 | Milwaukee Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 184 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (184) On of our trips to West Bend we specially went in to MIlwaukee to see the Joan of Arc Chapel because I had read about it in a guide book.
It was a cold and bleak day, because as teachers we have only travelled in our Summer Holidays (vacation to you American guys) which means of course northern hemisphere 'winter'.
This is the chapel that Joan of Arc prayed in before she was burnt at the stake by the English. Yes it is hard to believe that so many wars through history have seen both sides worshipping supposedly the same God!
Anyway, I digress.That alone fascinated me, but when I read that the stone she kissed,
before going out to be burnt at the stake,
was supposedly perceptibly colder than all the others (and this in a Miwaukee winter!) made both the passionate and the sceptic in me, want to see. So we did! After fruitlessly searching for this colder stone (as implied earlier,they all felt pretty cold to me!) a lady came who was either associated with the Uni or the Chapel itself and pointed the stone
out. Lo and behold it is TRUE!!!!
What's very interesting is the way this chapel, stone by stone was dismantled then reconstructed first in Long Island in 1926/27 next to a French Renaissance chateau also came from France! In 1964 it was presented by the next owners to Marquette university for its next, & final deconstruction/reconstruction. Leave a Comment Address: Marquette University, MilwaukeeDirections: Can't remember, it will be in all Guidebooks.
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Located on Water and Wells Streets in Downtown Milwaukee, City Hall is a really cool building. If you happen to be in town on a weekday between 9 and 5 pm, you can walk inside this Flemish renaissance gem and look up into the awesome eight-story atrium. City Hall was built in 1893. Fans of the 1970s sitcom "Laverne & Shirley" will remember City Hall from the opening credits -- it was the building that had a sign on it reading "Welcome Milwaukee Visitors." The sign is no longer there. Leave a Comment Address: Wells & Water Street, Downtown
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Great place to look at art and take pics. Leave a Comment Address: 700 North Art Museum Drive, MilwaukeePhone: 414-224-3220Directions: WHERE DOWNTOWN MEET'S THE LAKE. Open 7 days per week 10am-5pm except Thursdays open until 8pm Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day admission $8.00Website: www.mam.org
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Most people who do the museum thing in Milwaukee visit the Art Museum, with it's famous winged addition. But on the other side of Downtown on 7th (James Lovell) & Wells is the Milwaukee Public Museum, which despite the bland name is actually a good natural history and cultural history museum. MPM could use a remodeling, but the collection is top-notch. "The Streets of Old Milwaukee" is a life-size representation of a typical Milwaukee street ca. 1900, very well done. The museum has a pretty good dinosaur and geology section, and an excellent Native American collection. Leave a Comment Address: Corner of James Lovell and Wells Street.Directions: The west end of Downtown. James Lovell is the new name for 7th Street. Wells Street is one block north of Wisconsin Avenue, and is a one way street going west. Your best bet if driving is to use Wisconsin Ave, then turn north on James Lovell.Website: www.mpm.edu
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Unfortunately flash cameras and video cameras were not allowed inside the Mansion. However, I will describe here some of the wonderful rooms I saw.
As you walk in you enter the Reception Hall where guests were received and greeted. You are immediately drawn towards the ceiling where an enormous gas and electric wrought iron chandelier is festooned with elk antlers.
The Musicians's Nook. On the evenings when the mansion was opened for large parties, musicians would play stringed instruments in this nook and their music could be heard throughout the house.
Mrs. Pabst's Parlor. The interior design of the ladies parlor is French Rococo in style.The woodwork, trim and moldings are painted in an ivory color and highlighted with gold leaf. The magnificent fireplace mantle is framed with Rococo style carvings that edge the onyx facing. The furniture in this room is original and was custom built to compliment the interior design of Mrs. Pabst's Parlor, which was often the scene of afternoon teas.
The Music Room. Greatly influenced by the Venetian Renaissance style with its elaborately spiraled columns and Corinthian capitals. The walls are covered with Lincrusta, a popular Victorian pressed wallcovering that has been hand-painted. Captain Pabst entertained his family and guests in the music room with performances by popular singers who were accompanied on a grand piano.
