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STORY AND PHOTOS BY BOB LINDSEY
Each time we visit the clean and tidy streets of Milwaukee we find something new. This was our third visit in ten years, and we rediscovered old favorites and found new adventures and attractions in the Great American City.

If you’re among the thousands still heading up to Milwaukee for what many thought would be Cards-Brewers showdown this month, take time to discover Milwaukee. Another gem has been added to the Milwaukee lakefront and its right next to the architectural award winning Milwaukee Art Museum known for its extensive art collection and its moving sprawling wings.

DISCOVERY WORLD & AQUATERIUM

Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin opened in the fall of 2006 to rave reviews for connecting innovation, science and technology with the Great Lakes freshwater environment. Discovery World is actually three worlds: the Technology Building, The Aquatarium and the flagship S/V Denis Sullivan.

Although many exhibits at the Technology Building are up and running, this hands-on building is for both children and parents alike and still a work in process. You can learn and view how atomic power is made, produce a real TV show in high definition, view the kinetic sculptures, and watch the double spiral staircase shrink down flatter than a pancake, then in half a-minute expand to a height of 40 feet, ceiling to floor. Students will be able to design and build robots and compete in robotic games in the Discovery World Theater.

The Aquatarium, another addition to Discovery World, has both fresh and saltwater aquariums with live sharks, stingrays and Moray eels. An elevator takes you into a walk-through 70,000-gallon freshwater tank full of Great Lakes creatures. Kids can even touch the lake species in tanks. The first floor has a 40-by 40 foot scale model of all five Great Lakes, with dams and live native fish. High definition Internet-2 performances from explorers such as Bob Ballard will be offered soon in the 140-seat all digital theater.

At the top of Aquatarium is the Pilot House, a 90-foot diameter rotunda with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan and Milwaukee. The Pilot House will seat up to 300 and is available for meetings, concerts and weddings.

During the summer, Discovery World is home for the S/V Denis Sullivan, one of the finest ocean-going sailing ships in the world that offers two-hour cruises on the lake. Known as Wisconsin’s Flagship, The Sullivan was built on the lakefront nearly a decade ago by more than 1000 volunteers. The goal was to create a vessel like the ones that sailed the Great Lakes centuries before.

For more information on Discovery World’s hours, attractions and admissions, visit www.pierwisconsin.org.

FESTIVALS & PRESERVATION

Milwaukee is home to several ethnic festivals and the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest. It’s fast becoming a tourist destination for both couples and families. A city rich in history, German heritage, beer and sausage making and historic preservation, Milwaukee is moving it up annually in the rankings of quality American cities. Historic preservation is gaining strength here as Milwaukee was recently named one of a dozen distinctive destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The city is easy to maneuver by either car or public transportation. The diverse downtown area seems larger than St. Louis’ and in the summer there’s a free trolley that takes you around downtown and the nearly surrounding neighborhoods.

A bit like the Chicago waterways, Milwaukee’s relatively new RiverWalk is a seven-block area on the Milwaukee River, which began in 1996 as an urban renewal project. It’s great for strollers, art lovers, boaters and diners who can dine alfresco during warmer weather at the half dozen or so restaurants and bars including an independent Milwaukee Ale House and the Water Street Brewery.

MANSIONS AND VILLAS

The Pabst Mansion, called the finest Flemish renaissance revival mansion in America, is one of only a few remaining homes on the once posh Grand Avenue where dozens of mansions existed at the turn of the century. The street is now Wisconsin Avenue and winds through Marquette University.

German immigrant Frederick Pabst was actually a mariner who rose from the ranks of cabin boy to captain. In 1862 he married Maria Best, the eldest daughter of the president of Best Brewing Company. Captain Pabst purchased a half interest in the Best Brewery and built it up to be Milwaukee’s premier brewery, changing the name to Pabst in 1899.

His interest in the arts is evident when you tour the home, which had no equivalent in Milwaukee or the upper Midwest.

