Editor’s note: Our Food/Travel Editor, Suzanne Corbett is in Milwaukee this week for a Food, Wine, and Travel writers conference. She got to tour Milwaukee and files this piece with where to eat and go in Milwaukee.
The World Series starts tonight, Friday in Milwaukee. For Rob Rains’ interesting article with a former Cardinals player who actually played for both the Brewers and Rays this past. year, CLICK HERE.
Beer, Brats, Baseball and Beyond: It’s a great time to visit Milwaukee
By Suzanne Corbett, STLSportsPage.com Food/Travel Editor
Milwaukee is over the moon with happiness and pride for their National League Champion Brewers to have a shot after 44 years at a World Series title. And they’re thrilled to share that enthusiasm with everyone who plans to celebrate with them in Milwaukee. So, if you are planning a trip to join the party, what can you expect? Gemutlichkdit- that’s German for good times and hospitality.
Gemutlichkdit is exactly what I found after spending the last four days in Brew City. After scouting around, I got the low down on where the best places are for fans can go to catch a game outside American Family Field. Of course, if you have a ticket to the game, congrats. However, if you don’t I know where to grab a table or bar stool at some of Milwaukee’s iconic taverns and eateries where you can catch a game along with a good time.
Before sharing my picks on here to place to perch to catch the series’ first pitch, take time to explore city and take in the sites. There are lots of places to see and great food to taste, starting with a stop at Usinger’s . The world renown sausage maker whose company has been making German style sausages since 1880.
Established a few years earlier by Fred Usinger, a young master sausage maker immigrated from Germany with a pocket full of sausage recipes, opened shop. Today the company is run by the fourth-generation, Fritz Usinger. Fritz is dedicated to preserving the Old-World sausage making techniques and century old recipes his great-grandfather brought to Milwaukee. Recipes that include the secret to making old-fashioned wieners/hot dogs.
Usinger’s hot dogs became the official Olympic wiener after sending 500,000 dogs to the Salt Lake Winter Games. All 500K were eaten in five days, resulting in an urgent SOS for Usinger’s to send more ASAP.
To sample a hot dog or brat you don’t have to go far. Across the street from Usinger’s is The Milwaukee Brat House. A favorite hangout for Brewers fans who during the season can enjoy its free shuttle to and from Brewers home games.
The place feels like an old throwback corner tavern decorated with a German accent and tons of MKE sports stuff. Its tin ceilings, dark wood paneling, cozy wall niche tables and vintage bar that runs the length of the main floor offers a welcoming vibe for thirsty hungry guests. No wonder patrons packed the place – often spilling out onto the sidewalk beer garden. An atmosphere made for eating brats and drinking beer. So, order up.
I ordered its special Milwaukee Dog – wrapped in bacon, topped with Wisconsin Cheddar cheese and onions, and a beer. That beer arrives in two mugs. That’s the Brat House’s signature two beer service which replaces the tall single glass with a pair of beer mugs.
Another must eat and hoist a beer at is 4Th Base Restaurant. Famous for its horseshoe bar made an appearance in the 1989 baseball movie Major League. The film featured a cameo of Bob Uecker, aka Mr. Baseball, who played Harry Doyle, the fictional Cleveland Indians sportscaster. After the film’s release, the 4th Base made it on the bucket list of countless baseball fans.
4th Base is located within walking distance to the ballpark and has been a favorite hangout for Brewers fans since it opened in an unassuming brick building in 1977. Think of it as a love child between a dive bar and steakhouse. Here the menu goes beyond the brat. Look for half-pound burgers and charcoal grilled steaks. Recommendations: the ribeye shaved steak sandwich and the Italian Bomber. Crab stuffed shrimp, lamb chops to a 24-ounce bone-in ribeye are a few dinner options.
My personal pick is the everyday fish fry – a signature food found at Wisconsin supper clubs. At 4th Base the fish is pan fried Lake Perch or Walleye. Both kinds of fish offers are mild and flakey, and come served with slaw, tartar sauce and a stack of homemade French fries or onion rings. Best served with a local beer suggested – the champagne of bottled beers- a Miller High Life.
