20250831_161913Along Milwaukee’s Riverwalk (August 2025)

After my visit of Pabst Mansion, I continued my visit of Milwaukee for the rest of the afternoon. My return trip to Chicago wouldn’t be until 18h00, so I had plenty of time to check out what else the city had to offer. I managed to cover a lot of ground, from getting local, Wisconsin grub to getting cultured at a massive art museum. It was a pleasant time spent, to experience a bit of Midwestern culture.

From the mansion, I took an Uber over to the nearest Culver’s, a fast-food chain. First established in Wisconsin in 1984, Culver’s is known for serving burgers and shakes, with a Midwestern flair, including frozen custard and butter burgers. The chain is almost-exclusive to the Midwest, with locations in its native Wisconsin as well as Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa. Culver’s hasn’t quite reached the West Coast yet, so I was keen on giving this Midwestern staple a try while I was in town.

20250831_123701A Midwestern institution

At Culver’s, I ordered the classic butter burger and a frozen custard with chocolate cake bits. Butter burgers are a Midwest creation: they’re literally burgers topped with butter on the bun or patty, which you would think would make for an indulgent meal. My butter burger, however, was strangely dry– even adding ketchup couldn’t quite moisten it. However, the frozen custard was tasty, and I enjoyed the cake bits inside, which added texture to the smooth, sweet treat.

20250831_124703Butter burger and frozen custard

I took my third (and final) Uber back downtown to the Historic Third Ward, a trendy and artistic neighborhood, where there happened to be an art event happening that afternoon. It was lively and vibrant with local artists selling their works, big and small. I checked out a stationery store to see if I could find some postcards and magnets to bring home. I purchased a few, and soon enough, continued my visit of Milwaukee.

20250831_135033Historic Third Ward

Next was a walk over to Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM), situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. As one of the largest art museums in the world, MAM is home to a vast collection of European decorative arts, German Impressionism, and Haitian folk art. Even more so, the museum has one of the largest collections of Georgia O’Keeffe’s works– given that this late 20-century artist was a Wisconsin native, I was especially keen to see her art.

20250831_141707Milwaukee Art Museum

20250831_141933Inside the museum

It was $27 USD to get in, and I spent the next 90 minutes visiting as much of MAM as I could. Just like with the Chicago Institute of Art, the museum was so large that it was impossible to see everything in one visit. That said, I didn’t attempt to cover all grounds, but rather focus my time on the art works I wanted to see, including O’Keeffe’s– I hadn’t been exposed to much of her work until then, but I was happy to see several dozen of her paintings showcasing colorful, natural landscapes inspired by the places she lived in.

20250831_145758“Poppies” by Georgia O’Keeffe

20250831_145846“Hollyhock Pink with Pedernal” (O’Keeffe)

20250831_145925“The Cliff Chimneys” (O’Keeffe)

Following my visit of Milwaukee Art Museum, I headed downtown once more to check out the Riverwalk, which felt like a smaller version of Chicago’s, but lovely all the same. I came across the “Bronze Fonz,” a bronze statue of “The Fonz” character from the 1970s show Happy Days, which was set in Milwaukee– I’ve not seen Happy Days before, so the cultural reference was lost on me, but I appreciate seeing it as a nod to the city.

20250831_161913Along the Riverwalk

20250831_161811“Bronze Fonz” statue

Other than that, I enjoyed my stroll along the Riverwalk and eventually decided to make my way back to the train station to catch my ride back to Chicago. However, the train ended up getting delayed by half an hour, but it finally arrived, and I returned to Chicago just a bit past 20h00. I grabbed an Italian beef sandwich to-go just before returning to my hotel for a late dinner, and soon enough turned in for the night.

20250831_205449Italian beef sandwich

Overall, it was a short, but fun time spent in Milwaukee. I got to have a slice of Midwestern life, and I was happy to have visited another state in the meantime. I hope to return to Wisconsin and see more of the state, as well as the rest of the region in states like Minnesota and Iowa. Thanks for reading about my day trip to Milwaukee, and the rest of my Chicago trip will be out soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

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

37 thoughts on “Destination: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Trying Culver’s, Visiting Milwaukee Art Museum, and Strolling the Riverwalk– PART 2)”

  1. I guess I’m now realizing I’m not familiar with Okeeffe’s work either, so thanks for sharing some of it! I’ve also never tried Culvers. It’s a bummer to hear your burger wasn’t that enjoyable. Looking forward to the rest of Chicago!