The Dining Room. French Rococo in style, the theme in the room's design is the Rose, one of Mrs. Pabst's favorite flowers. The cove is elaborately embellished with gold leaf rosettes highlighted by roses set in shells.
The Captain's Study, also referred to as the smoking room, is an excellent example of German Renaissance Revival. The fireplace grate is original and features Captain Pabst's initials in the center of this intricate piece of ironwork. Leave a Comment
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The most impressive thing that I found about the city was their effective use of the Milwaukee River as a tourist draw. Because it flows through the centre of downtown, an amazing amount of work has gone into making this a great area to stroll, view, eat and relax in. My buddies and I ended up here on the Saturday night of our arrival. It was really great to sit outside at the Rock Bottom Brewery patio and watch all the activity taking place. The river is alive with boats of all sizes motoring up and down the waterway and pulling in to dock at the various restaurants - some with big engines blurbling away! As evening fell, the strings of lights along the river combined with lights highlighting the tops of nearby buildings such as the stately City Hall gave the area a real festive atmosphere. Of course, I had to celebrate with a couple of Raccoon Red beers from the brewery as we sat at our table beside the river! Photo taken looking south along the river from the Wells St. bridge, with the Rock Bottom area to the right where several boats are moored. Leave a Comment Directions: Along the Milwaukee River between Wisconsin Avenue and Wells St., in the downtown core.
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This is still a functioning hotel, be sure to take a look inside the grand lobby even if you are not a guest. The lobby is opulent, with gilding, frescoed ceilings and marble staircases and filled with Victorian paintings from Charles Pfister's collection. It's especially nice around teh Christmas holidays with a grand tree and decorations.
Milwaukee's grandest old hotel was the idea of Guido Pfister who inconveniently died before it was realized. His son Charles, whom is reported to still haunt the place, took over and the Pfister was opened in 1893. It was constructed at a cost of $1 million with new fangled features such as fireproofing, electricity throughout the hotel and thermostat controls in every room.
In the 1960s, the Pfister was purchased by Ben Marcus and the 23 story round tower was added. Although not in keeping with the original architecture, I suppose it helped to keep the Pfister as a functioning hotel and off the demolition roster. Leave a Comment
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You would never think to visit a hotel, but that's exactly what we did. Kristi said we just had to see the inside of the HISTORIC PFISTER HOTEL. The premier hotel in downtown Milwaukee, the Pfister is a 1890's Victorian masterpeice. The hotel features a world-class Victorian Art Collection on permanent display. When you walk into the Lobby you are just amazed at its beauty and as it was the Christmas season, a huge decorated Christmas tree was the center of attraction.
The Pfister Hotel's 82 suites offer sitting rooms, relaxing Jacuzzis in oversized baths, California-sized beds, and large windows with outstanding views of the city and Lake Michigan. The Pfister style is apparent in details such as the 23rd-floor indoor swimming facility, where guests enjoy incredible lake views and emerge for a relaxing massage. The hotel offers 15 meeting rooms with over 24,000 square feet of distinctive space, including two versatile ballrooms. Leave a Comment
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Milwaukee's fine-looking City Hall building was built in 1895 in the Flemish Renaissance style. This photo shows its narrow view looking at the bell tower, but it looks more impressive when its long narrow length is viewed from the side (I just could not get a good photo of its tower that way because of other buildings in the way). Recent renovations have restored its ability to chime out the time at the top of each hour. Since City Hall is only a block away from the Riverwalk area, it is an eye-catching sight during the evening when viewed from the many outdoor restaurants. The tower and rooftop of the building is well highlighted by lighting. Leave a Comment Address: Corner of North Water and East Wells Streets
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Moored along the lakeshore between the Summerfest Grounds and the Milwaukee Art Museum area, was the 'Denis Sullivan'. This replica of a traditional 3-masted Great Lakes schooner was built in 2000 and is available for short day trips where the passengers also can participate as crew members. She is 137 ft. in length, has a 95 ft. mast height and displaces 156 tons. Leave a Comment Directions: The end of East Michigan St., on the waterfront near Pieces of Eight.
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