Outside
Scavenger Hunt
Photo scavenger hunt
waterballoon baseball
Pool
Speed Parking
Crafts (365 things to do)
Volkening Farm
Highland Park pool/Waterpark
Santa's Village
Rainy Day
Library
Glow Golf, Schaumburg
Enchanted Castle
crafts
Monday, July 14, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Spring Break 2014 in Milwaukee, WI
When planning our trip to
Milwaukee, I thought we could do this in about 2 days, but I was wrong.
We went for three nights and we packed it in! (no pun referring to sausage
intended!). As usual, we look for a hotel that has a suite setup, so that
the adults can stay up and visit/play cards while the kids sleep, and has an
indoor pool. This year, we stayed at the
Staybridge Suites – Airport South. They had a two bedroom suite which worked out
nicely as we travel with another family.
The facility itself seemed clean and well kept – our first night of housekeeping
left a little to be desired, but it all worked out. It was a bit further out that we would have
liked, but because we planned out our days to stay within sections of the city,
it really all worked out.
Day 1: Zoo
We decided to meet up with a friend for brunch so we left Chicagoland at 8:30am and got into town at 10:00am almost exactly. We tried to go to Blues Egg, which we heard was quite tasty, but the wait was 2hrs! So, gladly, we ended up at Cafe Hollander. The food was great, the great big tables were perfect for a big group and the space was well suited for our families to have a leisurely visit.
From there, we went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Unfortunately, there is no reciprocity with Brookfield Zoo and for our family of four and the parking, it cost about $50. This was a very manageable zoo to complete in three hours. We actually like to go to the zoo in the winter (although technically it was Spring at 20 degrees) because the animals usually seem feisty and the crowds are low, many of the animals are viewed indoors and it was quite comfortable. There were lots of beautiful peacocks strutting about, the primate house and reptile/fish house were all cool. The African house with the hyenas and leopards was fun as the animals were active. The polar bear was having a lot of fun in his pool, throwing the ball to himself. However, the area where they keep the pachyderms, they were inside in a concrete room and we were outside looking in big windows, was a bit cold and a bit disappointing.
At 4:00pm we went to Lakefront Brewing company for a tour of their facility and some tasting. Although we had a lot of fun on this tour and it was interesting, the tour guide was rather colorful in his stories and language. Much of it went over our kids' heads, but some might find it inappropriate. This tour requires reservations and tickets.
Day 2:
We kicked off the day with a tour of Buddy Squirrel Candy. Our tour guide was a very sweet woman and all the people who worked there, proudly showed off their wears and waved to us as they worked. We got to watch them make marshmallow for the marshamallow eggs, toffee and white-chocolate covered cheesecake (from Suzy's Cheesecakes, next door). The tour finishes in the gift shop where they give each guest a baggy of chocolate treats and a cup of their popcorn. Then, they put out more samples for everyone to enjoy while they peruse the gift shop. All of their treats were delicious! This tour requires reservations and is $3 per person.
For lunch, we went to Cafe Centraal - owned by the same company as Cafe Hollander, a very similar menu and a large beer menu. Again, tasty. After lunch, we walked less than a mile down to Honey Pie for... pie. The kids enjoyed hearty sized cupcakes, I got a traditional apple pie and DH devoured a bourbon chocolate pie. oooeeee. Tasty! Walking there/back was probably a good stretch of the legs and quite needed.
That afternoon, we went to MillerCoors Brewing. We always end up going to at least one brewery, but we decided to do two this time to compare a big/old brewery to a small/newer brewery. MillerCoors was impressive just because of the sheer size and volume. This was a major factory and didn't really have the feeling of the craftsmanship of Lakefront.
That night, we just ordered pizza at the hotel and watched a movie in the hotel theater room.
