The best way to feel a part of a place is by learning its history. And by visiting the most amazing museums in Milwaukee, you will get to know the Brew City.
With Milwaukee’s prosperous and eclectic history, be it art, environment, science, or just the people’s history, this intriguing city lacks many museums.
With this guide on museums in Milwaukee, you can find everything you need or wish to know about the wonderful city of the United States.
From nature and marine life to the planet’s most legendary automobiles, you will find everything and more here.
By visiting and exploring these 13 most amazing museums in Milwaukee, you will be able to enter the true heart of the city.
1) Milwaukee Art Museum
The building of the Milwaukee Art Museum itself is a historic landmark and is a cause for many people to visit. The elegant and unique construction resembles a sculpture modeled by world-famous creator Santiago Calatrava.
The Milwaukee Art Museum has become somewhat of a legendary site in the city and a remarkable sight along with the vast blue skyline.
Once you enter, you will discover more than thirty thousand exceptional creations of art and antiques. The Milwaukee Art Museum should be on the must-visit list for any individual who is enthusiastic about art and history. The museum is now known as the city’s original art gallery and an iconic place.
It specializes in collecting and conserving timeless old articles and promoting modern artists’ new and emerging talents.
The museum is most appreciated by adults and art enthusiasts and is not exactly for little children. However, artsy teenagers will most likely love it as well.
Here, at the Milwaukee Art Museum, you can anticipate discovering both historical paintings of American and European origin. However, aged Mediterranean antiques, photographs from a wide span of periods, and modern figures are included in the museum’s inventory.
2) Milwaukee County Historical Society
Among the museums in Milwaukee, this is undoubtedly one of the coolest. What can be more fascinating than an actual museum in an old bank?
The Milwaukee County Historical Society is a showroom committed to conserving and maintaining the past of Milwaukee and its surroundings.
It provides an interesting glance at the life of those who dwelled in the city in the 1800s. The museum gathers manuscripts, personal letters, pictures, furniture, apparel, and other private antiques and showcases them in various shows.
Prior demonstrations have represented the account of Prohibition and immigration into Milwaukee from foreign lands. Their present show examines Lake Michigan and how the city has always been molded by its connection to the biggest of the Great Lakes.
3) Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum Milwaukee is devoted to bringing out the past of the Jewish section in the Milwaukee region.
The museum originated in the 1980s with the Milwaukee Jewish Archives and has outstanding art displays. So visit one of the greatest museums in Milwaukee and get lost in the history of a unique culture by the East Side neighborhood of the city.
Here, you will also find events dedicated to the significant part of the Holocaust and the Nazi era.
Even though the museum is captivating and is a center of true Milwaukee history, it can be on the grave and depressing angle, so this museum is best recommended for grown-ups.
4) Harley Davidson Museum
Milwaukee would not have this grand site of history, art, and culture without the iconic legend of America’s beloved motorcycle existing within the essence of the city’s past.
The Harley Davidson Museum is not only for HOGs – it is a must-visit for anyone who believes Harleys to be cool. You do not need to be a car geek to appreciate and admire the legendary vehicle.
Take a stroll through the history of Milwaukee, full of bike displays, to discover two men’s creativity and their way to becoming immortal legends. Here, you will find bikes of all ages. You can even take a seat on a few of them for some awesome snapshots that will surely be a hit on your Instagram.
5) Charles Allis Art Museum
This Milwaukee jewel lies on Prospect Avenue, where you will also find the famous Jewish Museum of Milwaukee. Distinguished designer Alexander Eschweiler developed the building for Charles Allis, who was the first president of Allis Chalmers.
This museum fulfills double goals as it gives a peek at extraordinary art exhibitions while simultaneously providing an opportunity to roam around the gorgeous rooms that induce a feeling of their authentic splendor.
Not to mention, the ever-changing new and fascinating exhibitions that are always taking place in the museum will give you the best Milwaukee experience.
Walking through the beautiful bedrooms, a grand dining room, stunning halls, and even an exceptional library, you are sure to feel like an elegant royal member of the society.
6) Discovery World Museum
All the cities need a fun science museum, and in the case of Brew City, it is certainly the famous Discovery World Museum on the lakefront.
The displays here largely focus on technology and freshwater science and are set in a way that attracts young, curious, and creative minds. They aim to motivate the coming generation of STEM students.
Among the best of their exhibits, you will find a stunning replica of the whole Great Lakes watershed, an aquarium with aquatic realms from all over the globe, a physics laboratory, and a mechanized exhibit that educates children on the internal mechanics and systems of how machinery functions. You will also find a spectacular railroad demonstration as an added fun display.
7) Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Typically, museums are not the most popular places to spend time with the little ones, but the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is a lovely exception.
