All in one afternoon? Along the Milwaukee Museum Mile, which officially opens with a Kickoff Event on Sunday, May 6 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

The Mile is a joint effort between five unique arts and culture museums located on Milwaukee’s historic East Side and in close proximity to one another along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The group includes the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, The Charles Allis Art Museum, Museum of Wisconsin Art at St. John’s On The Lake, The Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, and the North Point Lighthouse at Lake Park. The museums have partnered together to create a simple and affordable way for visitors to access and enjoy multiple museum experiences. It’s five museums – one destination, and a great way to discover Milwaukee’s hidden museum jewels.

The new Milwaukee Museum Mile brochure, available at each museum, will serve as a ticket to discounted admission at each attraction. The cool thing is that you can choose to visit all the museums, or create your own itinerary depending on your interests.

This great deal gets even better at Sunday’s opening event.  On this day, admission at all five locations will be free.  Each museum will offer free docent-led tours and light refreshments – including champagne at several locations. No-cost kids activities will include a fun Milwaukee Museum Mile scavenger hunt.

A free, continuous shuttle bus will be available for travel between locations – and it’s a comfortable walk or bike ride between museums, as well. If you prefer to drive between locations, you’re welcome to park at museum locations where parking is available or utilize street parking.

See you there!

Details: More information about the Milwaukee Museum Mile is available at www.milwaukeemuseummile.org.

As a portion of the exhibit explains, “African American riders have a long and proud heritage and continue to make important contributions to the sport and culture of motorcycling. With the help of numerous individuals and clubs, the Harley-Davidson Museum is kicking off a concerted effort to bring these stories, and the objects that tell them all, to the surface.”

On the surface, they look like every other Harley rider. Then you dig a little deeper, read their stories and find they’re much more than men and women on motorcycles. They’re history. Pee Wee and the LA Defiant Ones club in California. William B. Johnson, a mechanic who became the first African American Harley-Davidson dealer known to date. Bike builder Sugar Bear and his “if it ain’t long, it’s wrong” mantra.

World wars to world-renown designs, African American riders have stories to tell, perhaps more so than any other riders. Harley enthusiast or not, you’ll be a human enthusiast after a visit to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee to see and hear the “Journey of the Iron Elite.”
 

Details:
Harley-Davidson Museum
400 W. Canal St.

by Guest Blogger Julie Henning, Road Trips for Families

As the dust settles on the acquisition of Bucyrus International, Inc. by Caterpillar Inc. in July 2011, Caterpillar has recognized the historical influence of Bucyrus both in the community and the mining equipment industry. The result is an 18,000 square foot, three-story, free museum in the South Milwaukee campus. 

“We’re proud of our company’s history and the museum serves to preserve it. We’re also promoting the mining industry, the equipment used in the mining industry, and connecting with the local community,” explained Paul Johnson, Program Manager of the Visitor Center, Caterpillar Mining Sales and Support Division.

Featuring multimedia exhibits, vintage company memorabilia, scale models, and life-size replicas of machine parts, the museum is open to the general public from 10AM-3PM Monday through Thursday, 7AM-3PM on Friday, and 10AM-3PM the third Saturday of the month.

“We get visitors from all over,” Johnson explained, “but, for now, the majority is coming from somewhere in Southeast Wisconsin. Certainly we count a large part our interested audience as people who are restoring historical equipment or just have an interest in it.”

Popular exhibits at Bucyrus include a 495 shovel cab simulator, life-sized replica of a shovel dipper, and digger/dumper play area for younger visitors located on the main level. Johnson added “We do find that the simulator and some of the interactive exhibits downstairs do hold the attention of the younger visitors. But, once we start explaining the historical connection of the models, we find visitors are more engaged.”

As an example, a scale-model of the steam-powered shovels used in the Panama Canal project is showcased on the second floor. “The equipment used in the Panama Canal was made right here in Milwaukee. A lot of people don’t know always know that connection right off the bat, but the project was one of the largest earth moving projects in the world’s history,” Johnson explained.