Day 3:
We started the day with a visit to the Clockshadow Creamery. We thought we were going to be going on a tour of the creamery, but it’s really just a talk, albeit interesting, looking at some pictures of the process and looking through a window into the creamery. Hence its name, this place is right near the world’s largest four faced clock atop Rockwell Automation Headquarters and Allen-Bradley Clock Tower – worth a look up. It’s also near Milwaukee’s Best Brewing. I don’t know if they have a tour, but we did get to peek inside as they were loading up kegs and spent grain. The “tour guide” at the creamery mentioned there was a pizza place across the street that walks across the street daily to get cheese. Might be a good stop if you are there at the right time of day.
Next stop Discovery World. This museum does have reciprocity with the science museums (Adler, MSI, etc) in Chicago so there was no cost to get in. This museum was full of hands on exhibits. The kids had a lot of fun in the technology building especially. They also have a very fun aquarium and a flight simulator that I kinda wanted to kick a few kids out of line to try for myself. The “café” was rather limited – the food was decent but it was very small. Looking around, it appeared that a lot of people brought their lunch and it was okay. This was interesting for both of our kids (ages 6 and 8).
Although we weren’t planning on it, we decided to visit Sprechers Brewery. We were done with Discovery World and it wasn’t quite dinner time, so we figured “What the heck?” Sprechers has delicious rootbeer, but also has an extensive European beer selection and several craft sodas. Sprechers had a nice tour, four beers for each adult and unlimited craft sodas for the kids (or adults!). This was fun because there really were lots of options for the kids to try. This was one of my favorite activities of the trip. Very nice people, not pretentious and lots of yummy soda! You can make reservations, but we didn’t, and they do require you purchase tickets for the tour. I think it was $16 for the family.
For dinner, we went to a very fun themed restaurant, The Safe House, which is set up as a spy safe house and is tucked away in an alley in downtown Milwaukee. My son is very much into all things Spy and this restaurant did not disappoint. It’s an experience from the moment you walk in until the moment you walk out. The food was quite tasty – and the service was very nice. You can request various levels of attention for a fee or you can simply request a “mission” which is a bit of a scavenger hunt around the restaurant. Very fun and well worth it. Also, if you go to the Sprecher tour, you can get a coupon for a free Sprecher beer to use at the Safe House with dinner. On the way out, right along the river, you'll also see a statue of "The Fonz." We didn't get to take pictures as it was dark (and cold) at the point.
Here I thought we'd be done in less than two days and there were a few items we still didn't get in over 3 1/2 solid days... the bio domes, the polka elevator, The Public Market, a few pretty magnificent churches, etc. It's only 90 minutes away - we'll have to make a day trip out of it!
Day 1: Zoo
We decided to meet up with a friend for brunch so we left Chicagoland at 8:30am and got into town at 10:00am almost exactly. We tried to go to Blues Egg, which we heard was quite tasty, but the wait was 2hrs! So, gladly, we ended up at Cafe Hollander. The food was great, the great big tables were perfect for a big group and the space was well suited for our families to have a leisurely visit.
From there, we went to the Milwaukee Zoo. Unfortunately, there is no reciprocity with Brookfield Zoo and for our family of four and the parking, it cost about $50. This was a very manageable zoo to complete in three hours. We actually like to go to the zoo in the winter (although technically it was Spring at 20 degrees) because the animals usually seem feisty and the crowds are low, many of the animals are viewed indoors and it was quite comfortable. There were lots of beautiful peacocks strutting about, the primate house and reptile/fish house were all cool. The African house with the hyenas and leopards was fun as the animals were active. The polar bear was having a lot of fun in his pool, throwing the ball to himself. However, the area where they keep the pachyderms, they were inside in a concrete room and we were outside looking in big windows, was a bit cold and a bit disappointing.
At 4:00pm we went to Lakefront Brewing company for a tour of their facility and some tasting. Although we had a lot of fun on this tour and it was interesting, the tour guide was rather colorful in his stories and language. Much of it went over our kids' heads, but some might find it inappropriate. This tour requires reservations and tickets.
