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Milwaukee is a city rich in history, art, and culture. As the largest city in Wisconsin, Milwaukee is home to countless attractions and historical artifacts. Take an adventure and explore the best museums in Milwaukee to learn more about the city seated right on Lake Michigan.

Image by Wokandapix via Pixabay.

Best Museums in Milwaukee

Explore the everyday items of yesteryear which have become the treasures of today.

Learning from the past is the best way to prepare for the future. There is perhaps no Milwaukee museum that is more acquainted with the lifestyles of yesterday than the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear. 

The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear, a non-profit organization, operates as a Milwaukee history museum in a historic building displaying the late Avrum Chudnow’s (1913-2005) extensive and eclectic collection of early 20th Century Americana. 

The museum contains various shops and exhibits from his collection, from between the World Wars, chiefly the 1920s and 1930s era.  

Not only will local Milwaukeeans and visitors enjoy the unique and intimate nature of the collection, but local schools will be able to offer their students a curriculum-based and rewarding experience.

The mission of the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear is to educate the community of Milwaukee about the city’s history during the period between the World Wars through the preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of the collection of the late Avrum M. Chudnow. 

The Chudnow collection and the museum’s historic structure desire to engage the public and facilitate discussion to showcase the changes Milwaukee faced during this period.

The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear is an excellent place to bring the past alive for students through their grade school tours.  All of their exhibits can be walked into instead of walled behind small windows. 

The Chudnow Museum has developed many activities based on the museum exhibit experience and can be incorporated into a school's regular lesson plans for social studies, math, spelling, art and more. The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear also hosts Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts educational programs.

The Chudnow Museum has several vision goals they would like to accomplish:

- To be an educator, leader, and recognized destination in the Milwaukee community.

- To document, research, and conserve the material culture of the people of Milwaukee and their environment through their exhibits and programs.

- To attract, engage, answer questions, and thus promote learning in the community.

Whether you are nostalgic for the past or know very little about it, the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear will show you an up-close and personal view about what life used to be nearly a century ago. 

Information, images, and videos provided courtesy of the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear.

Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear

Be part of an interactive, scientific space and gain insight into how the world works.

What happens when you unite scientific discovery with fun and interactive displays? The Discovery World, of course. Milwaukee's own Discovery World is a museum which features hands-on interaction with scientific concepts and ideas. 

It is a museum which inspires adults and children alike to play, create, and learn. After all, no matter how old or how young you are, there is always something new to discover.

Discovery Center is a center which focuses on technological advancement and scientific progress. It places an emphasis on education, innovation, and conservation - especially in the area of freshwater sciences. Many of the displays focus on the local community of Milwaukee or the Great Lakes. 

The Discovery Center wants to create a lasting impact on youth outside of a traditional classroom. Their primary goal is to inspire the next generation of educators, engineers, scientists, and designers.

With a size of 120,000 sq. ft., there is plenty to do and see inside the center. They showcase a variety of interactive exhibits, have two theaters, maintain the Reiman Aquarium, and house the Dennis Sullivan, Wisconsin's official flagship. 

In addition to regular museum content, they also offer other forms of programming: community partnership programming, summer camp, boy scout and girl scout programming, and more.

If your child has any interest in science or technology, bring them down to the Discovery World. Challenge them with the Maze & Brain Games. Amaze them with the Virtual Explorer. Spark their creativity with the Design It! Lab.  Immerse them in music in Les Paul's House of Sound. 

With these activities and others, you will help spark their inner love for the sciences.

Cover and logo images by xersti via Flickr


Discovery World

Tour a museum devoted to the working class and appreciate the beauty of a life well lived.

The Grohmann Museum has the world's largest collection of art which is devoted to the evolution of human work. It has more than 1,400 pieces focused on working men and women, including sculptures, paintings, and written literature. The collection age ranges from the year 1580 to the present. 

All the artworks focus on the task of organized work, yet vary in exact content and context. Some illustrate farming, others depict trades such as glassblowers, while certain works feature machines and industrialization. The exact job does not matter; so long as it features working, it has a place at the Grohmann Museum.

