20250831_121551Grand staircase of Pabst Mansion (August 2025)

While in Chicago for the long Labor Day weekend, I also decided to squeeze in a day trip to Milwaukee, a mid-sized city located in the neighboring state of Wisconsin. Given it was just a 90-minute train ride away, it made for a doable short visit. I’d purchased my train tickets a few weeks in advance, since I’d be traveling during the holiday time and seats got quickly booked up. Soon enough, I headed out to explore another slice of Midwest culture.

Milwaukee is originally the land of the Algonquian people (particularly those in the Menominee and Potawatomi tribes), who had settled in the nearby Green Bay before moving to the region in the last thousand of years. The natives were at war with the United States throughout the 18th and into the early 19th century, before eventually signing the Treaty of Chicago in 1833 to cede their land to the government under then-president Andrew Jackson, as means of adding to the Michigan Territory.

The city grew exponentially during the 1840s and 1850s, with the influx of immigration from Germany– by 1900, the Germans accounted for over a third of Milwaukee’s population. Other groups, including immigrants from Poland, Lithuania, and Serbia, came over at the start of the 20th century, as well as African Americans throughout the mid-to-late 20th century. Today, Milwaukee has quite a diverse community, yet retains a notable European influence from its immigration history in terms of its architecture, cuisine, and religion.

I headed out of my hotel early in the morning to get to Chicago Union Station, where I caught the 8h25 train to Milwaukee. It was a quiet, peaceful ride, as the train passed through fields of green and even cornfields on the way over. We soon pulled into Milwaukee at 9h50, and I was ready to begin my day visiting the city.

20250831_074148Inside Chicago Union Station


20250831_081459On our way to Milwaukee…

First stop of the day was at Milwaukee Public Market, which was just a 10-minute walk from the station. It’s a fairly-spacious covered market and food hall with vendors selling items like sausages and cheese, influenced by its German community. In fact, Wisconsin is known for producing over a quarter of the nation’s cheese, and has a robust dairy industry. Therefore, lots of the state’s cuisine is milk and dairy-based, and despite my severe lactose-intolerance, I wanted to try it all.

20250831_100844Checking out Milwaukee Public Market


20250831_101002Inside Milwaukee Public Market

One such dish is fried cheese curds, which are an indulgent little snack to have. I was surprised at how much I was served, and they were tasty while piping hot and fresh, with a slight, squeaky chew to the curds. I’ve had cheese curds in Canadian poutine before, so having them prepared a different way was an interesting experience. However, the fried cheese curds were quite heavy and unfortunately, I couldn’t finish them all. Glad I got to try them, though!

20250831_101827Fried cheese curds

I grabbed an iced coffee at a café just across from Milwaukee Public Market before getting an Uber over to my next destination of the day. It was about a 15 to 20-minute drive across town to Pabst Mansion. Constructed in 1892, this is a unique, Flemish Renaissance-style manor that’s reminiscent of the Gilded Age. The home had been commissioned by Captain Frederick Pabst, a German-born American ship captain and the founder of Pabst Brewing Company, which produces the iconic Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. PBR is a classic, Americana brew, and it’s celebrated throughout the country to this day.

Any case, I reached Pabst Mansion and got a timed ticket for 12h00. It was the weekend, so there were many visitors waiting to go inside this Gilded Age masterpiece. Soon enough, we were able to enter, and I spent a bit of time going through the different rooms and floors of this extraordinary building. From the dazzling, red curtain parlor to the blue, hand-painted Delft tiles in the servant’s dining quarters, there were so many intricate details throughout the home and it made the architecture nerd in me very happy.

20250831_120041Main parlor


20250831_121159Dining room


20250831_121505Delft tiles in the servant’s dining quarters

At the risk of this post getting too long, I’ll save the rest of my visit in Milwaukee in the next post. Until then! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

43 thoughts on “Destination: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Trying Fried Cheese Curds and Visiting Pabst Mansion– PART 1)”

  1. It looks like you had a wonderful time in Milwaukee, dear Rebecca, especially as you got to visit Pabst Mansion and try the fried cheese curds. I have to say that Chicago Union Station is very beautiful. I find that embarking on an adventure from terminals that feature soaring ceilings, large glass windows, and beautiful stonework makes the trips extra special. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Indeed! Train stations in the US are underrated, beautiful in their own right besides as stops to get from Point A to Point B. Milwaukee was a short, but lovely day trip, and it was great to visit Wisconsin and check off another state! More of my visit to come soon 😊

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  2. I love a rail journey so I would also have jumped at the chance of taking the train from Chicago to Milwaukee. Pabst Mansion looks beautiful but I think I’d give the fried cheese curds a miss as I wasn’t all that keen on the poutine I tasted in Montreal.

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    1. If only I knew just how large the portions were! The Pabst Mansion was a real treat to visit, and I’m glad I got to squeeze it in during my brief time in Milwaukee 🙂 Part 2 is coming soon!

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  4. I wasn’t aware of Milwaukee’s importance in the US as a main supplier of dairy products. I’m also lactose intolerant, but I can never say no to good cheese! That one portion of fried cheese curds does seem massive, though.

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    1. Yes, same! When I lived in France, I enjoyed my fair share of delicious French cheeses (lactose intolerance, be damned!). The fried cheese curds were delicious, but certainly a lot! But definitely something to get in Wisconsin, aka the land of cheese 🙂

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  5. Inside the mansion looks lovely! I didn’t love cheese curds/ poutine that much on my first try, but I’m open to trying it again. That does look like a hefty serving though, I agree. Looking forward to part 2! All I knew of Wisconsin before was their cheese production, that and interestingly enough my husband had a summer work experience at a ranch in that state, years before we met. 🙂 It helped him gain a bit of cash to finish college.

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    1. I do love a good poutine, although I can understand that cheese curds can be an acquired taste, especially texturally. It’s really cool to learn your husband has been to Wisconsin, and along with China, it seems like he’s been around the world! Part 2 of Milwaukee is coming soon 🙂

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      4. I thought CostCo would have them, but no such luck. Target has a breaded version with horrible reviews. I had them during the annual LB Open Studios tour, which occurs again in Oct, so maybe I can ask the hostess (bonus, she’s part of the LB Crazy Cat Ladies,)

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    1. I admit, I didn’t know much about Milwaukee, let alone Wisconsin, prior to visiting, withe the exception of being a huge cheese/dairy production state. Turns out there are some lovely gems in town!

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  9. That grand staircase at the Pabst Mansion is absolutely stunning! 🏛️✨ There’s something so special about taking an early morning train journey to explore a new city’s history and architecture. Looking forward to Part 2! Great start to your Milwaukee trip, Rebecca!

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      1. Absolutely—the early bird gets all the best sightseeing (and cheese curds)! Early morning travel really is the best way to maximize exploring time. Looking forward to Part 2! Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing weekend ahead!

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  12. A great idea to pop to another city while in Chicago. Unfortunately I can only view three of the photos, I was particularly interested in seeing the fried cheese curds and Delft tiling. We recently did a visit to Delft and the museum there but are hoping to go back and explore it more. Looking forward to part 2 😊

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    1. Something is going on with my photos showing up on my post…let me look into it. Regardless, my visit to Milwaukee was a short, but pleasant one. Never visited Delft, but seeing a piece of it in the US was really cool! Part 2 is coming soon 🙂

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  17. You really made the most of your time in Chicago. We spent (if I recall correctly) three full days there when we visited, but didn’t venture outside the city. Looks like you packed a lot into your day trip to Milwaukee!

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