I love how easy the skywalk system makes getting around Milwaukee. Each skywalk is a little…read moredifferent, some including an insight into some of the history of Milwaukee or the different neighborhoods. I used to live and work downtown and the skywalks were great for getting around in the winter or inclement weather. Now, only working downtown I find it a great place to go for a walk at lunch or get somewhere.

This is one fun tour. I guess I get a little geeked out when walking around and learning about the…read morehistory of things. For Milwaukee it is no less different. I also did not realize how many Skywalks Milwaukee has. They are scattered throughout and show different views of this great city. The lady who gave the tour was awesome and she really is up on the history of the city. It was an informative tour and we also got a little cardio in to boot. Good stuff!

If you haven't signed up for one of their walking tours, you are missing out on some cool Milwaukee…read morehistory and trivia. Also, there little store downtown, just blocks from the Public Market, is a great stop for souvenirs and all things 414.

This store is a gem in downtown Milwaukee! It's full of unique items made by Milwaukee artists. The…read moreplace looks like a charming movie set with dark wood bookcases and enticing display tables. Shout out to Kat who pointed me to some great gifts! While I was there, she also managed a tour group, handing out headsets and answering questions with aplomb. I love Historic Milwaukee for their annual Doors Open event in September, and I look forward to visiting the store whenever I'm in the area- just a short walk from the Public Market or the Hop!

The Milwaukee Christmas Lights & Desserts Tour was just okay, especially for the price…read more The tour felt expensive for what was included. The desserts were minimal and not what we expected - especially since we've been on the bakery tour by the same company and absolutely loved it. Based on that experience, we expected much more. Two of the four "desserts" were a pre-packaged cookie and chocolate, which didn't feel festive or special for a holiday-themed tour. Another thing not clearly mentioned is that the tour includes a lot of group sing-alongs. While that may be fun for some, it felt like filler after the first few songs and went on longer than necessary. Becca was very patient and kind with the children on the tour, which we appreciated. However, the presentation itself could have been more polished - there were several moments where information was forgotten or counting had to be redone, which made the tour feel a bit disorganized. Overall, the tour could easily be condensed to about two hours and would need to be priced lower to better match the quality and quantity of desserts. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't live up to expectations given the cost and past experiences with this company.

What an awesome experience! Every food stop along the way was fantastic -- we didn't have a single…read morething we didn't enjoy. Our tour guide, Emily, was super sweet, very knowledgeable about the area, and brought such a fun, upbeat energy that made the whole tour exciting. We loved hearing all the fun facts about the buildings we passed and the eateries we visited, which added so much to the experience. As out-of-staters, we never would have thought to explore Brady Street on our own, so it was really cool to discover a whole new part of the city while eating amazing food. Highly recommend!

We rented this boat for a Saturday afternoon when we had friends in town. Saturdays are the…read morepriciest date for this rental but so worth it! Kanaloa Tiki provides a captain at no additional fee. The bathroom onboard is small and a few people in our group did use it. Besides the fact that it is such a fun boat with its decorations/theme, the best thing about this boat is seating that is shaded and seating that isn't. It was nice to switch between the two. The boat comes equipped with Bluetooth so you can play your own music. Two hours down the Milwaukee river goes fast! We went all the down to Jones Island and then back to our docking location. There were about 8 of us on the boat and we had plenty of room. We also appreciated the cooler and ice provided by Kanaloa Tiki. You can bring food onboard and there is a nice bar top to put food on. We definitely want to rent this boat again and make it an annual thing!

We rented the tiki pontoon for our book club meeting. We had a great experience. There is no…read morecharge for a driver, and you can bring up to 11 people. Plus, there is a bathroom on board. I have not been fully pleased with the other pontoon rental services in the area who seem to be discombobulated and over run when they're trying to get multiple parties on multiple pontoons at the same time. This was a great experience and well worth the $$.

I have never been to old world Wisconsin before. This was our first visit…read more I had no idea what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised at all the different villages, and the workers they had there in period clothing, explaining to the visitors what they were doing. It was lovely to me and through all the different villages, and take in the history of it all. I would love to see it in fall. I'm sure it is absolutely as beautiful as in every season. Highly recommend for all age groups.

Loved our recent stop here. Got some free passes at the local library so that helped save some…read moremoney. I came here as a kid on a field trip but I forgot how big the whole compound was. Thankfully, they offer trams to bring you between the villages. We opted to walk and it was quite the work out on a late July day. But, loved the experience to help bring us back in time a bit. They do have a few treats along the way like ice cream, food and beer/canned adult beverages/soda, but I definitely recommend you bring water or snacks. It can be a long day if you take your time and check out all the buildings, which I highly recommend. The staff are so friendly and informative and answer questions patiently. Very impressed with all of the staff!!

We had an Awesome time on our boat! Super fun!! Staff was Awesome!! Super clean restrooms & fully…read morefunctional.

