Looking for a safe place to stay overnight and the best things to see and do at the Museum plus anything else to see and do while in the area. Thanks

 

A bit $$, but Iron Horse hotel is right next to the museum, and very bike friendly.

 

If you're 'bucks up'.. I recommend the Iron Horse Hotel. It's only a few blocks south of the HD Museum on 6th, and very motorcycle friendly. http://www.theironhorsehotel.com/

There's also Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. It's pretty new, and a few blocks west of the Museum on Canal St. The hotel is nice, but the casino floor is getting kind of ghetto. https://www.paysbig.com/hotel

There are several more places just north, such as the DoubleTree on 6th & Wisconsin. I would check with a site like "Hotels.com", and "Trivago" for the best prices.

A few decent 'bucks down' places are near the airport on the southside. There are a couple of easy routes to the HD Museum and downtown area if you want them.

As for things to do... there is a downtown river walk thats pretty cool. It's got some nice boat-ride dinner cruises available. Summerfest is coming soon to Maier Festival Park on the Lakefront. This site has lots of links and info: http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/riverwalk/

For nightlife, the downtown area has some fun places, especially the north end of Water St. There is a restaurant on Water and Juneau called A.J. Bombers that has some great burgers. Around the corner are three Irish pubs called The Trinity. A little bit south, on Water and Wells is a CIA spy-themed restaurant called "The Safe House" that is a must-visit. http://www.safe-house.com/milwaukee-restaurant

Further south on Water and St Paul is the Public Market: http://www.milwaukeepublicmarket.org/main.html

West on St Paul ave around 25th is Sobelman's. Excellent burgers and the most awesome Bloody Marys you'll ever find. https://sobelmanspubandgrill.com/

If you need to get around downtown and don't want to take the bike, avoid cabs and take Uber or Lyft.

You didn't say if you're riding in, but if you are, take a ride up Lincoln Memorial Drive from the Art Museum/Calatrava, past Veterans Park, McKinley Marina and Bradford Beach up to Kenwood Blvd and Lake Park. If you like architecture, N. Lake Drive is lined with old, ornate mansions all the way up to Fox Point and Bayside.

Most of the best riding is south and west, towards the Kettle Moraine South Unit. Look for the town of Eagle on the map, Hwy 59 and 67. The HD dealerships in the area organize rides too. You didn't say when you're coming, so call.

Something to watch out for... There is a major expressway construction project on Milwaukee's west side, where I-94 crosses I-41 near State Fair Park. This isn't just a resurfacing, it's a complete tear down and rebuild, so On and Off ramps can be closed or changed on short notice. There are temporary lanes and lots of orange barrels and stupid drivers. Avoid this area as much as you can. It is NOT a place you want to be on a motorcycle. If you're coming from the west, taking I-94 into Milwaukee... exit the freeway in Waukesha and take Hwy 18 east until you're past the construction.

** Two more things... Call the HD Museum before you come. Ask about the Steel Toe and Behind the scenes tours. For Steel Toe, you go up to the Pilgrim Rd plant for a tour of the assembly line. Behind the scenes lets you get a look at the H-D Archives and collection. I think those tours have to be scheduled. Also, look up brewery tours here: http://visitmilwaukee.org/beer-brewing/brewery-tours/

If you need any other info, I'd be glad to help.

 

Following this as i am headin there in august. Already booked at the iron horse. As for some other recomendations depending where you are are leavin from to get to milwaukee i highly recommend stoppin in la cross and eating at a place called buzzard billys. Hands down the best cajun style food ive ever had

 

If you like cajun, I can recommend two places in Milwaukee... The first is Maxie's on 68th & Fairview, near State Fair Park. I love their jambalaya. The other is Crawdaddy's on 94th & Greenfield in West Allis, also near State Fair. They're a little pricey, but offer a shrimp and lobster pasta dish on their specials menu that's unbelievable.

There is something I've forgotten to add that is unique to Milwaukee. You can get great food in most any city you visit. What you can NOT get anywhere else is real Milwaukee frozen custard. It's like ice cream, but not. Its much more rich flavored. There are a few iconic Milwaukee places to find it, like Kopp's,(Southwest and Northeast) Gillies,(Westside) and Oscars (West Allis)... but my favorite is Leon's on S. 27th St. http://leonsfrozencustard.us/

 

Thats awesome we will have to check that out. Have you been to la cross curt? If not snd you like thst stuff you have to check out buzzard billys we stopped there last year comin home from sturgis and it was well worth the stop. Its a pretty cool town and the food at buzzard billys was fsntastic and pretty cheap i picked up our tables bill 4 of us. 2 gator appetizers, 4 plates of food, and a thing of red beans snd rice and each of us had a beer or 2 and the bill was just over $100. We even left with some food. Im anxious to get to milwuakee. We are only gonns be there 2 and half days so we will be busy runnin around but i like hearin more what locals recommend rather then just the normal tourist trap stuff

 

I've been out to LaCrosse. It's got a big UW campus. Haven't been to Buzzard Billys, but we're putting together a plan to ride the Great River Road, either this summer or fall. Up one side and down the other. We'll have to make a point of stopping at that one. Thanks

 

No problem. That road was just reffered to me. How long does it take? I dont know if we will be able to push the women to the start of it in 1 day haha. But yea def check out buzzard billys. Its a cool *** place. We are goin out of our way just to make it a point to stop there. And not to mention at least 1 way of the trip we wont hsve to deal with chicago

 

I'm not sure what the average time to ride the Road would be. It's something like 250 miles from Kieler at the south to Prescott and Diamond Bluff at the north. The wife and I set our own pace. We ride and when we feel like stopping, we stop. Some folks like to pound the miles non-stop. Seeing the sights and stopping at fun places is more our thing. Her back and hip arthritis says we have to stop for breaks every couple hours anyway. For us, the trip will probably take us 3 or 4 days.

Anyway, here's a link to the Wisconsin side, so we're talking about the same road. http://wigrr.com/

 

Yep thats the road. And we will most likely do a lot of the same stoppin and checmin out some of the scenery but in a bit of a timely manor. Thanks for all the great info