Okay, so maybe 2025 didn’t go to plan. Your list of New Year’s resolutions, crumpled into the recycling before February, and all the hopes that it was going to be your year, dashed by spring. Or maybe 2025 actually was your year, one by one, metronomically ticking off resolution after resolution until you reached the bottom of the list, and you wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.

Well, this year’s going to be different. This is going to be the year that you check off everything on your list. This is going to be the year that leaves you feeling accomplished, reinvigorated, and at your very best! Do we say it? This is going to be your year.

We did our part to make it all happen by rounding up some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions and everything you’ll need to accomplish them. If you’re visiting Milwaukee or exploring with friends and family, you’ve got quite the head start (travel more, spend more time with friends and family top most lists). Here are our 10 New Year’s resolution picks that you’ll actually want to keep in 2026.

Get Active

At the top of just about every resolution list is to exercise more, lose weight, get in shape or, in some form or another, improve physical fitness. It’s a vague resolution that looks good on paper, in the abstract. But in practice, jogging on a gym treadmill or re-racking those weights after your third set of squats can lack a certain excitement. An active lifestyle is more than a complicated weightlifting plan or Olympic-caliber cardio regimen. Just getting outside is a good start. You can wander the many hiking trails, walk your dog through the city’s 150+ parks, ride your bike all over town (and maybe stop at a beer garden), crush some powder on ski and snowboard hills, go ice skating, set up a beach volleyball game or even hit the links (cart optional). Look good, feel good, visit good.

Dry January

One of the usual suspects in every top 10 New Year’s resolutions list is to “drink less,” with Dry January topping many lists in the hopes of starting 2026 strong in spirit, not spirits. If it’s at the top of yours, you can count your lucky non-alcoholic stars because Milwaukee has a NA scene so good, it’s earning national attention. There are tons of NA options all over town, including Agency Cocktail Lounge, the nation’s first fully hybrid bar, HoneyBee Sage Apothecary & Wellness Cafe and Pomeroy. You’ll even find an entire festival dedicated to mocktails to help you find a mocktail or NA beer so good that you might just forget Dry January ends on Jan. 31. Let Milwaukee’s craft mocktail makers' zero-proof it to you and ride into the new year on a buzz of excitement alone.

Stress Less

Unless all your responsibilities disappeared at the stroke of midnight, there’s a good chance that self-care is somewhere on your to-do list. This is going to be the year you prioritize your peace of mind and finally, finally stress less. It might come in the form of yoga. Meditation and mindfulness practices certainly have their place. But the quickest way to let that tension drift away, the one way to let the world around you fade and your stress melt is by booking a spa day at one of Milwaukee’s wellness centers. You can get a facial at Urbaine Oasis, a massage at WELL Spa & Boutique or even a top-tier skincare service at Elie Bleu Threading & Spa.

Eat Better

Notice how we didn’t say “healthier?” Sure, you could spend months trying to find new and inventive ways to make salad interesting. But fulfillment that’s actually filling? That’s personal enrichment that we can get behind. In case you haven’t seen it on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” in publications like Forbes or Conde Nast Traveler, or seen it in the finalist tally for the James Beard Foundation, Milwaukee’s dining scene is cooking right now, and foodies are taking notice. Fine dining? Yes, chef. International flavors? We got ‘em. Local staples? You want a beer chaser with that? Check, please!

Save Money

Now here’s a resolution that even the most cynical resolution Grinch can get on board with. Well, you happen to be in the perfect place for it. Milwaukee balances affordability and luxury as well as just about anywhere in the country, with free and budget-friendly sights to see, places to be and ways to get from A to Z for less during Milwaukee Hotel Month. For the dream save-cation, book your stay at over 30 of the city’s top hotels from Jan. 14 through Feb. 28 to save up to 25%. Then, double down on your discount during Milwaukee Museum Days from Jan. 22 through Feb. 1 and wander through over 20 museums for free or reduced admission, including America’s Black Holocaust Museum, Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame & Museum. An affordable winter escape to Milwaukee checks all of the boxes, including the one next to this New Year’s resolution. We can’t promise it’ll get you back in the gym, though; that one’s on you.