Took the 11:30 historical cruise, but bridge # 5 would not raise, so they turned around and…read morereturned to dock at 12:45. They offered to accommodate us on the 2pm "fun" cruise or give a refund. We stuck around and took the fun cruise with the historical narrative added to accommodate us from the historical cruise. The cruise was OK and interesting. The water was a little choppy out in the harbor and the wind got cold being that it was October. But overall a fun & informative experience.

I will never rent kayaks from anyone else. Same-day booking, Team was amazing and even the owners…read morewere involved. Amazing.

Did a regular 4 hour rental. The experience overall was good. The staff was personable and fun…read more They got us set up efficiently and out kayaking with everything we needed. The equipment worked perfectly. Coming back, there was no one to receive us and the gate had been locked to the dock. Someone did eventually come up and get the kayak/paddles after we jumped the gate and called their number. Maybe it was bad break timing but would have been nicer to have someone present when we got back.

AHOY THERE! Where do I even begin?!? First, RUN don't walk to book a trip with Shelly and the S.S…read more MKE! She knows the ropes and is ready to chart the course to good times and a boatload of laughs on the streets of Milwaukee. This little bus is packed with so many joyful things to look at, I almost felt like I should have donned a Patrick Starfish costume. Next time! The boat theme was spot on, down to portholes and seasick bags! We were taking on the city Laverne and Shirley style plus 6 girls to get out of town and have some fun. I think I may have sprouted some abs, all be them well hidden from view, from the amount of laughter that ensued on our travels. We used our local beer pass as a starting point and we had Shelly's guidance to take us to the best destinations. She knew all the hidden treasure locations, pointed out so much about the city and made us feel like we were her new best friends. Logistically, the "boat" is set up with two bench seats facing each other, you can have great conversations with friends as well as face forward to see what is up and coming on your excursion. There is forward facing seating in the far back. The aisle was big enough to bring a cooler on board with plenty of room to get around. The windows were quite large to take in all the sights and of course to shout a hearty "Happy Saturday" to all we passed. If you are reading this and heard the shouts from a weekend in October 2021, yep, that was me! Really, who doesn't love compliments and 90's music floating on the wind on a sunny fall day?!? Really, the only thing I wish for would be that the S.S. MKE was in my town that I could book something with them more often. While this trip was my first adventure, it undoubtedly will not be my last! Shelly is absolutely worth her salt and then some! If nautical nonsense be something you wish...set sail with the S.S. MKE!

Terrible experience with an unreliable service. They cancelled on me last minute for a concert…read morebecause they decided they wanted to go to the concert too. The owner became argumentative with me when I expressed frustration, and she blamed me for it. It was extremely unprofessional and very childish the way she spoke down to me. She said I never confirmed booking. I've attached my email showing proof of my confirmation. I was trying to organize the event with 13 other people at three different pickup locations. So, it took me a while to get back to them with all the exact details. But when I did, she said we were still good; until about a week later when I got the email saying they had to cancel because they wanted to go to the concert instead of fulfilling their commitment to us. So, if you need a reliable service, this is not it.

Doors Open Milwaukee is an annual event when over 100 buildings open their doors for free tours…read more Most tours are DIY, but there are many that are docent-led ticketed tours, for more insight. We've done Doors Open for a few years, and in 2017, decided to focus mainly on the clean water industry, which Milwaukee is becoming known for in industry and University circles. Doors Open Milwaukee had a Water Passport, to see if you could hit up all of the sites. Pack some water, a snack, and comfortable shoes, use the helpful PDF guide or app ahead of time to plot out your stops, or pick up a physical booklet on your first stop. Sites we enjoyed in 2017- Global Water Center Milwaukee County Greenhouses UWM School of Freshwater Sciences Mitchell Park Domes An annual event, you can hit up Doors Open Milwaukee every fall. A great annual City event!

Doors Open Milwaukee is wrapping up as I write this, all done for 2016 but if you missed it, don't…read moreworry, it'll be back next year. It's not too early to be thinking about what places you'd like to visit next year. In case this is all new to you, Doors Open Milwaukee is just exactly what the name implies. Many buildings, structures and businesses that aren't usually open to the public throw their "doors open" on the third weekend of September every year. Places might be theaters (Riverside, Modjeska) government buildings (city hall, courthouses, wastewater treatment plant) structures (bascule bridge, lift bridge) cemeteries (Forest Home, Bluemound) Hotels (Pfister, Ambassador) museums (Wadham's gas station, fire museum, Chudnow, MSOE Grohmann) fire houses (Milwaukee, West Allis) and churches of many kinds including the stunning Basilica of St. Josaphat. New on the tour this year was Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, the last commission of Frank Lloyd Wright. Folks in southeastern Wisconsin have been curious about the church since it was built in 1959 and hundreds of people took advantage of the opportunity to see the inside of this magnificent structure. There is a great deal of "right" with DOMKE, although there are a few issues with it, too. One of the more pleasant issues is that there were over 150 places open this year. Too much to see in a weekend, so one much choose carefully. Parking can be an issue around popular venues, as can long lines. It was even tougher this year with on-street parking restricted in many places due to construction. Remember DOMKE for next year, and remember that next spring, Historic Milwaukee will sponsor Spaces & Traces. See you there!