Along 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.
A 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.
Butter 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.
Historic 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.
Milwaukee Art Museum
Inside 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.
“Poppies” by Georgia O’Keeffe
“Hollyhock Pink with Pedernal” (O’Keeffe)
“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.
Along the Riverwalk
“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.
Italian 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
