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I grew up in the Fox Valley and have fond memories of the occasional field trip to the Milwaukee Museum and the occasional family trip to visit as well. It took until adulthood for me to learn there's a button to make the rattlesnake move. (If you know, you know). I enjoyed bringing my own kids when they were little and seeing the exhibits through their enthusiasm. I have nostalgic memories of MPM and I really hope that transcends to the soon to be new facility. I hear the streets of Milwaukee exhibit will be modified in the move. To the powers that be that may stumble across this review - this exhibit and what you do with it when you move will do a lot to make or break public sentiment.
Fun couple-hour activity on a cold Saturday with our 6-year-old grandson. We focused on the highlights, which made for a good visit overall. The free-with-admission planetarium show was a standout. The Africa show (which required an extra fee) didn't really hold his attention. He also wasn't a fan of the butterfly exhibit. It felt overwhelming, and not quite what he expected. Big hits for him were the bugs and spiders, the candy store in the Streets of Old Milwaukee, making the rattlesnake rattle, and of course the dinosaurs. Those were definitely the highlights. Much of the rest felt a bit underwhelming. The Milwaukee Public Museum hasn't changed much since I was a kid, which is both nostalgic and a little disappointing. That said, we're really looking forward to seeing what the new museum will bring.
Though I didn't grow up in Milwaukee and didn't go to this museum as a child, I could easily see why people are nostalgic for this place. The museum had so many lovely exhibits and dioramas, and like many Milwaukee residents, I'm sad at the thought of so many of them not relocating to the new museum. Like, they're not taking the Streets of Old Milwaukee to the new museum?!?! BOO!! Some exhibits were closed (including one permanent closure), but it honestly didn't really affect my experience. There was still plenty to see, and I spent nearly the whole day there.
First time exploring all the exhibits as an adult and probably the last time before the new museum goes up. As a kid, my two favorite exhibits were the old streets of Milwaukee and the butterfly experience. I'd have to say they both still are. Except, I'd move the butterfly experience as number one over the streets of Milwaukee. Being able to watch my nieces have butterflies land on them was fun to see and they both really enjoyed it too. The old streets of Milwaukee feel... old. Like, I get it, that's the point, but I feel like some could be updated or touched up to bring more "life" to the manikin characters. Still worth walking through though! I also found more appreciation for the other exhibits that I likely walked right by as a kid. It's a solid trip to take if you have young kids eager to explore and learn.
I came here with my family for a quick getaway from the city. We came on a Sunday and there was a fairly decent crowd. I truly enjoyed all the exhibits but the one that caught my eye the most, was the Egypt exhibit. There was so much information and it was well put together. The food court has some fairly affordable options in comparison to the Field museum in Chicago. We were able to get 2 slices of pizza, a sandwich, 2 gatorades and a bratwurst for under 50 bucks. We also saw 2 short films at the theatre which the kids enjoyed. I do like how clean the museum was and that they had a butterfly wing! I would definitely like to return in the warmer months and I am excited for the new location.
So lovely we were able to take one last stroll through The Streets of Old Milwaukee, the euopean village and mostly,watch in amazement at all of the beautiful butterflies in their environment. I have loved this museum since I was a child. The Nostalgia I felt today knowing this will soon be all gone, pulled at my heartstrings. I know a new and amazing new museum will soon be here, but, in the meantime, I am grateful for all the memories I felt today. Although some exhibits were already gone, it really didn't affect our overall experience.
We had a ton of fun at the museum! From the outside it looked small... was I ever surprised when we got inside!!! We wandered exhibit after exhibit for hours! From the prehistoric displays to the American history, each display was full of great info. I will say I was surprised at how many people came just to hit the secret button.... That seemed to be one of the biggest draws. We also had fun in the butterfly room. It was so fun watching them land on everyone in our group. I hope all this fun gets incorporated into the new museum. This one is well worth the visit! Plan on spending a few hours here!