Against a backdrop of framed cover pages of SCOOP Magazine; an internal Bucyrus-Erie employee publication, the museum’s third floor holds a more open floor plan. Home of the Tim Sullivan library, historical machine drawings, comfortable seating areas encourage research and relaxation. “Bucyrus used to have their own fire brigade on site. We do have some of the old equipment in one corner of the top floor if kids want to try it on,” Johnson said.

Individuals planning a visit to Bucyrus during the week are invited to dine in the Caterpillar company cafeteria, as well as peruse the company gift shop. Arranged in advance and on a limited basis are Caterpillar company tours. Johnson added, “To get young people interested in engineering, skilled trades, and the jobs that support what we do, we do offer tours for some trade associations, school groups and classes that are related to our business.”

In development is the museum website as well as a historical video to be viewed in the museum theater space.

Julie Henning is an editor with the travel website, Road Trips for Families. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin and is Travel Mom Julie with MadisonMamas.com. Bucyrus has been added to her iPhone application geared towards Milwaukee families.

Details:
Bucyrus Museum
Heritage Building at Caterpillar's South Milwaukee campus
1970 10th Ave.
South Milwaukee, WI 53172

Last week we won our first round of voting against Lehigh Valley, PA. Now we're up against St. Louis. This is our chance to get some revenge for the Cardinals knocking the Brewers out of the playoffs last year! Let's beat them before they arrive on Friday for Opening Day!

Voting is open today through tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10:59 p.m. The voting is done through Facebook, but you do not need a Facebook account to cast a vote. You can vote once per device, so vote from work, home and your mobile phone.

After you've voted, make sure to tell everyone you know to support Milwaukee and vote! If we win, our final voting round will take place next week Wednesday and Thursday, April 11-12.

Thank you for voting and supporting Milwaukee!

Milwaukee is in the running to host the 2012 Social Media Tourism Symposium, bringing social media professionals from tourism-related organizations like VISIT Milwaukee throughout the country!
 
You can help us get Milwaukee some AMAZING exposure on social media as a great place to be!
 
Please vote for us and spread the word to all your connections! Voting is open today only until 10:59pm.
 

You can vote once per device, so make sure you vote on your work computer, personal computer and your smart phone!

After you voted, please share the contest with all of your friends, family and coworkers. If we win, the next round of voting will take place again on Monday, April 2.

Thank you for voting Milwaukee!

I say, “It’s Friday! It’s Miller Time!” 

Actually, it’s Miller Time all week in Milwaukee’s Miller Valley - home to MillerCoors and one of the greatest breweries in the world. And It's the only place on the planet where you can meet Miller Brewing Company founder Fredrick Miller himself. He still dwells in the historic Miller Caves (seriously, they’re real caves) some 60 feet below ground level. Created in 1849, the caves kept beer icy cold prior to distribution. In 2008, they were given a hefty million-dollar facelift (Fred got a whole body lift - eat your heart out Joan Rivers) complete with a holographic video of Frederick’s ghost, who emerges from a mural to give visitors a history lesson.

In addition to Beer Caves 101, the one-hour indoor/outdoor guided walking tour of Miller Valley includes an up-close view (thousands and thousands of beers just an arm’s length away - this tour’s not for the faint of heart) of high-speed production lines, the packaging center, a shipping and distribution warehouse many football fields long and, of course, the massive brew house kettles.

Are you thirsty yet? I’m on my second imaginary beer.

Three REAL FREE BEERS (best three consecutive words ever invented) await you at the end of the FREE tour in either the outdoor beer garden or the Bavarian-style Miller Inn - a truly great place to have a beer (is there a bad place?). Thanks to modern-day conglomeration (Miller Brewing is now MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company - i.e. they make LOTS of beer), it’s not just Miller time, it’s Leinenkugel’s time, Blue Moon time, Foster’s time, Coors time...you get the idea.

So, pish-posh to the work week. NCAAs? It’s baseball season! Mother Nature? She’s not so tough.

Today, it’s Miller time.