The Grohmann Museum is a part of the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  The museum itself is made up of a collection belonging to only a single person: Dr. Eckhart Grohmann. Grohmann is a Milwaukee businessman and art-collector who used his funds to purchase, renovate and operate the museum. As the primary donor and collector, Grohmann is responsible for the cultivation of the museum as it currently is today. 

The layout and design of the museum itself can be seen as a work of art. Visitors are greeted at the main entrance with a steel and glass dome. The stained glass in the dome replicates images from the gallery. 

There is also the rooftop section, which is intricately designed as well. Covered in foliage and sculptures abound, visitors gain a beautiful overlook of the city while appreciating 9-foot bronze statues standing on the roofline.

With three floors of galleries, a cafe, a rooftop garden, and a store, the Grohmann Museum has more than enough in-store to take up your entire day. If you appreciate the human work ethic, then this is the place for you. Stop by and support the art of the worker.

Cover and logo image "flag on top of working museum" by Centrilobular is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

Grohmann Museum

Discover a rich past of automotive history by viewing the previous versions of automobile design.

Ever want to see a vintage car in its original glory? The Wisconsin Automotive Museum does just this, making history come alive. Showcasing transportation history, the museum is Wisconsin’s largest auto museum, featuring an ever-changing display of classic and vintage autos and artifacts plus the largest assembled group of Hartford-built Kissel luxury automobiles.

The Wisconsin Automotive Museum works with several other organizations. The Nash Car Club of America has space within the museum dedicated to the Wisconsin based vehicles and related memorabilia. The Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society and Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame also maintains special display areas for their vehicles.

The museum prides itself on its special collection of rare Kissel cars. The high caliber Kissel automobiles were manufactured in Hartford 1906 – 1931, making Kissel the second-longest car manufacturer in Wisconsin.  Of the 27,000 produced fewer than 150 are known to exist today, with 25 currently exhibited at the museum.  

The most famous Kissel model was the two passenger Speedster, nicknamed the “Gold Bug.”  Gold Bug owners included celebrities of the day such as Amelia Earhart, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Greta Garbo, and Fatty Arbuckle.  A wide selection of models including 4 passenger, coupes, touring cars, fire engines, and trucks are part of the collection.

The museum’s striking art deco interior sets off 110+ vehicles on exhibit, including Pontiacs, Studebakers, Chevrolets, Kaisers, Fords, and other cars from around the world.  

The museum opened in July 1986 with 46 cars on the first floor.  Over the years the second floor was renovated and the number of cars now stays in the range of 115 vehicles.

The automotive museum does not just have cars. In addition, the museum is home to and showcases the 1913 #1003 Soo Line steam locomotive along with other railroad artifacts.

The collection is rounded out by displays of automotive artifacts such as gas pumps, signs, license plates, oil cans, and other petroliana.  An assortment of outboard engines built in Hartford from 1930s – 1990s are also on display.

For the car lovers out there, come visit the Wisconsin Automotive Museum and experience a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see older models as they were meant to be.

Images and information provided courtesy of the Wisconsin Automotive Museum

Wisconsin Automotive Museum

Learn about the global franchise that inspired generations of motorcycle riders.

Harley-Davidson is a brand known by both motorcycle enthusiasts and non-riders alike. Stemming across the generations, the influence of the Harley has yet to wain. The Harley-Davidson Museum, located near downtown Milwaukee, seeks to tell the story of its evolving history in the automotive bicycle industry.

With over 100 years of business experience, Harley-Davidson motorcycles have a lot to show for its efforts. The Harley-Davidson Museum is home to over 450 different Harley-Davidson motorcycles. 

It also houses hundreds of thousands of different relics gathered by the company since its founding in 1903. The museum has many items on display, such as old advertisements, posters, photographs, trophies, clothes, video footage, and more.


Harley-Davidson itself was created in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and chose the museum purposefully close to home. The Harley-Davidson Museum was established in 2008 and has continually changed since its inception. It doesn't just focus on the past, but instead combines its history with the present. 