I hate to give such a low rating. I heard that the museum is to be moved to a new location and some of the exhibits aren't going to make the move, so I hurried in. After spending an afternoon here, I can sum up the museum as being so dated that it should be preserved in a museum about museums as a relic of its time (it's recursive, I know). The museum was opened to the public in 1884, and it seems like not much has been done to keep it current or modern. Imagine dimly lit hallways with huge dioramas, without much text or explanation about what you're seeing. There's a lot of items in the museum that aren't labeled, so you have no idea what you are looking at. Also, the scant text that is there is quite outdated, potentially having been there since the museum opened. One display said that India has 17 states...well it currently has 11 more since that was written. Some displays are completely empty, with a small placard saying that it's due to the The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA). Do they use that empty space to make it somehow more educational? Nope. It was also awful to see how there was only one worker managing the butterfly wing who controlled the flow of traffic in and out. He went over the ground rules of how to treat the butterflies with respect, but with no one inside to actually make sure the rules were followed, there were plenty of people trying to catch and chase the insects. There were a lot of them dead on the ground. It's also questionable what the educational value there is as there's nothing identifying what species of insects or where they are native. Old Milwaukee was also disappointing since they had storefronts, but it could have been more educational if they researched the people who worked or owned the shops to make it have an even stronger connection to the city, rather than looking old timey for the sake of shallow entertainment. I would not return here again.
Lots of bones in this museum. There's a massive mammoth as soon as you enter the museum. There's a live tropical butterfly exhibit that you can walk through if you like to be surrounded by butterflies. The lockers on the main level were out of order so I had no choice but to pay for coat check. The guy at the ticket stand was helpful.
I had to be talked into going here by my fiancée. For 2 adults, 2 kids and parking, cost was just shy of $100 and this just seemed like too much. But, it was the day after Thanksgiving and I didn't want to do Black Friday shopping and so we went. She told me she had a lot of fond memories of this place growing up going in school field trips. It sold me. Kids are ages 9 and 12 and it was honestly the perfect activity for them as the place was absolutely geared towards them and they loved everything about it. Probably the favorite of the whole family was the butterfly garden. Pretty great experience. We also loved the planetarium which was included with the day pass price. Show was on eclipses and it was great. All the natural history exhibits in the upper floors were worth the visit as was the Streets of Old Milwaukee which the kiddos loved. Honestly couldn't have been happier with the visit. Only drawback was the popcorn we got for the planetarium movie was burnt. If your family doesn't have the money to shell out for this, I saw a flyer while there that said the first Thursday of the month is free admission. I'll post more information in my pics.
There is 3 floors 1 dinosaurs and mid evil times, homes 2 Indian culture it half of the things were missing 3 Australia,Africa,Antarctica culture. It was hard to find the stairs. And part of it was closed.
Our family loves this museum. There's so much to do and discover. I could be here for hours and get lost in the information and exhibits that are so well put together. We can't wait to return.
15 days ago
It is always a great time at the Milwaukee Public Museum!! We visit a couple times a year and there is always something new. Some of my favorites are the butterfly display, the Native American section and the Streets of Old Milwaukee. We were able to get a guided tour of the Streets of Old Milwaukee. We had a knowledgeable guide who pointed out many historic tidbits which added to our experience. There is also a nice cafeteria and souvenir shop on the main floor. I can't wait for the new museum to open next year and see the displays. read more
I love this museum and we come often- at least once a month. I love that it's "old school" as far as it's exhibits and not a lot of screens and technology everywhere, because I'm older and that's how I grew up learning. I'm sure it's very dated to younger children, but the new museum that opens in 2027 should have plenty of that to appease the younger learners. I always learned something new even though we go so often- maybe I'll take more time to read the information in one section over another than I have in previous visits. There's a nice little café area, gift shop, and seating area on the main floor when you first walk into the museum. They also have a nice IMAX theater where you can watch a planetarium show or a special movie about something interesting, like oceans. The streets of yesterday and butterfly room are some of everyone's favorite exhibits, I'm pretty sure, and are must visits if you haven't been to this museum before. read more
