The Midwest's 'City Of Festivals' Downtown Area Has Year-Round Excitement, Tasty Food, And A Scenic Lakefront

Milwaukee has gained a reputation in recent years as the culinary capital of the Midwest. It was named the best culinary city in Midwest Living's 2023 Best of the Midwest Awards after local chefs netted a record nine 2022 James Beard Award semifinal slots and the Midwest Best Chef winner (Dane Baldwin from The Diplomat, a Lower East Side restaurant known for its approachable yet innovative American cuisine). Milwaukee's culinary cred got another boost in 2024 as a host city for season 21 of "Top Chef," which featured spots like the historic Miller Caves and Blu at the Pfister, a rooftop bar serving skyline views alongside classic cocktails. From sampling Wisconsin's famous cheese curds to scoping out the fresh finds at Milwaukee Public Market, downtown Milwaukee has a lot for foodies to savor.

And there's more to do in downtown Milwaukee than eat. It's where you'll find the Milwaukee Public Museum, the most visited museum in Wisconsin, which houses more than 4 million objects in its immersive exhibits. There are more museums to explore elsewhere in the city, like Discovery World and the Milwaukee Art Museum on East Town's Milwaukee Street, or unique collections like the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame. For live entertainment, you can catch a Bucks game or concert at Fiserv Forum or see a show in one of the 18 performance spaces in the Milwaukee Theater District. Along with these permanent fixtures, downtown Milwaukee's year-round festival lineup and beautiful outdoor spaces add even more reasons to visit this vibrant part of the city.

Another nickname for Milwaukee is the City of Festivals, and while this accolade is self-given, it's also accurate. There is some kind of festival in Milwaukee every month of the year, with more than 80 total on the calendar in 2026. For example, Summerfest, a nine-day event featuring 600 artists, has held the title of the world's largest music festival since Guinness World Records bestowed it in 1999. Other events for music lovers include the Milwaukee Metalfest in early June and August's Fresh Coast Jazz Festival. For visual art, the Lakefront Festival of Art brings 150 professional artists across disciplines to the Milwaukee Art Museum every June, while Black Arts Fest MKE celebrates African heritage and Black cultural arts on the Summerfest grounds every August.

As you might expect from a culinary capital, food festivals abound year-round. You can sample a range of local food and craft brews while perusing the exhibits at the Milwaukee Public Museum's annual Food & Froth festival. Other festivals focus on specific ingredients or cuisines, like Baconfest at the Potawatomi Casino in March, and on cultural celebrations like Mexican Fiesta, Festa Italiana, German Fest, and Polish Fest (the largest Polish festival in America) that take place at Henry Maier Festival Park throughout the summer.

The festivities don't stop when the weather turns cold, either. You can get into the holiday spirit with Trainfest (the largest operating model railroad show in the U.S.) or Krampusnacht, a one-night multicultural celebration with live music, kids' activities, vendors, and a parade. Annual events like the free Cool Fool Kite & Snow-Carving Festival and the Mittenfest block party make Milwaukee an excellent setting for a family-friendly winter adventure.

Many of Milwaukee's festivals take place on the city's scenic lakefront, and its four waterfront parks are worth exploring between events, too. Lakeshore State Park, near the Summerfest Grounds, has an accessible fishing pier and boat launch. Veterans Park's large grassy area is perfect for flying kites (which you can rent right in the park) and surrounds a 14-acre lagoon for paddle boating. Just north is McKinley Park, home to the McKinley Marina and a long pier for fishing. Historic Lake Park first opened in 1889 and was designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted around the 1855 North Point Lighthouse, now a museum that offers panoramic views of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan from its 74-foot tower. The paved Oak Leaf Trail connects many of the parks and links up with the longer 135-mile trail system running throughout Milwaukee.

Something you might not expect to find in a Midwestern city is sandy beaches, but in fact, Milwaukee was named the most affordable lake town beach vacation destination in 2025. The most popular beach along Milwaukee's shore is Bradford Beach, just south of Lake Park, which is also notable for its accessibility. It was named America's most accessible beach in 2020 after the addition of amenities like rollout mats and beach wheelchair rentals. McKinley Beach, along the shore of McKinley Park, has a play area and wading beach that make it popular for families with small children. If you want to swim, the best time to visit is between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when average highs range from 71 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit, and the water quality is monitored daily, but all of Milwaukee's county-owned beaches are free and open to the public year-round (as evidenced by the polar plunge that happens there every New Year's Day).