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  2. It’s so cool you got to try Culver’s in the state where it was founded. (Btw, congrats on visiting another state!) I heard the closest Culver’s to the West Coast is in Arizona. The MAM looks incredible. I haven’t been to Milwaukee, but it’s on my list. I would love to see that Bronze Fonz in person as I do remember watching “Happy Days” on TV when I was a kid. As he would say, “Ayyyy!”👍🏼Thanks for sharing, Rebecca!

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    1. Thanks, Darlene! I have this interest in trying regional fast food chains on my trips, including Culvers! Definitely not something you can get here in California…I’ve heard that Happy Days was a huge hit when it first aired, but given I’m a bit younger, I definitely missed the cultural reference, haha. One more post on my Midwest series coming soon!

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    1. Yes, it seems that Happy Days holds a lot of nostalgia for Gen X and older, who grew up watching it. Not so much Millennials and younger, haha. It was a cool statue, regardless!

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  5. Being from the Midwest it cracked me up you wanted to try Culvers. We have them in Michigan but I think my family only ever got ice cream from there. I thought the art museum looked familiar and the same architect designed the Oculus at the World Trade Center. Very neat!

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    1. I have this curiosity in trying regional fast food chains on my travels, Culvers included! The frozen custard I had was quite delicious. The architecture in Milwaukee is lovely, and it’s great that there are connections to those in NYC!

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  6. I would enjoy exploring this arty side to Milwaukee, and MAM looks especially good. I love the modern architecture and am rather a fan of O’Keefe 🙂 I grew up with Happy Days and the Fonz so that was a fun sight too!

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  7. Milwaukee seems to have plenty to offer with its vast art museum (I liked the floral works you showcased there) and also the river walk looked pleasant for a saunter. It’s a shame your burger turned out to be dry. I’ve not tried frozen custard – is it like we pour over puddings but frozen or is it more like an egg custard tart- I’m intrigued to find out!

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  9. Milwaukee looks like a great day trip, combining local food, art, architecture and the Riverwalk. I especially enjoyed your museum visit and discovering the city’s connections to Georgia O’Keeffe and Happy Days.

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  12. Apart from an episode from Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi where she goes to Milwaukee and talks about its German connection, I didn’t really know much about the city. But now you got me intrigued! I love the design of MAM, and the Riverwalk looks lovely too. If I ever plan to travel to the Midwest one day, I’ll definitely keep Milwaukee in mind.

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    1. Milwaukee isn’t known for being a huge foodie destination, but it’s really cool that Padma Lakshmi visited to learn about its culinary history. The city is an easy day trip from Chicago, which I would say is the main draw for the Midwest, but Milwaukee also has its gems as well!

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    1. Nice! I haven’t visited the Ghost Ranch before, but I’d like to now after loving O’Keefe’s works in Milwaukee! Alas, I’m a bit too young to get the Fonz reference, but it’s a cool statue to check out!

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  15. It’s funny to read about you trying Culver’s, because many years ago, the first time we took a road trip with Bobbie 1.0 that included (northern) California, I was determined to try In-and-Out Burger. It wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about. 🙂

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  18. I absolutely love the photo of the exterior of the Art Museum. It’s one of the great pleasure of the US, the way buildings such as this are architecturally amazing. Because of the way history is so preserved over here we never get to see anything so modern and spectacular.
    I also find it amusing that you sought out the Culvers Burger place to eat. Burger brands just don’t really feature here beyond McDonalds and Burger King ! If you visit various parts of the UK there are definitely cultural differences and specialities but again they are mainly steeped in historic recipes.

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    1. Given that the US is still considered a “fairly new” country, we do have lots of modern architecture which were built in the 20th and 21st centuries! Regional fast-food chains are definitely something new I discovered, as it gives a hint of the local cuisine in a conveniently-priced way.

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