I grew up in the Fox Valley and have fond memories of the occasional field trip to the Milwaukee Museum and the occasional family trip to visit as well. It took until adulthood for me to learn there's a button to make the rattlesnake move. (If you know, you know). I enjoyed bringing my own kids when they were little and seeing the exhibits through their enthusiasm. I have nostalgic memories of MPM and I really hope that transcends to the soon to be new facility. I hear the streets of Milwaukee exhibit will be modified in the move. To the powers that be that may stumble across this review - this exhibit and what you do with it when you move will do a lot to make or break public sentiment. read more
Fun couple-hour activity on a cold Saturday with our 6-year-old grandson. We focused on the highlights, which made for a good visit overall. The free-with-admission planetarium show was a standout. The Africa show (which required an extra fee) didn't really hold his attention. He also wasn't a fan of the butterfly exhibit. It felt overwhelming, and not quite what he expected. Big hits for him were the bugs and spiders, the candy store in the Streets of Old Milwaukee, making the rattlesnake rattle, and of course the dinosaurs. Those were definitely the highlights. Much of the rest felt a bit underwhelming. The Milwaukee Public Museum hasn't changed much since I was a kid, which is both nostalgic and a little disappointing. That said, we're really looking forward to seeing what the new museum will bring. read more
8 months ago
Though I didn't grow up in Milwaukee and didn't go to this museum as a child, I could easily see why people are nostalgic for this place. The museum had so many lovely exhibits and dioramas, and like many Milwaukee residents, I'm sad at the thought of so many of them not relocating to the new museum. Like, they're not taking the Streets of Old Milwaukee to the new museum?!?! BOO!! Some exhibits were closed (including one permanent closure), but it honestly didn't really affect my experience. There was still plenty to see, and I spent nearly the whole day there. read more
First time exploring all the exhibits as an adult and probably the last time before the new museum goes up. As a kid, my two favorite exhibits were the old streets of Milwaukee and the butterfly experience. I'd have to say they both still are. Except, I'd move the butterfly experience as number one over the streets of Milwaukee. Being able to watch my nieces have butterflies land on them was fun to see and they both really enjoyed it too. The old streets of Milwaukee feel... old. Like, I get it, that's the point, but I feel like some could be updated or touched up to bring more "life" to the manikin characters. Still worth walking through though! I also found more appreciation for the other exhibits that I likely walked right by as a kid. It's a solid trip to take if you have young kids eager to explore and learn. read more
9 months ago
I came here with my family for a quick getaway from the city. We came on a Sunday and there was a fairly decent crowd. I truly enjoyed all the exhibits but the one that caught my eye the most, was the Egypt exhibit. There was so much information and it was well put together. The food court has some fairly affordable options in comparison to the Field museum in Chicago. We were able to get 2 slices of pizza, a sandwich, 2 gatorades and a bratwurst for under 50 bucks. We also saw 2 short films at the theatre which the kids enjoyed. I do like how clean the museum was and that they had a butterfly wing! I would definitely like to return in the warmer months and I am excited for the new location. read more
1 year ago
So lovely we were able to take one last stroll through The Streets of Old Milwaukee, the euopean village and mostly,watch in amazement at all of the beautiful butterflies in their environment. I have loved this museum since I was a child. The Nostalgia I felt today knowing this will soon be all gone, pulled at my heartstrings. I know a new and amazing new museum will soon be here, but, in the meantime, I am grateful for all the memories I felt today. Although some exhibits were already gone, it really didn't affect our overall experience. read more
We had a ton of fun at the museum! From the outside it looked small... was I ever surprised when we got inside!!! We wandered exhibit after exhibit for hours! From the prehistoric displays to the American history, each display was full of great info. I will say I was surprised at how many people came just to hit the secret button.... That seemed to be one of the biggest draws. We also had fun in the butterfly room. It was so fun watching them land on everyone in our group. I hope all this fun gets incorporated into the new museum. This one is well worth the visit! Plan on spending a few hours here! read more
I hate to give such a low rating. I heard that the museum is to be moved to a new location and some of the exhibits aren't going to make the move, so I hurried in. After spending an afternoon here, I can sum up the museum as being so dated that it should be preserved in a museum about museums as a relic of its time (it's recursive, I know). The museum was opened to the public in 1884, and it seems like not much has been done to keep it current or modern. Imagine dimly lit hallways with huge dioramas, without much text or explanation about what you're seeing. There's a lot of items in the museum that aren't labeled, so you have no idea what you are looking at. Also, the scant text that is there is quite outdated, potentially having been there since the museum opened. One display said that India has 17 states...well it currently has 11 more since that was written. Some displays are completely empty, with a small placard saying that it's due to the The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA). Do they use that empty space to make it somehow more educational? Nope. It