Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest city, was founded in 1846 as a center for French missionaries. It is known for industry, green spaces, and festivals, including Summerfest, the largest outdoor music event in the world. Milwaukee is home to renowned museums, including the Milwaukee Art Museum and America’s Black Holocaust Museum.
Milwaukee, from the Algonquian word meaning “pleasant land,” is the largest city in Wisconsin. French missionaries founded the city in 1846 as a center from which to spread to neighboring areas. Milwaukee has always been known for its industry, manufacturing factories and financial services companies. Milwaukee’s reputation as a multi-faceted city open to newcomers is only recent, as the city has a history of racial and social segregation that it is now fighting hard to erase.
Milwaukee benefits from being on the shores of Lake Michigan, which gives the city a seaside feel, attracting many visitors. Many green spaces, including Veteran’s Park, are dotted throughout Milwaukee, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy boating, picnics, and walking. Milwaukee’s temperate summers make the city a great place for outdoor activities. In the winter, Milwaukee gets frequent snowfalls, and many of the parks turn into makeshift ice skating and cross-country skiing rings.
Milwaukee, known to locals as “A Great Place on a Big Lake,” holds several waterfront festivals in the summer, Summerfest being the most prominent. Attracting nearly one million visitors each year, Summerfest is the largest outdoor festival in the United States and holds the record as the largest outdoor music-related event in the world. Summerfest is also important to Milwaukee’s economy, as tourists flock to the city for a week of shopping and sightseeing.
Milwaukee is home to two internationally renowned museums: the Milwaukee Art Museum and America’s Black Holocaust Museum. The Milwaukee Art Museum is famous for the design of the buildings as well as the works of Georgia O’Keeffe displayed inside. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, this Wisconsin landmark features a 217-foot wing structure that opens and retracts over the entire museum depending on the weather. America’s Black Holocaust Museum is the nation’s premier tribute to the history of slavery and racial injustice.
Other popular museums and cultural attractions in Milwaukee include: Discovery World Museum, Florentine Opera, Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, Milwaukee Youth Arts Center and the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum where children can experience science, history and the arts of the show. This unique Milwaukee museum is a must for those traveling to the area with children and looking for a way to keep the little ones entertained on a rainy afternoon.
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