Milwaukee Fan Guide

AirWalke

Well-Known Member
Aug 7, 2006
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Des Moines
My wife and I have tickets for session 2 but are only planning to drive in for the day instead of staying somewhere close to Fiserv. Does anyone have recommendations of fun things to do or see that might be near the arena? Hoping to just find parking nearby mid-morning or early afternoon.

I’ve been looking online but also don’t see any fan events or pep rallies going on the day of the games. This is our first time doing anything NCAA tournament related so we have no idea what to expect.
 
I was there 3 weeks ago and posted this in another thread. Milwaukee is awesome!

Some recommendations in the Fiserv area:
-There are a ton of bars in the block east of the arena (old Third Street). Water Street is across the river another block or two east. These bars were all pretty packed and more of the college aged crowd, but a lot of fun and super close.
-Good City Brewing has a location adjacent to Fiserv. They had some excellent beer, and it will probably be a nut house during the games. The Drink Wisconsinably Pub is next door as well.
-Safehouse/Newsroom are a fun pair of bars just off the Riverwalk. Safehouse has a speakeasy theme where you have to play along with the secret password deal to head in. Newsroom is a more normal set up, but cool bar too.

Away from downtown a little
-Brady Street is a cheap cab ride away and I had more fun as a 30 something in this neighborhood. Roman Coin and Wolski's were my favorite bars up here, and the most fun spots we visited that weekend.
-Absolutely do the Lakefront Brewery tour. You could have a great Friday taking the earliest tour of Lakefront, and then walk across the bridge to Brady Street with a nice little buzz. Grab a sandwich for lunch at Glorioso's and bar hop until you're ready to head to the arena.

For Bloody Mary's:
-The Third Ward (just south of downtown) had some really good ones. Cafe Benelux and Wicked Hop (across the street from each other) were my favorites. Both places had very good food too.
-Sobelman's is a little overrated, IMO. Pretty decent bar and worth a stop if it's convenient.
-Steny's was really good, and they had great bar food to boot. Would be an awesome place to watch some of the other games.

Public Market
-Kind of a big indoor market with lots of cool little places. Will be absolutely packed on Saturday AM, so might be a better Friday stop. You can sit at the bar of the St Paul Fish Market and order oysters and Schlitz. I recommend doing this, especially if your wife wants to shop at the little stands in the market.
 
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Weather's supposed to be ****** but the walk along the river is pretty cool and can kind of act as a 'guide' to find different things.
 
Weather's supposed to be ****** but the walk along the river is pretty cool and can kind of act as a 'guide' to find different things.

Good call out, I was picturing the great weather we’ve been seeing the past few days. All day rain/snow could alter plans significantly.
 
please tell me there's a Shotz brewery tour too, or that one of the breweries has a section for that American classic.
 
I'd recommend Central Distilling. One of the original owners was a Cyclone fan, but I think he has moved on. They make some really interesting stuff, such as Kohler Chocolate Brandies.

 
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And don't drive east on 80 without stopping at Mississippi River Distilling in LeClaire. Just a few minutes north of the interstate.

They have lots of products beyond Cody Rody Bourbon and Iowish Cream that aren't on the shelves of local liquor stores.

Here is a link to their limited seasonal releases:

 
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If you're going through LeClaire to get to Milwaukee, you took the wrong road. Mississippi River Distilling is great though.

If you want a good beer stop on the way from Central Iowa, I'd recommend Dimmensional or 7 Hills in Dubuque, and the Grumpy Troll in Mt Horeb, WI.
 
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NCAA tourney sites are so much fun - just a great general vibe with all the fanbases (MKE will be packed with wisconsin and purdue fans, hopefully a lot of cyclones too).

But weather forecast looks miserable - high 30s/low 40s with rain/snow?? That'll put a damper on the deer district and all the surrounding areas with bars and restaurants. Public market and the new 3rd st mkt hall on wisconsin ave would be decent indoor bets.
 

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