was also awful to see how there was only one worker managing the butterfly wing who controlled the flow of traffic in and out. He went over the ground rules of how to treat the butterflies with respect, but with no one inside to actually make sure the rules were followed, there were plenty of people trying to catch and chase the insects. There were a lot of them dead on the ground. It's also questionable what the educational value there is as there's nothing identifying what species of insects or where they are native. Old Milwaukee was also disappointing since they had storefronts, but it could have been more educational if they researched the people who worked or owned the shops to make it have an even stronger connection to the city, rather than looking old timey for the sake of shallow entertainment. I would not return here again. read more
Lots of bones in this museum. There's a massive mammoth as soon as you enter the museum. There's a live tropical butterfly exhibit that you can walk through if you like to be surrounded by butterflies. The lockers on the main level were out of order so I had no choice but to pay for coat check. The guy at the ticket stand was helpful. read more
I had to be talked into going here by my fiancée. For 2 adults, 2 kids and parking, cost was just shy of $100 and this just seemed like too much. But, it was the day after Thanksgiving and I didn't want to do Black Friday shopping and so we went. She told me she had a lot of fond memories of this place growing up going in school field trips. It sold me. Kids are ages 9 and 12 and it was honestly the perfect activity for them as the place was absolutely geared towards them and they loved everything about it. Probably the favorite of the whole family was the butterfly garden. Pretty great experience. We also loved the planetarium which was included with the day pass price. Show was on eclipses and it was great. All the natural history exhibits in the upper floors were worth the visit as was the Streets of Old Milwaukee which the kiddos loved. Honestly couldn't have been happier with the visit. Only drawback was the popcorn we got for the planetarium movie was burnt. If your family doesn't have the money to shell out for this, I saw a flyer while there that said the first Thursday of the month is free admission. I'll post more information in my pics. read more
1 year ago
There is 3 floors 1 dinosaurs and mid evil times, homes 2 Indian culture it half of the things were missing 3 Australia,Africa,Antarctica culture. It was hard to find the stairs. And part of it was closed. read more
My work offers free admission to local attractions and sports so a free pass for the museum was one so I stopped by. It is downtown so you have to pay for parking in a lot or get lucky and find a street meter spot, I got a street spot for $2=2 hours. The museum is 3 Levels with mostly static displays with minimal interactive displays and mostly dioramas of native animals. Lots of bones and fossils with ancient artifacts mostly. The butterfly display is live and interactive so they fly open and free as you visit the display, I didn't do it in fear of injuring one with a door opening or letting one out. The cafe has a nice all glass sun room overlooking a nice outdoor patio for the nicer days to relax and have a meal and a drink. Overall it's an interesting place to visit for an hour to leisurely walk through is about right but if you read everything you could probably spend way mote time in the place. read more
I was one of many chaperones today for 50-3rd graders. We first started off WI stargazing in the planetarium. They were amazed & had so many questions for the program director. It was cool to see the Mke city lights & go out into the country to stargaze & view constellations. Then, onto the new exhibit, survival of the slowest. My favorite was the sloth. It was way more active than the one at the zoo. The other animals were mostly geckos, snakes & turtles. Nothing you can't see at the zoo, but the kids loved the exhibits & it was interactive. The streets of Milwaukee & riding through the decades on the trolly. It was a fun, interactive, fast, eventful day. I recommend the exhibit, but if you like the zoo better, you can see most animals there at the aquatic house. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Another great museum Milwaukee has to check out to visitors and residents. This museum offers four floors of great exhibits. Admissions is located on the first floor along with a large cafe area. Please note, there is not a coat check, however, they offer various sizes of lockers for minimal fee. The map & visitors guide was very helpful and easy to read. On the first floor where we spent most of our time. We really enjoyed walking through the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit. I would recommend walking through the Butterfly Garden. The balance of the museum has various galleries which are very nice and interesting with the descriptions. There's plenty of resting areas on each floors. We had a great experience and I would recommend everyone to check out this museum. read more
7 years ago
Pretty empty on a Friday afternoon. Nothing really called my attention and I felt like it was very over priced. I paid $18 with my college ID. My favorite part was the butterfly room which was a bit small, but many friendly butterflies! I kinda regret coming and spending that much money to come here (I'm from NYC so I'm used to pricy) read more
2 years ago