The museum is split into different sections: "The Motorcycle Gallery," "The Harley-Davidson Journey," "The Engine Room," "Clubs and Competitions," "Tank Gallery" and "Custom Culture". Each of these focuses on a different aspect of the Harley experience. The museum currently offers both temporary and permanent exhibits.

If you are looking for more beyond the showrooms, Harley-Davidson offers an array of entertainment. Inside the museum, there is the Motor® restaurant & bar, a cafe, the H-D museum shop, and special event spaces.

Beyond the doors, the museum also hosts a wide range of outside events. This includes concert series, stunt shows, rallies, biking demos, charitable events and more.

The Harley-Davidson Museum has something in store for everyone. From its special events to its exhibits, its unique culture is what has helped to define the motorcycle lifestyle.

Cover Image "H-D Museum" by Traveloscopy is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Logo Image by Tama66 via Pixabay

Harley-Davidson Museum

Browse the numerous masterpieces located in one of Milwaukee's architectural wonders.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is the largest art museum in Wisconsin and one of the largest museums in the United States. It was established in 1888 as Milwaukee's first art gallery and has since grown in size and influence, hosting over 400,000 visitors annually. 

The 341,000-square-foot museum is made up of three buildings, each designed by a different architect: War Memorial Center (Eero Saarinen), Quadracci Pavilion (Santiago Calatrava), and Cudahy Gardens (Dan Kiley). 

The museum has four floors of artwork with forty galleries rotated on a  regular basis. It hosts pieces from the period of antiquity up until the present age. 

There is a wide range of mediums presented throughout the galleries, such as sculptures, paintings, photographs, drawings, and more. Overall, the museum's total collection shows a wider picture of what humanity is capable of in the realm of art. 

The Milwaukee Art Museum also features quarterly-changing exhibits, such as Charles Radtke: Contained and Nares: Moves, both of which are currently on view. Beyond the galleries and exhibits, there are also art classes, yoga instruction, facility tours, cafes, lectures, films, and other events.

No visit to Milwaukee is complete without a visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum. For the avid art-lover, this museum is a must-see. From its unique architectural design to its gallery of over 30,000 works, it is not an experience to be underestimated. With some of the biggest names in art in its collection, such as Pablo Picasso, Georgia O'Keeffe, Claude Monet, and Andy Warhol, you'll want to come back time and time again to see the masterpieces.

Cover and logo image by Wokandapix via Pixabay

Milwaukee Art Museum

Bring your children to a unique, fun, and creative learning experience in the heart of Milwaukee.

Many museums are aimed at adult education, focusing on complex ideas that might be harder for younger audiences to understand. Fortunately, this is not the case at Betty Brinn Children's Museum. 

This entire facility is dedicated to helping children ages 1-10 understand the world through fun and creativity. It is specifically designed with only children in mind, providing hands-on interactive experiences which they can relate to.

The structure of the museum is ordered to help children develop different types of skills necessary for healthy life growth. They focus on building literacy, problem-solving, introductory math and science skills, emotional and physical development, as well as social communication. 

The museum seeks to prepare younger generations for school, giving them the resources they need before they formally start in the education system. The museum also wishes to educate adults on the importance of early learning when it comes to the academic and lifelong success of a child.

The Betty Brinn Children's Museum opened April 4, 1995, due to the efforts of three Milwaukee women: Therese Binder, Susie Gruenberg, and Julie Sattler-Rosene. It began as a grassroots movement after the three decided to create a space where Wisconsin families could learn and play alongside one another. 

By raising support from their local community, their dream was accomplished. The museum is named after the successful Milwaukee businesswoman Betty Brinn, founder of Managed Health Services and advocate for healthcare for low-income families.

The Betty Brinn Children's Museum hosts events and programs which change weekly, so no two visits are the same. The museum hosts a variety of special events, such as the Neighborhood Night, which is free admission every third Thursday of the month. They also offer educational programs, like Tot Time, Pint-size Science, and Environmental Explorers.

If you have a child under the age of ten and want to bring them to a place where they can learn and grow, then be sure to visit the Betty Brinn Children's Museum.

