Pretty dang awesome, MKE…read more I mean, I know you're probably sort of confused. Students live here? American Apparel/Urban Outfitters/Neroli/Toppers/etc. reside on the ground floor? There's space to park in here, publicly? And for free, sometimes? I mean, what is the whole thing, actually? UWM's Peck School of the Arts lives here. (... at least part of it does.) And there's space for exhibitions and viewings, and it's multi-purpose and an extension of UWM that houses students, provides space for classes and events, and also? Businesses and whatnot. I've been in here before for a number of reasons. The common spaces are lovely, public parking off Farwell at its finest/most secret -- don't you dare take my spot! -- and an integration of public, higher education into the fabric of a more urban MKE environment that's not all Kenwood and Maryland? I like.

We've been coming to this parade for the past 4 years now and this parade has grown in size and…read morepopularity; and is a wonderful family event to kick off your 4th of July celebration. For the past decade plus, we've gone to the Stone Bank 4th of July parade in the little village of Stone Bank near Okauchee. That has grown in popularity that it was getting difficult to get to the parade. So we tried the Waukesha celebration and this parade seems to get bigger and bigger each year. From a single local TV meteorologist to this year at least 3 TV news personalities to multiple high school marching bands and dance troupes and vintage cars and fire trucks, it seems to have grown from 40 minute parade to over an hour now. The parade route begins at the Waukesha Library winding through the heart of downtown Waukesha and ending at the east side near the Fox River. I believe almost 3 mile route so plenty of areas to sit along this route. Plenty of candy is thrown out by the parade participants for the kids so bring a bag to collect it. Most businesses are open along the route so you can go in before, during or after to get something to eat and drink. It always seems to be one of the hottest days of the year, so bring lawn chairs and shade. It doesn't hurt to bring a small cooler with water to keep hydrated. Check it out if you haven't been to it or if you are looking for old Americana tradition during the 4th, this is a good one.

The Wisconsin Beer Lovers Festival is always a good time…read more For an admission price of $60, you gain entrance, a souvenir tasting glass, and unlimited beer and food samples for the duration of the event (which for regular admission price, runs from 1-5pm, or you can pay a bit more to get in a bit earlier). Tons of amazing Wisconsin breweries and eateries are represented at the festival. Highlights for me on the food front were Bar Louie, who brought some amazing soft pretzels that they then dipped in some pretty rockin' queso and Maple Leaf Farms who were offering some duck meatballs that pretty much rocked my socks. As for beer...oh my gosh--with roughly 50 breweries representing--so much Wisconsin goodness! We had a blast trying the many wonderful offerings. There was definitely a beer to suit every palate. The festival takes place at the Bayshore Town Center (on the outdoor streets, which were blocked to traffic). In addition to beer and food, they have live music the duration of the event. Definitely an event I look forward to enjoying again and again. Get to it!

This was so much fun! I had never heard of it before but it is definitely worth it if you like…read morebeer, food, and live music. Luckily there's enough parking in the mall parking garages that we didn't have to look for a spot for long. There were so many breweries I love from Milwaukee & Madison and a ton I had never heard of before too. It was fun to try different versions of my favorites kinds of beer and plenty of new different flavors as well. (Buckets to dump them if you don't like it or want to not get drunk and try more.) A lot of people brought little lanyards or carriers for their tasting class which was smart because there were not a lot of high tops to set down your beer and a lot of the food required more than one hand. That being said there was an amazing variety of food. They had everything from salad, lettuce wrap shrimp tacos, specialty popcorn, cheese, pretzels with beer cheese, potstickers, Mac & cheese, bbq pizza, cold cut sandwiches, fudge, cookies, and more. A lot of places offered coupons or giveaways or things to buy too. The best part is the lines were never too long so you could definitely stop at every vendor if you had a few hours and weren't too full!

I was recommended to try Pin-It Live out after a friend visited-it is similar to the paint…read morenight/board and brush places around Milwaukee with the difference being that you get to pick the craft you are making. For our specific experience I planned this is as part of a bachelorette party. The initial contact we had with the owners was smooth, quick responses, seemed very detailed and helpful. We sent out the info the all of the guests and almost everyone had difficulties figuring out how to book through the site. Once we got everyone booked and all set we got updated on who in our group had RSVPed which was helpful to us for contacting those that hadn't. You had the opportunity to pay ahead of time online fully/pay a deposit or pay the day of. How it works is you can choose a craft from their site or pick your own from pinterest and send them a link (this is the option i chose). I sent in an image of some spoons that I wanted to metal stamp to use as decor in plants. They responded promptly to me request to notify me of the price and that we can do that craft (yay!). The building it is in is a little hard to find because its a shared space so they cant have a large sign on it, but the space they are in is adorable! We arrived and you are offered the opportunity to buy beer, wine, soda, water, etc. and then you can find your name tag and craft supplies all laid out nicely for you. They quickly got everyone started and we were off! I started to try and hammer my spoon to flatten it and quickly realized this wasn't going to happen. It needed to be heated/a vice/something stronger. I asked for some help and they weren't really sure how to proceed but tried! I gave up the idea that the spoons would be flat like in the image I sent in and was just going to stamp them on the back side of the spoon. I struggled to stamp because the spoon was bouncing all over so I asked for a bit of help again which seemed puzzling. One of the staff was able to try and staple/duct tape the spoon to a small square of wood to help a bit. It helped slightly but still wasn't ideal. I started to try and stamp and was unable to even get one letter into my first (of three) spoons. So after myself and a few other girls tried I decided this craft wasn't in the books for me and decided to mingle and enjoy my beer instead. I was offered to make a bracelet instead which I declined and just ended up not being charged. All in all most peoples crafts went smoothly, others not so much. I wasn't the only one with a fail but those that did turn out looked great (ones they listed on their site mostly). The space was great, everyone enjoyed their time I just think they have a few kinks to work out to help people be more successful in the future.