Brilliant! So engaging that is worth multiple visits. I am not a great fan of most natural science/history museums for some reason (exceptions are several, such as: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Pointe-à-Callière in Montréal...), and I have no great interest in taxidermy. It makes me uncomfortable, and I usually find it a bit creepy. So we usually skip them. BUT THE MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM is a WONDERFUL EXCEPTION! We loved it! It took about ten minutes for us to feel the museum was quite special and extremely engrossing, and it took me even longer to start to understand why. The majority of the exhibits are a work of art! There was great effort and skill put into making you feel like to you actually IN the exhibit, transported to that place. Many exhibits are housed in a movie-set-type of exterior (a South American temple, a Japanese building, etc.), then there is a diorama (some full-size and some miniture) created from extremely well-crafted mannequins, taxidermies, artifacts, dried plants, and so many beautifully painted back drops. (Note: look carefully at the exteriors housing the exhibits, there are often surprises, such as monkeys (taxidermies) on them.) Their rain forest exhibit is on an even grander scale, making you feel like you stepped into the diorama, the whole room is like a diorama. Most of the dioramas are so packed with details that we spent several minutes with so many of them. Many modern science museums rely heavily on "interactive exhibits": press a button here, watch a video there, blah, blah blah ... most of which I find boring and actually less engaging. They lack of depth and rarely spark my interest. I have seen other museums use a dioramas here and there, but the effect of using so many in one place has a cumulative effect of maximizing the feeling of complete engagement. IT IS SO SAD THAT THIS MUSEUM IS GOING TO BE REPLACED. SEE IT NOW BEFORE IT IS GONE! I am not sure what is planned for their new museum that is in the works, but it will be so sad if they don't preserve the special approach taken in this old museum. read more
3 years ago
The Milwaukee Public Museum has been in the news recently for the fact its building is (as stated on the website's FAQs) "falling apart." The situation is apparently so dire, the museum is worried about losing its accreditation. Visiting the place, I perhaps expected the problems to be evident, but on the whole, a visit to the MPM is still the charming and informative experience it's always been. On the top floor, you'll find a couple of areas cordoned off and buckets placed to catch leaks from the roof. Other than that, the building seemed in good repair and the exhibits were clean and well cared for. The Puelicher Butterfly Wing is still an excellent spot to see the wide variety of butterflies up close (but, try to visit at a time when a school group of screaming kids isn't in the small, enclosed area.) The European Village remains an interesting and quiet place to explore. The Streets of Old Milwaukee are still fascinating, especially for anyone who knows a little about the history of the city. The impressive The Third Planet (dinosaurs!) and Rain Forest (currently closed for renovation) round out the first floor--and there are still two more floors left to explore! Admission to the Museum is $18 for adults and kids 14 or older, $14 for seniors 65+, and $12 for children 3 to 13 years old. The Planetarium is an additional $4 (and is worth the few additional bucks). You can also visit the IMAX Dome theater for an additional fee. If you care to store your coat for your visit, you'll find lockers for 50 cents to $1 tucked on the ground floor down the hall next to the gift shop. Don't let the news dissuade you--the museum is still a fun and interesting visit. read more
7 years ago
So I think I just realized my sister and I are nerd's. Well ok, I'm throwing her in there cause she goes with me but I know she likes going too lol. I love going to different museums in every State we go to, as long as its good and interesting we can spend hours at a place. Just like we did here, we stayed up until closing time so we did about 3hrs. So this place had a spider room too and since I was a little traumatised from the museum in LA lol I had to ask and make sure these were locked up behind class or something! They assured me they we're, cool so we good then. Even locked up those spiders looked creepy, man the wolf spider was really ugly looking. It was a pretty cool room though. I noticed we both love seeing and reading about dinosaurs. It's just so interesting looking at how they but everything together. We also loved walking through Old Milwaukee that was pretty bad how they recreated everything, I felt like a peeping tom looking through the windows lol. This is a museum to check out if you're in the area with or without kids, we would visit this place again. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
5 years ago
Go on Thursday got thankful Thursday sponsored by Kohls!!! This place is huge with lots to say and do for all ages! We loved the butterfly garden read more
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More info about Milwaukee Public Museum
800 W Wells St
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Westown, Downtown
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(414) 278-2702
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http://www.mpm.edu
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What day is free to Milwaukee county residents?
Hello Eleanor, Milwaukee Country residents receive $2 off admission every day and the first Thursday of the month is free for all guests.
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