They've put up a bronze statue of The Fonz on Milwaukee's riverfront, and some folks are embarrassed about it. Others are angry, maybe because they think there should be statues of Laverne and Shirley, too. "At least the statue isn't on the lakefront," one relieved culture vulture told me. But Milwaukee is a lot more than just Henry Winkler, Penny Marshall, and Cindy Williams (nice as they may be).
Cultural (and Fun) Highlights
You have to see the lakefront Milwaukee Art Museum (700 North Art Museum Drive; tel. 414/224-3200; www.mam.org), if only for its magnificent exterior. The top, itself a huge kinetic sculpture, is shaped liked a graceful swan, with metal wings that unfold to full glide position and then close up at night. The structure, called a brise soleil (sunshade-like window blinds) by the architect Santiago Calatrava, opens and closes at least three times daily. Many have fallen in love with the building, with Time magazine calling it "the best design of 2001" and USA Weekend saying it's already "one of the five most important buildings of the 21st century." The museum holds one of the largest collections of Georgia O'Keefe's works (she was a Wisconsin native), in addition to collections of Haitian art, German Expressionism, American art after 1960, and American decorative and folk art.
If you're in a hurry, the museum has a special brochure for you, as well as other brochures entitled "If You're Having a Bad Day," "Impress the Out-of-Towners," "Naughty Bits" and "The Blues." Open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas days. Adult admission $8, less for seniors and kids, 12 and under free.
Discovery World (500 North Harbor Drive; tel. 414/765-9966; www.discoveryworld.org) is a marvelous assemblage of permanent and temporary exhibits that are designed for adults but equally enjoyable for kids. I was impressed by the Les Paul's House of Sound exhibit, here they say until at least the end of 2010. Paul was a wizard of innovation, creating the electric guitar and arguably being one of the fathers of rock and roll itself. On weekends here, you can reserve ahead for $12 and take a 10-minute guitar lesson with a visual Les Paul, then take home a DVD showing you and the master during the lesson, a most impressive use of modern technology and unlike anything I've seen before.
The Great Lakes Future exhibit in Discovery World is permanent. The museum is also home to the S/V Denis Sullivan, a three-masted, 137-foot recreation of a 19th-century Great Lakes cargo schooner. They'll take you out for a two-hour sail from the pier here for $50, half for children under 12. Discovery World is just a five-minute walk from the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The Milwaukee Public Museum (800 W. Wells Street; tel. 414/278-2702; www.mpm.edu) has the world's largest dinosaur skull, they say, as well as mummies and a tribute to the world's biodiversity called "Exploring Life on Earth." Admission $11 for adults, less for others.
The Harley-Davidson Museum (400 West Canal Street; www.h-dmuseum.com ) is a boxlike, hard-edged and unattractive tribute to noise and dangerous transport, in my opinion, but if you like bikes, this is the place to come. Four hundred fifty vehicles are the highlight (from 1903 on), but there are also interesting displays of the motorcycle's role in World War II, in police work, and in racing. My favorite is an impossibly-exaggerated King Kong, 13 feet long. And of course, there's Elvis' first bike (1956) and a replica of the 1969 Easy Rider film's "Captain America chopper." I noted a photo of a "silent gray fellow," as a 1912 model was called. A silent model these days would be wonderful on the ear, but probably wouldn't sell to noise-loving fans. Adult admission $16, others less.
The impressive Pabst Mansion (2000 West Wisconsin Avenue; tel. 414/931-0808; www.pabstmansion.com) was built by beer baron Frederick Pabst in 1892 and is a splendid example of the Gilded Age.
Tribal Gaming
At the newly expanded Potawatomi Bingo Casino(1721 West Canal Street, tel. 800/PAYSBIG; www.paysbig.com), you can try different games, eat at several in-house restaurants, or take in a cabaret performance.
Where to Stay
The Comfort Inn & Suites Downtown Lakeshore (916 E. State Street; tel. 414/276-8800; www.choicehotels.com/hotel/wi138)
is, well, comfortable, but a couple of blocks from Lake Michigan. Average in room size, complimentary breakfast, and everything else, so it's a good, moderately priced choice.
The Iron Horse Hotel (500 W. Florida Street; tel. 888/543-IRON or 414/374-4766; www.theironhorsehotel.com) was built for Harley-Davidson fans, since it is near the new H-D Museum. The décor is biker chic, and there are even mud benches in the rooms to allow bikers to remove their dirty boots and clothes without tracking filth around the average-size rooms. There are 17 different wall-size murals in the bedrooms, each of a young contemporary Milwaukee beauty dressed in 1908-era costumes.
More Information
If you can, try to fly to Milwaukee on Midwest Airlines (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com), which is based here. They provide 2-2 coach arrangements in wide leather seats, and try to stuff you with warm chocolate chip cookies en route.
Contact Visit Milwaukee: tel. 800/554-1448 or 414/273-7222; www.visitmilwaukee.org