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

Enjoy education? From dinosaurs to modern politics, the Milwaukee Public Museum has got you covered.

Often viewed as one of the best natural history museums in the USA, the Milwaukee Public Museum has more than 4.5 million objects on display for visitors. With collections including works relating to anthropology, botany, geology, history, and zoology, there is no end to what you can learn and explore in this museum. 

There are three-and-a-half floors devoted to permanent exhibits, with additional space in store for temporary and traveling exhibits. At a size of 150,000 square feet, visitors have plenty of room to see all the dioramas of continents and habitats.

Many of the displays often include full-sized replicas and life-like imitations, depicting dinosaurs, animals, and humans as if they were really there. 

There are also various specimens which have been collected during field research and remain within the Milwaukee Public Museum. These include organic, archeological, and geological samples which range in diversity of location and composition.

Currently, the museum has seventeen permanent exhibits: Africa, Arctic, Asia, Bugs Alive!, Crossroads of Civilization, European Village, Exploring Life on Earth, Living Oceans, North American Indians, Pacific Islands, Pre-Columbian Americas, Puelicher Butterfly Wing, Rain Forest, A Sense of Wonder, South & Middle America, Streets of Old Milwaukee, and The Third Planet. Each of these depicts a different area of study.

Spend time in the planetarium, have a drink while listening to a lecture during the Science on Tap events, or throw a slumber party during the museum overnight. The possibilities are endless and the material is never-ending at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Cover and logo image "Milwaukee Public Museum" by mrbula is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Milwaukee Public Museum

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Explore some of the locations of the Chicago blues scene of the 1960s with this VAMONDE adventure, based on the Chicago History Museum exhibition, "AMPLIFIED: Chicago Blues." Southern black migrants brought the blues to Chicago, where the music helped them forge connections and transform an unfamiliar, often inhospitable city into a new home. The music was also transformed—electrified and amplified to compete with urban noise. The photography of Raeburn Flerlage captures the streets, clubs, homes, and studios where a community of musicians defined the Chicago blues sound.

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Start on Chicago's South Side and travel back in time as you explore visit the homes of some of the most influential LGBTQ+ people in the city's vibrant history. Make your way through Washington Park and Woodlawn moving north towards Rogers Park.

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Chicago is a city built of neighborhoods and cultures and Chinatown is the prime example. Just south of Chicago's Loop, Chinatown is bustling with people, traditional cuisine, and of course culture.

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Chicago's Chinatown

This adventure, based on the Chicago History Museum exhibition, "Remembering Dr. King: 1929–1968," invites you to explore some of the locations Dr. King frequented in Chicago.

A Baptist minister and champion of nonviolent activism, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential figures of the civil rights movement. He spent considerable time in Chicago protesting racial discrimination, particularly in housing and education.
This VAMONDE adventure is based on the Chicago History Museum exhibition, "Remembering Dr. King: 1929-1968," and invites you to explore in person some of the locations King frequented in the city and to consider how Dr. King’s work remains relevant today, 50 years after his assassination.

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Julia Bachrach

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The Art Institute of Chicago is no stranger to "best museums” list, but beyond Michigan Avenue there are many amazing galleries displaying works from heavy hitters like Keith Haring and Hebru Brantley. Get inspired by these galleries and their collections

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Chicago is home to countless world renowned cultural institutions. The Art Institute of Chicago is no stranger to "best museums” list, but beyond Michigan Avenue there are many amazing galleries displaying works from heavy hitters like Keith Haring and Hebru Brantley. There’s something for everyone at these galleries, whether you’re simply an appreciator of art or a seasoned collector.

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Choose Chicago® is the official destination marketing organization for Chicago, Illinois. When you’re in Chicago, you’re home. With the countless experiences there are to have here, you're absolutely welcome to do any and all of them.

Best Museums in Milwaukee

Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear

Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear

Discovery World

Discovery World

Grohmann Museum

Grohmann Museum

Wisconsin Automotive Museum

Wisconsin Automotive Museum

Harley-Davidson Museum

Harley-Davidson Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

Milwaukee Public Museum

Milwaukee Public Museum

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