Irish Pub
I waitressed here for a few summers in college and love the vibes here. They have excellent bar food, a few Irish staples, and you MUST try the Mo’s Cookie - a chocolate chip cookie skillet with a scoop of ice cream on top.
SafeHouse
We didn’t get the chance to visit SafeHouse on this trip to Milwaukee with the kids, but I remember going here as a teenager, and it was so fun!
SafeHouse is a spy-themed restaurant, and you need to know the password to get in (it’s on the website). If you don’t know the password, they have you complete a challenge to get it.
There is a kids’ menu at SafeHouse, and the theming makes for a fun evening out with kids.
Kopps Frozen Custard
Kopps is a Milwaukee staple, and there are several locations to choose from in the Milwaukee area. It’s the perfect place for a cheeseburger, crinkle cut fries, and, of course, creamy frozen custard.
Colectivo Coffee
Colectivo has always been one of my favorite coffee shops in Milwaukee, and their signature salted caramel lattes are incredible. They also have smoothies or hot chocolate for kids, plus food like sandwiches and pastries.
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Emily Krause is a Florida-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.
Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.
