August 3-12 ideas for mother/son combo (Milwaukee: neighborhood, pros and cons)

[Creo]

Greetings, Milwaukee natives, residents, and fans.

I'm hopeful that you can provide some suggestions for a probable day trip my mother and I will take between August 3rd and 12th. She's a southern Wisconsin native and I'm a Chicagoland native, so we're not foreign to the Midwest, but I have spent very little time in Milwaukee. I greatly enjoyed my visit to the art museum six summers ago, but there's little I've done in the city outside of that.

My assumption is that a first decision is whether to drive up on a weekend or a weekday. What do you suggest based on the time frame in which we'll head to the city? Would a particular weekend day be best due to the presence of festivals, markets, and other events, or might a weekend day be too much of a parking/traffic hassle? I would love to read about all the pros and cons you think up.

My interests lie in what sets Milwaukee apart from other places, especially Chicagoland. I would prefer to do lots of walking, even if that might mean exploring one neighborhood, driving to a different one, and then exploring that second one on foot again. I'm very interested in a city's ethnic heritage, recent or distant, so I would appreciate recommendations for any ethnic museums, restaurants, stores, etc. that you enjoy. One thing I try to take advantage of in any locale is the cultural scene, so if there are any free or reasonably-priced music, dance, or other performances, please provide a link or information so that I can pursue those. If there are any beautiful parks or walks that are worth doing, please let me know which ones you like. Finally, if there are any places for men's shoes or clothing that are unique to Milwaukee and not too expensive, please inform me of where to find them.

As for my mom, she's really into books, so she might enjoy spending time in a non-chain bookstore. She also loves candles, so any candle places that are not also common to Chicagoland may be good stops for her.

Of course, any insight or pointers for Milwaukee's local flavor/scenes are most welcome, whether they are sculptures to look out for, sayings/local personalities that everyone knows about, or anything else.

Many thanks in advance for any input. I hope to gain a better appreciation for and understanding of Milwaukee during this visit and future ones.

Last comment in this post: suggestions for things not in the city itself but suburbs or places nearby are also appreciated.