Day 2:
We kicked off the day with a tour of Buddy Squirrel Candy. Our tour guide was a very sweet woman and all the people who worked there, proudly showed off their wears and waved to us as they worked. We got to watch them make marshmallow for the marshamallow eggs, toffee and white-chocolate covered cheesecake (from Suzy's Cheesecakes, next door). The tour finishes in the gift shop where they give each guest a baggy of chocolate treats and a cup of their popcorn. Then, they put out more samples for everyone to enjoy while they peruse the gift shop. All of their treats were delicious! This tour requires reservations and is $3 per person.
For lunch, we went to Cafe Centraal - owned by the same company as Cafe Hollander, a very similar menu and a large beer menu. Again, tasty. After lunch, we walked less than a mile down to Honey Pie for... pie. The kids enjoyed hearty sized cupcakes, I got a traditional apple pie and DH devoured a bourbon chocolate pie. oooeeee. Tasty! Walking there/back was probably a good stretch of the legs and quite needed.
That afternoon, we went to MillerCoors Brewing. We always end up going to at least one brewery, but we decided to do two this time to compare a big/old brewery to a small/newer brewery. MillerCoors was impressive just because of the sheer size and volume. This was a major factory and didn't really have the feeling of the craftsmanship of Lakefront.
That night, we just ordered pizza at the hotel and watched a movie in the hotel theater room.
Day 3:
We started the day with a visit to the Clockshadow Creamery. We thought we were going to be going on a tour of the creamery, but it’s really just a talk, albeit interesting, looking at some pictures of the process and looking through a window into the creamery. Hence its name, this place is right near the world’s largest four faced clock atop Rockwell Automation Headquarters and Allen-Bradley Clock Tower – worth a look up. It’s also near Milwaukee’s Best Brewing. I don’t know if they have a tour, but we did get to peek inside as they were loading up kegs and spent grain. The “tour guide” at the creamery mentioned there was a pizza place across the street that walks across the street daily to get cheese. Might be a good stop if you are there at the right time of day.
Next stop Discovery World. This museum does have reciprocity with the science museums (Adler, MSI, etc) in Chicago so there was no cost to get in. This museum was full of hands on exhibits. The kids had a lot of fun in the technology building especially. They also have a very fun aquarium and a flight simulator that I kinda wanted to kick a few kids out of line to try for myself. The “café” was rather limited – the food was decent but it was very small. Looking around, it appeared that a lot of people brought their lunch and it was okay. This was interesting for both of our kids (ages 6 and 8).
Although we weren’t planning on it, we decided to visit Sprechers Brewery. We were done with Discovery World and it wasn’t quite dinner time, so we figured “What the heck?” Sprechers has delicious rootbeer, but also has an extensive European beer selection and several craft sodas. Sprechers had a nice tour, four beers for each adult and unlimited craft sodas for the kids (or adults!). This was fun because there really were lots of options for the kids to try. This was one of my favorite activities of the trip. Very nice people, not pretentious and lots of yummy soda! You can make reservations, but we didn’t, and they do require you purchase tickets for the tour. I think it was $16 for the family.
For dinner, we went to a very fun themed restaurant, The Safe House, which is set up as a spy safe house and is tucked away in an alley in downtown Milwaukee. My son is very much into all things Spy and this restaurant did not disappoint. It’s an experience from the moment you walk in until the moment you walk out. The food was quite tasty – and the service was very nice. You can request various levels of attention for a fee or you can simply request a “mission” which is a bit of a scavenger hunt around the restaurant. Very fun and well worth it. Also, if you go to the Sprecher tour, you can get a coupon for a free Sprecher beer to use at the Safe House with dinner. On the way out, right along the river, you'll also see a statue of "The Fonz." We didn't get to take pictures as it was dark (and cold) at the point.
Here I thought we'd be done in less than two days and there were a few items we still didn't get in over 3 1/2 solid days... the bio domes, the polka elevator, The Public Market, a few pretty magnificent churches, etc. It's only 90 minutes away - we'll have to make a day trip out of it!
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