Read More

In an unofficial study of people writing this blog, all of them said that the best way to get yourself excited about reading is by picking out a new book from the bookstore. Sure, there’s that growing pile on the bedside table, but there’s just something about discovering something new. One that really catches your eye, one that resonates with you, that one you’ve been meaning to read, that one staff rec that checks all your boxes, even one you stumble across by coincidence. The possibilities are endless, and at bookstores like Boswell Book Company, Urban Milwaukee: The Store, The Well Red Damsel, Downtown Books, Voyageur Book Shop and Barnes & Noble at both Bayshore and Mayfair malls, there’s a page-turner waiting just for you. Your next chapter is waiting for you.

Learn More

When reading more just isn’t for you (You’re more of a podcast listener anyway, and that counts, right?) Let’s keep it simple. Let’s learn more in 2026. Milwaukee is home to more than 30 museums that cover just about every corner of history, from 65 million years ago to the present. We’re talking dinosaurs at the Milwaukee Public Museum, Georgia O’Keeffe paintings at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the marvels of science at Discovery World and the rumble of an iconic bike brand synonymous with the Cream City at the Harley-Davidson Museum. Take your knowledge to the next level without ever cracking a spine this year. And from Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, you can see all of these museums and more for less during Milwaukee Museum Days. Check out the full list of participating locations to map out your museum crawl and start learning. Next year, you’ll have a brain full of trivia facts and stories to tell about your favorite galleries and exhibits.

Pick Up a New Skill or Hobby

New year, new you, new hobbies. And this time, they’re going to stick because this year, you’re going to have some help. YouTube videos can only go so far to teach you what you need to know, and ChatGPT can’t quite capture the excitement of custom-scent candle making the way a makers’ shop can. Head to Glassnote Candle Bar, where you can craft a custom candle while sipping seasonal cocktails, Bay View Printing Co. to create one-of-a-kind prints on one of the shop’s 14 antique presses, or any of these local makers, ready to prime you for your next favorite hobby.

See More Shows

Your resolution doesn’t have to be a slog or a laundry list of self-improvements. Diets, Dry January and vision boarding can take an intermission this year while you take your entertainment seriously. You can list this one as “experience more culture” on your list, as you make plans to see more live shows than you did in 2025. In the Milwaukee Theater District, Broadway wonks, symphonic savants and indie music lovers have plenty of options and venues to explore. Beyond the district, you’ll find even more venues like The Argo, recently opened in Whitefish Bay, Vivarium, Cactus Club and Shank Hall, where you’ll find local music, up-and-coming acts and comedians as you explore even more of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods. It’s tough work, but someone’s got to do it.  

Play More

As you watched, the ball dropped at midnight to ring in the New Year, something resonated with you, deep in your soul. It’s been too long since you’ve been to a Bucks game. Or a Marquette basketball game. Or a UW-Milwaukee basketball game. Or, as the numbers counted down, the fervent energy of a clock ticking towards the end of a Wave or Admirals game. And maybe even as the fireworks burst in the sky, you miss the roar of a Brewers game as Bernie rides down the slide, fireworks bursting overhead after a home run. Well, for you, dear sports-minded reader, for you we suggest getting in the game with tickets, gear and plenty of New Year’s cheer.

New Year’s Resolutions: Milwaukee-Style

We’ve covered some of the most popular annual New Year’s resolutions, and where in Milwaukee you can go to check them off your list for 2026. But why stop there? Here are a few uniquely Milwaukee resolutions that you can try out this year.

Fish Fry Around MKE

Devour a different fish fry each Friday. There’s more than enough to keep your list full and your stomach fuller through all of 2026.

Eat the Bloody Beast in One Sitting

It’s a challenge of mythical proportions: Sobelman’s Bloody Beast, complete with all the fixings (a whole rotisserie chicken included). It’s a whole meal to itself. In fact, it’s probably several meals in one, and we haven’t even gotten to the drink.

Curd More

Need we say more? Curd. More. Fresh, fried, put into poutine, there’s no bad way to eat these springy little cheese nugs.

Live the High Life

You don’t need to finish a single resolution when you’re living the High Life. The champagne (of beers) is flowing, and the Miller High Life Trail takes you on a journey through the very essence of what makes Milwaukee, well, Milwaukee.

Can’t find a resolution that’s a fit for you? Map out your to-dos and make your very own Milwaukee resolution today!