For numerous kids and teens, this Milwaukee museum is an intro to the vast and interesting universe of history and museums.
The children will certainly love brilliant spectacles such as Word Headquarters or Home Town. The latter lets kids understand and experience real-life settings consisting of grocery shops and banks and lets them become as creative as possible with their imagination running wild.
Betty Brinn is a lovely museum dedicated to spreading interest in history and culture among the little ones. It is surely one of the best museums in Milwaukee to spend time with your family.
8) The Warehouse Art Museum
Found inside an old factory and storehouse constructed in 1924, The Warehouse Art Museum showcases a lasting exhibition of more than three thousand unique and modern masterpieces.
The Warehouse has displays that spotlight an assortment of multi-media creators and artists. Moreover, the place also hosts various kinds of performances, shows, and speeches all year round.
9) Milwaukee Public Museum
Similarly to the Milwaukee Art Museum, this human and natural history museum can be dated back to the 1800s.
The Milwaukee Public Museum is among one of the most beloved museums in Milwaukee, filled with the city’s historic past. The museum’s significant displays of anthropology and wildlife over the years are another popular reason for its fame.
Apart from being the home to vibrant human history, the place is rich with other life forms. Make sure to take some time to experience the spectacular Puelicher Butterfly Wing. Its tropical setting lets tourists and visitors encounter the colorful and pretty butterflies from the near.
You will find exotic and beautiful species among the lovely winged creatures such as longwings, electric blue amorphous, giant owl butterflies, blue wave butterflies, and malachites. Standing among this whirlwind of vibrant hues, you will feel like a part of a wonderful fairytale!
10) Pabst Mansion
This attractive and elegant construction in Downtown Milwaukee used to be the home to one of the city’s most prominent tycoons.
Roam the halls of the residence of Captain Frederick Pabst, who hugely contributed to placing Milwaukee on the globe for manufacturing beer.
Lost yourself in the city’s colorful history while meandering through some of the spacious mansions with ten lavatories, fourteen fireplaces, and mysterious rooms in the study. You can only get to explore this beauty of a building through guided tours, which are available in plenty.
11) MSOE Grohmann Museum
Among the major exhibits of the Grohmann Museum, you will find “The Man at Work – a detailed and vast assortment of arts and statues – dubbed as the globe’s “most comprehensive,” displaying the development of artists’ creations over the ages.
And if you do visit Grohmann, make sure to explore the rooftop sculpture garden for the gorgeous scenic views of downtown Milwaukee. You will be in awe of the stunning workmanship of the roof itself – a display of 12 bronze workers, each weighing approximately 1000 pounds.
12) Milwaukee Fire Museum
The Historical Society of the Milwaukee Fire Department was established in 1981 and is currently only at Oklahoma Avenue.
The museum is devoted to conserving the vibrant history, ancestry, and conventions of the Milwaukee Fire Department. Accessible to the community, the visitors will find a unique exhibition of memorabilia and old fire equipment.
Among the most popular exhibits, there are original station furniture, a firehouse kitchen, a fire alarm telegraph of the early twentieth century, a Pirsch pumper, and a Cadillac ambulance.
13) Haggerty Museum of Art
Placed on the campus of Marquette University, this museum is accessible to all. The Haggerty Museum comes with a remarkable, lasting exhibition, a diverse arrangement of demonstrations, and a busy calendar full of free events, gallery lectures, workshops, and much more.
Entry is always free, and free parking is available near the Marquette University Campus as well.
FAQs on Museums in Milwaukee
Still, have more queries on the fascinating history of Brew City? Read on to find the answers to the most frequently asked questions on the best museums in Milwaukee.
1) Why Visit the City of Milwaukee?
The city of Milwaukee is known and loved in many parts of the world. You should visit this lovely city in the USA for many reasons.
Milwaukee is a prominent holiday destination due to its lovely location on the waterfronts of Lake Michigan, affordability, wonderful hotels, friendly Midwestern hospitality, downtown attractions, trendy diners, cinemas, and sporting games.
2) Which Are the Most Amazing Museums in Milwaukee to Learn About The City’s Rich History and Culture?
With so many centers of history in its streets, Milwaukee can easily be dubbed the City of Museums. Among the best museums in Milwaukee, you will find the names of the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Mitchell Gallery of Flight inside the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, the Chudnow Museum (now closed), and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.
Endnotes: Make Some Historic Milwaukee Memories
Now that you know all that is there to know about the most wonderful museums in Milwaukee, what are you waiting for?
Pack your bags for your next trip to Cream City and have the best vacation of your life. With endless fun and exciting things to do in Milwaukee museums, you will not experience a dull moment. To spend a few hours in the heart of the city’s rich and fascinating past, you only need to visit and explore the most amazing museums in Milwaukee.