There are 16 large rooms available on the tour, each boasting stunning interiors, beautiful wall coverings, original furnishings and classic German/Flemish wood craftsmanship with intricate ironwork. Open daily. For more information: Pabstmansion.com.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum & Renaissance Garden, a Lake Michigan-front mansion with great lake views. Villa Terrace was built in 1924 for the Lloyd R. Smith ( A.O. Smith Corporation) family after a trip to Italy. The architecture and stairways were inspired by Villa Cicogna in Lombardy, Italy.

This home has a great courtyard and Great Hall and terrace surrounded by the individual rooms. The Smith family donated their home to Milwaukee County to become the Decorative Arts Museum. The gardens were restored in 1977 and today the entire complex looks like an Italian villa on the Mediterranean, except it’s on Lake Michigan. An eight-passenger tram can take visitors up and down the 55-foot climb to the gardens. For more information: www.cavtmuseums.org.

CITY NEIGHBORHOODS

Like St. Louis, Milwaukee has interesting areas just on the rim of downtown, yet they actually seem like an extension of the city’s center core—perhaps because they have more commercial establishments than residential, compared to Soulard or Lafayette Square in St. Louis.

The Historic Third Ward is where you find the Milwaukee Public Market, focusing on Wisconsin-grown products (lots of cheese), plus some hard-to-find items such as sushi and organic fruits and vegetables. The Riverwalk starts here, winding its way ten blocks of waterfront nightlife and shops such as Artasia, for ethnic, religious art and artifacts, and Broadway Paper, a specialty paper store.

Brady Street, on the north end of the downtown area, is called Milwaukee’s bohemian street with more specialty food and retail shops. Folks stroll the streets and sit outside in the warmer months at pubs and restaurants. There are a couple of good frozen custard places on this street, an old-fashioned grocery store and an Italian bakery.

On Old World Third Street, the German influence prevails with the Wisconsin Cheese Mart, the Spice House and the world famous Usinger’s Famous Sausage factory where you have to take a number to get freshly made bratwurst, wieners and other favorites. Third Street is also where you find the Chocolate Tree, Ltd., featuring Ambrosia chocolate. This is one of the top five major chocolate producers in the world.

CITY OF DINING DIVERSITY

Our dining out experiences, thanks to VisitMilwaukee (the city’s tourism board), were diverse with charming city locations. Coast Restaurant is near the lakefront across from the stunning Milwaukee Art Museum and features a variety of American regional cuisine from both coasts of the U.S. Choose from lobster and crab from the east coat, White fish or Walleye from the Great Lakes, or salmon and crab and from the West Coast. Coast has warm weather patio dining, but the lake view is just as nice inside with its wall-to-wall windows and 10,000-square-feet of polished hardwood floors.

Yaffa’s is an upscale restaurant, one of several new ones on the Milwaukee RiverWalk, offering outdoor dining in the warmer months. This is a classic 1940s style steakhouse known for steak, chops and seafood but with Mediterranean -inspired flavors from Spain, Morocco and the Middle East.

Another outdoor dining place we visited was the Rip Tide Seafood Bar & Grill, located at the base of the Milwaukee harbor and sporting a large patio. They offer a casual menus, but again the seafood was outstanding ranging from Walleye (of course) to crab cakes, fried and broiler fish entrees and burgers, salads and other sandwiches. Boaters pull right up to the dock, tie-up and come inside to dine.

During Summerfest (the big 11-day summer of concerts on 13 stages), visitors can sample specialties from many of the city’s ethnic and specialty restaurants at reasonable prices.

Among the locals at Summerfest are: Culver’s (we have a few of these in St. Louis, but not in North County), known for their butter burgers and frozen custard; Saz’s, a Milwaukee institution with great barbecue pork sandwiches; Usinger’s for a brat or sausage; the Charcoal Grill, known for barbecue and bacon-wrapped water chestnuts; Venice Café, known for the fried eggplant strips and sandwiches; Chipotle for southwestern fare; and Pitch’s & Miss Kitty’s Diner and Major Goodsby’s, both known for home cooking. These are just some of them; there are many more and another reason people come early to Summerfest and stay late.

For a complete list of Summerfest activities and groups for 2008 visit: www.summerfest.com. For more information on Milwaukee go web site to: visitmilwaukee.org. or call 1-800-231-09903

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