Museums + Attractions
No matter what time of the year, one of the most famous attractions in Milwaukee is the Harley-Davidson Museum in the Historic Third Ward District with its HD experience; open daily from 10am to 5pm.
If you are a baseball fan then you can catch a game at the Milwaukee Brewers Stadium during the season and on Fridays, there is a beer garden in the stadium. When in Wisconsin, try as much cheese as possible for it is delicious. One common way is in pizza and one suggestion for incredible pizza is Transfer Pizzeria & Cafe in the Bay View Neighborhood, a hip and quaint part of the city.
Pabst Mansion has a rear entrance that allows for wheelchair access to all the public areas and a large format restroom. As you might expect this is a very old house so it has lots of stairs and hallways. Standard wheelchairs fit even if a couple of the spots are a bit snug. There is limited parking, which means no designated handicapped parking spots and there is one general restroom inside.
In the Downtown Milwaukee area, other attractions to consider are Discovery World on North Harbor Drive in East Town, as well as the Lakefront Brewery, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Oriental Theater.
The Milwaukee Art Museum is located on Lake Michigan and has roughly 20,000 pieces of art on four floors that have been hand-selected for one hundred and twenty years, including masterpieces from Picasso, Monte, and Warhol. The building itself is a modern architectural marvel and can be enjoyed at no charge, however, to see the collection costs a fee. An elevator from the street takes visitors to the main floor.
Next to the Milwaukee Art Museum is the Betty Brinn Childrens Museum which can be accessed by a ramp. On the other side of the art museum and also along the waterfront is the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center with tributes to U.S. Veterans.
Outdoor Attractions, Parks, and Trails
In general, the Milwaukee Parks System has great tips for people with wheelchairs to access various attractions and activities in the Milwaukee great outdoors, including accessible fishing piers, playgrounds, beer gardens, zero-depth-entry pools, and more. It is also possible to rent a hand-cycle bike.
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory aka “The Domes” are greenhouses that contain different landscapes: tropical, desert, and a Toyland featuring an intricate mini railroad system with multiple trains, one of which is a Harley Davidson theme.
The Oak Leaf Trail system is made up of 135 miles of multi-use trails at often run through some of Milwaukee’s biggest parks. Some sections may be more accessible than others, depending on one’s ability and the type of wheelchair being used. Grant Park in South Milwaukee has long stretches of the Oak Leaf Trail that run through groves of trees with the occasional view of a pond or Lake Michigan. Lakeshore State Park is a popular spot to stroll around on smoothly paved pathways with views of the lake and cityscape. This section is also close to the Summerfest concert stages. A few accessible parking spots are located at the Milwaukee Harbor by the lighthouse. Along Lincoln Memorial Drive near McKinley and Bradford Beach is a very flat stretch of the Oak Leaf Trail.
Along the Oak Leaf Trail on the lakefront is Bradford Beach where people with wheelchairs are able to wheel onto the beach using the accessible pathway for some time by the sand and surf. A snack shop and bar is also off this pathway with its own accessible walkway. Furthermore, a beach wheelchair may be rented for free at Bradford Beach; call Zack Grmick (General Manager) at The Dock, at (414) 530-3251. Bradford Beach is popular for beach volleyball players. A paved viewing area is ideal to watch a game and in the building behind it are public toilets with wheelchair accessible stalls. Directly across the street is a lot with a couple of handicapped parking spots at either end and one side has a crosswalk to the beach.
About a twenty-minute drive from Milwaukee is the Wehr Nature Center. The main entrance has automatic doors into the visitor center and nature store, which are barrier-free. Wheelchair accessible bathroom stalls are also available. People visiting with a wheelchair will also have access to the pier via a wooden boardwalk as well as a designated space at the amphitheater. The Wetland Trail is wheelchair accessible via a wooden boardwalk with observation decks along the trail. This park has a number of other trails that are not classified as wheelchair accessible, but at the nature center, a 4-wheel driving track wheelchair is available for free as a hiking assistant.
Music Festivals
Overlooking Lake Michigan, Milwaukee hosts the largest music festival called Summerfest, which consists of many days and hundreds of bands. Bastille Days is another large music festival among many others.
Transportation
Getting a wheelchair accessible taxi with a lift in Milwaukee may be difficult or impossible, but the bus system around Milwaukee has nice accessible features, including ramps and lowering floors.
Renting a wheelchair accessible vehicle may also be an option with hand-controls and other accessible amenities.
To get to Chicago, Illinois use the Amtrak Hiawatha train line, which travels downtown and is wheelchair accessible.
