Attraction News

• The highly anticipated America’s Black Holocaust Museum is set to open before spring.
• The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra hopes to open its  new building in the former Grand Warner Theatre in time for the DNC.
• Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is getting a beer garden that will be branded to look like the Milwaukee County Parks beer gardens.

Restaurants & Drinks

• Hot right now: The Domes at Café Benelux in the heart of the Third Ward have returned.
• Cavas, a Spanish sparkling wine and tapas bar, will open early in the new year (if not earlier!).
• The 3^Rd Street Market Hall, which will feature 20 local food vendors, opens in April in the former Grand Avenue Mall.
• Flour & Feed, Bay View’s first food hall and the city’s fifth, is slated to open in May.
• A vegan-friendly, dog-themed restaurant Riley’s Good Dog will also open downtown in the new year.
• Le Reve, the sensational French restaurant in Wauwatosa, will open Troquet in spring 2020. Troquet is an event venue that will also offer cooking classes.
• Miller Park is getting a new restaurant for the 2020 season. It will replace TGI Friday’s.
• A beer-focused comedy club The Laughing Tap is planning to open in Walker’s Point in the coming months.
• The Hoan Bridge, a local icon named after Milwaukee’s second socialist mayor Daniel Hoan, might very well be lit in time for the DNC next year.
• Unlocal Beer Company, a new tap room that serves only out-of-state beers is set to open in spring.
• Broken Bat Brewing, formerly located in the heart of the Third Ward, will move to a much bigger location in April
• Johann’s Cakes & Desserts Café, new bakery that features Puerto Rican sweets, has opened on the city’s south side.
• The Journal Sentinel says Milwaukee is experiencing a bagel revival, including at soon-to-open Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette. You’ll hear no objections from us!

Hotels

• The Milwaukee Athletic Club is undergoing major renovations, and as a part of that they’re adding a 96-room boutique hotel set to open in summer 2020.
• The historic Koeffler mansion will be converted to a boutique hotel in time for the DNC.
• Hotel Metro, the 1920s-styled boutique hotel, will be reopen as part of the Marriott Autograph collection in July.

Events

• Jan. 18-26 is Milwaukee Museum Week. That means 17 local museums have come together to offer special promotions, activities, lunches, and behind-the-scenes tours.
• Feb. 1 is Mitten Fest 2020, Milwaukee’s favor winter street fest filled with beer, old fashioneds, fantastic local bands, and good cheer.
• Jan. 11 is Winter Wales, a rare beer festival hosted by Drink Brew City, the local craft brewery league.
• Perfect for the whole family, Winterfest will take over Washington Park Jan. 25. Dress warmly and bring your sled!
• Mmmm. Coffee & Donut Fest hits Turner Hall Ballroom Jan. 26.
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee hosts its ever-popular Annual Drag Show Feb. 22.
• Prepare your reusable shopping bags! The Winter Farmers Market at the Mitchell Park Domes runs through March 28.
• Mama Tried Motorcycle Show returns March 13-15 so plan to take in the tricked out bikes, the flat-track race, and all the engine-revving fun you can handle.
• Plan ahead for this Milwaukee tradition: The very popular fish fry bus tours resume Feb. 28!

ICYMI: Notable Openings in 2019

• Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, a first-of-its kind hotel in Milwaukee, opened in June.
• Zocalo Food Truck Park opened in July featuring eight food trucks offering bagels, arepas, and more.
• Potawatomi Hotel & Casino opened its second tower and very first spa in August.
• Just opened is Tricolo Peru, a new Peruvian restaurant on the west side.
• A new reason to head to the east side: There’s a new mural by local artist Big Shot Robot  that has a QR code that will open a playlist in Pandora that was curated by the artist himself.
• The Milwaukee Public Museum created a room designed for people with sensory disorders.
• The original Brew City welcomed a handful of new breweries this year: Sahale Ale Works (July), Indeed Brewing Co (Milwaukee location; Sept.), Dead Bird Brewing (Sept.), Hacienda Beer Company (Milwaukee location; June),  and Enlightened Brewing Co (new location; May).
• Milwaukee Boot Co. just opened in Walker’s Point selling high-end men’s footwear.
• The Iron Horse Hotel’s restaurant Ash got a makeover (and a new name/menu) by two James Beard-recognized chefs.
• Our bikeshare program Bublr launched a pilot program with adaptive bikes over the summer. Local officials are now trying to evaluate the next steps for a long-term adaptive bike program going forward. Per the mayor, this initiative makes Milwaukee the first major U.S. city to integrate adaptive bikes in to the docked public bike share system.