My wife and I went to Pin-It Live as a pre-dinner activity on a recent date night. From start to…read morefinish, we were extremely impressed and will definitely be back. Scheduling a workshop time was super simple and done completely online. Then someone from Pin-It Live reached out to me about the DIY projects we wanted to create. I emailed in pictures of what I wanted to make and they took care of the rest. When we arrived at the studio, we knew it was going to be a fun night. The studio is so inviting and there are amazing DIY projects decorating the walls and tables. One of the owners greeted us at the door and led us to our table where the materials for our project were already waiting for us. She took our drink order and explained the first steps of our projects. My wife and I spent the rest of the time making two great projects for our office. With music playing, drinks in hand (what they call "Creative Juices"), and good company all around it is hard not to have a good time. From start to finish, it took about an hour to complete our project (how fast you complete the project is really up to you). Then the owner snapped our picture and sent us on our way with a good recommendation for dinner. Overall, Pin-It Live is definitely worth giving a try. If you are looking for a great place for a date night, bachelorette party, or to just have someone make your DIY project a breeze - you simply cannot go wrong with the experience they provide.

Maifest kicks off "Biergarten" time at Estabrook Biergarten with a weekend of bands, brats,…read morebretzels and of course BEER! Bring your own glass stein (or pay a $5 deposit) and enjoy full or half liters of Hofbrau beer. They have plenty of food to soak up the beverages including a tasty schnitzel. Or, you're very welcome to bring your own picnic feast (no alcohol carry ins). Have a seat at the common tables and make a friend. Dogs and kids are welcome too! Cash only and parking is a hot mess.

Yes, I do want to try 50 beers. Husband kept track, we tried more than 50 beers. Ridiculous…read more Ridiculously good. This was a pretty good beer fest. I went to the Friday tasting session and I was really surprised that it wasn't jam packed with people. There was enough room for everyone with extra space. You could actually have a conversation with a brewer if you wanted, and there was always a table open to stop at. The beer selection was great! There were plenty of brews that I've never had before and an abundance of sour beers. I kinda felt bad for some of the super local brewers because I wasn't interested in trying something I know I can get anytime and I don't think I was alone in that. There wasn't much as far as food, but it was enough. Let's be honest, I was there to drink, not eat. There were a few goods merchants there as well, helping to break up the drinking. It was a little annoying that they had volunteers manning a bunch of the taps instead of the brewers. Husband was really excited to talk to people from a few of his favorite breweries, but alas, there were only volunteers. The other bummer was that some breweries had different beers for different sessions. Inevitably, the one I picked out from the list was one from a different session. I believe there was also a VIP section, but I'm not sure what else it offered. The whole thing was at Harley, but it could have been anywhere - being at Harley wasn't really even noticeable. Although tickets were a little pricier than I would normally pay, I was pretty happy with this one and I'll likely sign up again for next year!

Well, thanks for the great time in sponsoring this event, Downtown Racine Corporation! I've never…read morebeen to a Party on the Pavement event in Racine, and it did not disappoint. A wonderful smell of all sorts of food in the air, we walked around with the crowds and admired all Racine had to offer. People were having a great time and vendors worked hard to keep up with all the food and drink demands. The weather was just perfect for this, you could find decent spots to park, and it was yet another wonderful event for the year. We all enjoyed the time we had here, and I look forward to coming back another time to enjoy the food and fare again. Music everywhere, people meeting up with each other that they hadn't seen in a while, and so many smiling faces made this an event you'd look forward to over and over. The bike tricks were fun to watch; there was something going on in every area, making it fun to move from spot to spot.

This was our first year doing this. Really fun way to see Christmas lights! When you walk in…read morethere's a beer and hot cocoa tent. They also had a nativity tent we didn't have time to see. The walk is a mile long - the lights were pretty well spaced out - no dead spaces! The walking trail isn't gravel but dirt I think, it was kind of bumpy and definitely would work better if you have a stroller or wagon that has wheels better for off roading!

Grabbed an early bird weeknight ticket a while ago and then packed the car full with family last…read morenight to make it a truly great deal on a light show. Was surprised how quickly the line moved as it looked intimidating when we arrived the lights are fun and I personally love the light tunnel but I think the inside stuff was my grandsons favorite. I think he could have spent a couple hours watching the trains and the singing racoons.