Details:
MillerCoors Brewery Tour
4251 West State Street

Usually, we’re waiting and waiting for winter to end. This year, it seems like we’ve been waiting and waiting for winter to begin. Now the wait is over and it’s…summer? For St. Patty’s Day? I figured, “How many 70-degree St. Patty’s Days lie ahead in my lifetime (again with the age thing – this is a concern) or how many St. Patty’s Days in general?” Clearly, I need to purchase a sports car and join a gym. STAT.

Eschewing the mid-life crisis, I put the Porsche on hold and told my wife we’re heading downtown to have fun. No, not shopping. Well, OK, shopping for a bit in the Third Ward (I’m sure I can snag a Guinness to go at Café Benelux), then on to Funsville. First stop: the DoubleTree Milwaukee Downtown. Centrally located, easy access in and out and very well equipped for our Plans O’Fun.

Second stop: Mo’s Irish Pub at the intersection of Plankinton and Wisconsin Avenues. Not sure a third stop is even needed – especially with Mo’s latest bit ‘o genius: Jameson Irish Whiskey-glazed entrees. A co-worker and I stopped for a pint last week after work (proper recon is a must for such an important day) and Mo’s gave us a sneak peek at their new Jameson-inspired offerings. Filet, salmon, skewered shrimp and succulent chicken breast entrees all artfully lathered with a Jameson Irish Whiskey glaze that will tempt you to not only lick your fingers, but bite them as well.

Those four bites (yes, we tried them all – it’s a tough job) and Mo’s incredible service (man, are their bartenders good – so friendly and attentive, they’re more like friendtenders) left me wanting more. While I couldn’t save any Guinness (some things are just not done), I did try to leave a little glaze in the corner of my mouth until the 17^th, but you know, marriage and all.

Alas, lads and lasses, St. Patty’s Day will soon be here and I will return to Mo’s Irish Pub – with a little more sunshine glazing my face – to eat, drink and be quite merry. Even if it’s not spring. Because no matter the weather, the old Irish blessing always pertains:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again…at Mo’s.

Details:
Mo's Irish Pub
142 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Admittedly, I AM a slice of Irish (this admission comes the day before, mind you) and I have partaken in St. Patrick’s day festivities gone by, but never as religiously as those who line Milwaukee’s downtown for the parade and pack the likes of Mo’s Irish Pub and County Clare Irish Inn every March 17th. For those legions, St. Patrick’s Day is spring’s Christmas, an Irish birthday for all. It’s a reason to grab a pint, sing with strangers and proclaim an otherwise absent heritage, but for one day.

But this year in Milwaukee, there’s two days of green celebrations. The parade is Saturday, March 10 at noon and St. Patrick’s Day is one week later – starting well before noon and ending a good 12 hours after. My question is this, lads and lasses: Is it possible for those normally Irish for a day to be Irish for two days?

For this answer, I turn to American satirist P.J. O’Rourke, who said, “I like to do my principal research in bars, where people are more likely to tell the truth or, at least, lie less convincingly than they do in briefings and books.”

So, this St. Patrick’s DAYS, go forth to your bars and pubs not once, but twice. And lie less convincingly to the one you’re toasting. He or she won’t mind. They expect it.

Details:
Milwaukee St. Patrick's Day Parade

Milwaukeeans have been cheering on the checkered flag here for more than a century. The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest continuously operating auto racing facility in the world. Drivers have been negotiating its long and nearly flat corners since 1903 – it’s six years older than the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! IndyCar drivers consider it the perfect oval configuration – which means close, hard racing that keeps spectators on the edge of their seats.

It’s appropriate that a racing legend is bringing The IZOD IndyCar Series to this legendary track. Andretti Sports Marketing, led by CEO Michael Andretti, is looking to honor the track’s heritage and celebrate both Milwaukee and the IndyCar. In addition to the race on Saturday afternoon, they plan to incorporate many other family-friendly activities into this Father’s Day weekend event. In addition to the race, Milwaukee IndyFest will offer an IndyCar Fan Village, Family Fun Zone and other activities in the infield. And on Saturday fans can relax after the race and stick around to enjoy a post-race concert.