Miller Brewery was one the big-name brewers who made Milwaukee famous. To learn more while having a great time, consider the Milwaukee historic brewery tour.
The Miller Brewing Company history tour begins where it began with Frederick Miller when is brought the historic Plank Road Brewery in1855. The 75-minute indoor/outdoor walking tour guides guests through 170 years of brewing history. Beginning with the 19th century caves where Miller’s stored his beer. In 1953 the cave was transformed into an event space/mini museum and continues in use today with events held throughout the year.
Adjacent to the caves is the Bavarian-Style Miller Inn where you’ll treated to a sample beer or a non-alcoholic beverage. Afterwards, tours move into the 21st Century to the Brew House, Packaging and Distribution Centers.
Check out the Best and Pabst family brewery history, which has fascinating similarities to those of Anheuser and Busch. Families who joined together in business and strengthened in marriages.
Begin with a tour of the Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery. What’s considered the core of the late Pabst brewery in the heart of downtown. A renovation that includes an authentic German style beer garden that links interiors beer halls, a pub, a coffee shop and café. Afterwards tour the site of the castle like old brew house . A fortress to beer making reproposed as a luxury hotel.
The riches earned from brewing gave Pabst the cash to build his Gilded Age home, the Pabst Mansion. Built was in 1892 for $254,000 (nearly four million in today’s money), which became the jewel of Grand Avenue. Filled with ornate furnishings and the latest advancements as electricity – wired only on the first floor since Pabst feared it could pose a fire hazard, choosing to light the upper floors open flame gasoliers on the upper floors.
After the Pabst death, descendants sold the house in 1908, it became the archbishop’s residence and the center of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee for more than sixty-seven years. When it was sold in 1975, the mansion was nearly torn down to make way for a parking lot. Today it’s been restored to its Gilded Age beauty and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Back to baseball.
Baseball season wouldn’t be the same without game day give-a-ways. Topping that list of most collectible give-a-ways are bobbleheads. Making the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum a must stop. With nearly 11,000 in today’s collection, the museum began with the personal bobbleheads of co-founders Brad Noval and Phil Sklar, who decided to open a museum when the collections outgrew their homes.
In 2019, after a few years of fundraising and more collecting the shelves were filled and the doors opened. Held within the collection are examples of the earliest bobbleheads, which date to 18th century China and stands nearly three feet tall. Baseball related bobbleheads are among the favorites. Seek out the displays of Cardinals bobbleheads where several rare bobblehead Cardinals in the museum’s collection.
To plan you’re a trip to Milwaukee, reach out to Visit Milwaukee. They have all the intel on the Brewer happenings in town along with beer, history and food tours along with a list of must-see sites as the Harley Davison Museum, Milwaukee Public Market, and where to find the statue of the Fonz from Happy Days on the Milwaukee Riverwalk.
Finally, remember to consider booking your stay in Milwaukee at STLSportsPage.com’s official travel partner,
Additional Information about Milwaukee:
Milwaukee Brewers Playoffs Guide: CLICK HERE.
American Family Field
American Family Field is the home field for the Milwaukee Brewers. American Family Field offers exclusive tours, allowing guests to experience the stadium’s impressive features.
These tours provide access to behind-the-scenes areas such as the dugout, luxury suite level, visiting clubhouse, press box, and Bob Uecker’s broadcast booth. Tours are subject to availability, and guests are encouraged to call the Brewers Tour hotline ahead of time to confirm tour availability. Whether you are watching baseball, hosting an event, or taking in the history of the ballpark, American Family Field ensures an unforgettable experience for all visitors.
VisitMilwaukee.com
Whether you’re looking for the best brunch spots, where to get out and get active, the must-see spots for history buffs, or a bachelorette weekend fully planned, these guides will give you our picks for the top food, drinks, attractions, shopping, and entertainment for the ultimate Milwaukee vacation. For information on visiting Milwaukee: CLICK HERE.
