A couple days in/near Milwaukee (Glendale, Port Washington: Valentine's day, condo, how much)

[razacla]

Good afternoon, everyone! A friend and I are planning a trip to Milwaukee for a couple of days and we had a few questions.

First of all, we are looking for a nice but affordable hotel. Should we be looking IN Milwaukee or is there a nice town near Milwaukee that we would find more of what we're looking for?

Also, is there any places we should be visiting? We love wine, beer, and basically making the most out of our trips. Great places to eat, must visit locations are all greatly appreciated. We are coming from the Chicago area and taking the trip very soon, February, so we would LOVE any tips and ideas.

[razacla]

I'm seeing a lot of hotels by the airport. Is this in a safe neighbourhood?

[Empidonax]

Originally Posted by razacla

Good afternoon, everyone! A friend and I are planning a trip to Milwaukee for a couple of days and we had a few questions.

First of all, we are looking for a nice but affordable hotel. Should we be looking IN Milwaukee or is there a nice town near Milwaukee that we would find more of what we're looking for?

Also, is there any places we should be visiting? We love wine, beer, and basically making the most out of our trips. Great places to eat, must visit locations are all greatly appreciated. We are coming from the Chicago area and taking the trip very soon, February, so we would LOVE any tips and ideas.

It sounds like you'll have a car?

The hotels around the airport are fine, as are the hotels in Glendale (north of Milwaukee) on Port Washington Road. There are many low-budget options in both of these zones, so you shouldn't have problems finding something.

You may want to look at downtown options, too, just in case. Some hotels downtown offer free or reduced-fare parking, and driving downtown really isn't that big of a deal. Consider using Priceline, Hotels.com, or Expedia to find good rates. I don't know much about specific hotels, but I know people have found good rates and enjoyed the Ramada, Doubletree, Intercontinental, Hilton, and the Aloft. I recall that the Ramada has a small parking lot, but not sure about the others, or how much parking costs.

Downtown/Third Ward has lots of fun bars and restaurants. The Safe House is very popular, and Elsa's is popular with the cocktail crowd. Hinterland is an expensive restaurant, but the front bar or back lounge is a good place for an app with some of their craft beer. On Broadway in the Third Ward, Cuvee is a neat bubbly/champagne bar. The Milwaukee Public Market has a nice wine bar and a good seafood eatery.

If you have a car, that means you can explore neighborhoods like Walker's Point and Bay View, both to the south of downtown and closer to the airport (and closer to some hotels you may consider). Bryant's is a very old-time cocktail lounge that you may enjoy, and Sugar Maple on Kinnickkinnic is great for their beer selection. Many of the city's most popular restaurants are in these areas, including Movida (Spanish), Three Brothers (Serbian), Odd Duck (small plates), and Pastiche (French). Less expensive places include Ashley's BBQ (on National Ave.) and Transfer Pizza (my favorite).

For something fun and unusual, maybe try At Random for an after-dinner frou-frou drink. Very old-style atmosphere. But call first to make sure they're open: hours are weird, and the owners have been making moves to quit the business.

Consider doing a brewery tour at Lakefront Brewery (East Side/Brewer's Hill) or Sprecher (in Glendale near the hotel zone mentioned). You may have to reserve in advance.

There are many other possibilities--browse older posts on this forum for other ideas. Have fun!

[TomDac]

The Safehouse. Used to be awesome.. Not sure how it is now. Go for a drink.

The Official Safe House Home Page

[dirt _farmer]

For hotels, I cannot recommend highly enough The Plaza Hotel

It's downtown, close to beer and food and culture, and is a 10 minute walk to Brady Street.

The rooms are old but excellent, with nice kitchens. If you read reviews online, you'll find the only negative being some guests (mostly women with lots of "stuff") find the bathrooms a bit small; otherwise it gets great reviews.

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by dirt _farmer

For hotels, I cannot recommend highly enough The Plaza Hotel

It's downtown, close to beer and food and culture, and is a 10 minute walk to Brady Street.

The rooms are old but excellent, with nice kitchens. If you read reviews online, you'll find the only negative being some guests (mostly women with lots of "stuff") find the bathrooms a bit small; otherwise it gets great reviews.

Cafe at the Plaza always gets good reviews too. If I were you OP, even if you have a car, I'd stick to staying downtown & hanging out there. You've got downtown, Brady Street, Third Ward all just within a few blocks, many of it walking distance. Really good Bloody Mary's at Wicked Hop in Third Ward which is right next to the Public Market where you can get $1. oyster shooters at St. Paul Fish Company. They also have a I think it's $13. lobster dinner. There's a ton of stuff to go to, eat, etc. in that swath from Third Ward through downtown to Brady Street. However, I think the Safehouse is way way way overrated. Skip that & just meander, you'll find plenty of stuff.

[razacla]

Yes, we will have a car! We did decide on a hotel closer to the airport.

Thanks for the info on the Public Market, I love those kinds of places!

Will look into the restaurants and hope to make it to all 3 breweries for a tour!

Also looking for a nice but not too fancy/or romantic restaurant to enjoy a nice dinner at as we will be 2 friends in town during Valentine's Day, if anyone has any suggestions on that. It can but doesn't have to be downtown, if there's a good one in a close by neighbourhood.

Any other "must check out while you're here" spots?

Thanks for all of the info thus far, truly appreciated!

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by razacla

Yes, we will have a car! We did decide on a hotel closer to the airport.

Thanks for the info on the Public Market, I love those kinds of places!

Will look into the restaurants and hope to make it to all 3 breweries for a tour!

Also looking for a nice but not too fancy/or romantic restaurant to enjoy a nice dinner at as we will be 2 friends in town during Valentine's Day, if anyone has any suggestions on that. It can but doesn't have to be downtown, if there's a good one in a close by neighbourhood.

Any other "must check out while you're here" spots?

Thanks for all of the info thus far, truly appreciated!

Café Corazon in Riverwest is awesome. It's Mexican, not too pricey. It's a small venue but it's cute. I highly recommend it.

[GiGi603]

Lake Front Brewery is a must. I have been there three times and each time is extremely fun. They really have a knack for giving you a lot of information about how beer is made and making the information very entertaining.

Another one of my favorites is The Spice House. The also have a small spot in the Public Market. (Don't miss spending time in the Milwaukee Public Market.)
Also if you like to cook, Boelter SuperStore is a fun place to browse around.

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by thefragile

Café Corazon in Riverwest is awesome. It's Mexican, not too pricey. It's a small venue but it's cute. I highly recommend it.

I've always wanted to try Cafe Corazon. How does it compare to say; Botanas or La Perla?

Originally Posted by GiGi603

Lake Front Brewery is a must. I have been there three times and each time is extremely fun. They really have a knack for giving you a lot of information about how beer is made and making the information very entertaining.

^This. The tour & aftermath is a good environment for casual fun. I have a condo right next door and am there more than I care to admit.