If the closest you’ve ever been to an IndyCar race is watching it on your TV screen, you need to check it out. The first time I went I came away hooked on the pure adrenaline rush. Open-wheel racing is among the fastest in the world, with cars topping speeds of 200 mph and there’s nothing else on the planet that sounds like the roar of those engines. Watching pit crews change tires or refuel mid-race in less than the time it takes you to read this sentence will leave you in awe of their precision teamwork – critical to maintaining a driver’s competitive edge. If you want to get up close and personal, I recommend purchasing a Weekend Paddock Pass, which allows you to watch as the crews work at top speed. I guarantee it’s an experience you’ll never forget!

Tickets for Milwaukee IndyFest are on sale now and can be ordered through the event website or by calling the State Fair Park Box Office at 414-266-7100.

Details:
Milwaukee IndyFest
Wisconsin State Fair Park
June 15-16

First gear: SPiN Milwaukee

SPiN Milwaukee is part of SPiN Galactic. Only two other cities in the world - New York and Toronto - boast one of these “ping-pong social clubs.” An exclusive galaxy of ping pong, awesome food and superb drinks that includes Milwaukee? How cool is that, I rhetorically ask? Pretty darn, I reply.

Any way you SPiN it, SPiN will keep you entertained and well fed from a casual lunch to an evening group outing. I visited with a co-worker for a wind-down lunch on a Friday. The baked crab dip, served with toast points, kept us warm until the BLT (marinated cherry tomatoes and arugula) and salmon sandwich (cold smoked with red onion, wasabi-caper aioli and mixed greens) arrived. 

Dinner the next night with the fam included a private, street-side room with our own table (man, ping pong’s SOOO much more fun when someone else is chasing after all the ping pong balls for you!), huge projection-screen TV and plenty of seating – the perfect spot to camp out with a large or small group. As with lunch the day before, SPiN put their spin on the familiar and it was delicious.

My son went with SPiN’s mac and cheese - bow tie pasta smothered in cheddar and gouda. “What’s gouda?” he asked. “Don’t worry, it’s gouda,” I assured him. He didn’t like the joke, but he loved the dish - it was gone before I could spell “paddle.”

My tenderly-cooked cheeseburger was accompanied by a thirst-quenching tap of Naked SPiN by Sprecher Brewery and the tastiest sweet potato chips I’ve ever had - the kind that seriously make you consider eating with both hands. My wife also had a confession, telling our waitress, “This is the best pomegranate martini I’ve ever had.”

And when you find the best, you have two, not one. A third was to be saved for another night as we had not one, but two stops on our Milwaukee spin. So, we left SPiN and jumped in the car…to go see other cars!

Second Gear: The Greater Milwaukee Auto Show

I don’t think you fully realize how important cars have become to our society and how engrained they are in our history until you walk through the doors of the Frontier Airlines Center and step into the Greater Milwaukee Auto Show. It’s electric. Polished chrome. Supple leather seats. Co-pilot computers that practically drive your automobile for you.  

If kids have their candy shop, this is as close as it gets for adults. All the latest makes and models sans any high-pressure sales environment. We tried on more than 20 cars until my wife found her next new car. Then she found her next, next new car. Then she REALLY found the one she wants. Lucky for me, you can’t actually purchase any of the cars she sat in.

But, show goers are invited to keep testing out cars all week – the show runs through March 4 – and take advantage of special events like Girls Night Out, which includes drink specials and a fashion show. There’s also a cool Harley-Davidson Museum display, pro wrestling, exotic vehicles showcase and must-see cars from “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Grease” and “Transformers.”

Third gear: homeward bound

As we downshifted on the drive home, I thought about a night that included world-class car shopping and a ping pong club that counts Milwaukee as one of just three members on the planet. And I thought, “who cares about the weather?”

It’s always a great time to take Milwaukee for a SPiN…especially this week.

Details:
Greater Milwaukee Auto Show
February 25 - March 4
Frontier Airlines Center
400 West Wisconsin Ave.

SPiN Milwaukee
233 East Chicago Street