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Weekend Getaway to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

In September we drove to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a weekend. It was a fun road trip and we loved enjoying the sights of the city starting with the iconic Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM). The museum houses a collection of over 30,000 works of art and is beautifully located on scenic Lake Michigan. The MAM’s Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, has become a symbol for the city of Milwaukee. It contains a movable, wing-like brise soleil which opens up for a wingspan of 217 feet during the day and folds over the tall, arched structure at night or during inclement weather. The MAM includes works by artists such as Winslow Homer, Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Andy Warhol. The Museum also holds one of the largest collections of works by Wisconsin native Georgia O’Keeffe.

We also visited North Point Lighthouse on a gorgeous and sunny day. The lighthouse is located in Lake Park on the East Side of Milwaukee. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It replaced a previous lighthouse constructed in 1855 that was located too close to the edge of the eroding bluff. The lens was installed in 1868 and is still in use today. 

Lake Park sits on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. It was designed in the late 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed Central Park in New York City. Olmsted believed that access to nature had a restorative effect on the urban public and designed Lake Park with a preference for natural landscaping. We walked the winding paths, a stopped to admire the vistas, and loved the big stone lions on the bridge. I really fell in love with Lake Park and the neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s East Side. Such a beautiful place!

Tips

*Kids 12 and under receive FREE admission to the Milwaukee Art Museum.

*MAM houses a collection of over 30,000 works of art.

*MAM is open Wednesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

*The Kohl’s Art Studio as MAM is open every Saturday–Sunday for kids to engage in hands-on art projects.

*North Point Lighthouse is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays year-round from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

*Admission to the lighthouse is FREE for children under 4 years old.

*Must be at least 5 years old and at least 38 inches tall to climb the tower.

*There are 84 steps and a ladder to reach the lantern room at the top of the tower.

*Lake Park has been a Milwaukee treasure since 1889 with beautiful green spaces, winding paths, bridges, vistas, and spectacular views of Lake Michigan.

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