Destination Guides
Wisconsin 2011
by Michael C. LoweJanuary 1, 2011
Why Here?
Wisconsin may be famous for its dairy products and the Green Bay Packers, but visitors also will find an array of museums, breweries and eateries to explore. The Milwaukee Art Museum (pictured) features a 25,000-piece collection of works from antiquity to now and offers meeting space for up to 2,000 guests.
Must See
Discovery World in Milwaukee is a museum with 120,000 square feet devoted to innovations in science and technology, with accents on exploration, the environment and the nearby Great Lakes. The $65 million venue includes aquariums, touch tanks and interactive exhibits.
Minutes from downtown Milwaukee, the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center offers 185 acres of wildlife-rich land and spaces like the two-story-high, wood-beamed Great Hall for "green" receptions of up to 250 people.
Madison's Olbrich Botanical Gardens features all manner of exotic plants, flowers and birds, as well as a waterfall and rooms for meetings accommodating up to 225 people.
Vintage
Transformed from a 100-year-old warehouse, the Iron Horse hotel in Milwaukee opened in 2008. The 102-room property features an American industrial era design and includes 9,244 square feet of meeting space.
Milwaukee
The Hilton Milwaukee City Center completed renovations last month on its 730 guest rooms, including the addition of high-definition LCD televisions, The property's public space and meeting rooms also were revamped, while leaving the original 1920s architecture and design intact. The hotel features a total of 34,000 square feet of meeting space.
The Ramada Plaza Milwaukee Airport completed a renovation of its 160 guest rooms last spring The property offers free wireless Internet and 11,000 square feet of meeting space.
In December 2009, the 160-room Aloft Milwaukee Downtown opened along the city's scenic RiverWalk, near the Bradley Center. The hotel offers complimentary Internet, an indoor pool and river access with boat-docking capabilities. Guest rooms feature nine-foot-high ceilings and oversized windows to allow natural sunlight and an airy environment. The property features 4,600 square feet of meeting space.
The 483-room Hyatt Regency Milwaukee completed an $18 million renovation in spring 2009. Improvements include completely refurbished guest rooms, a new restaurant/bar in the lobby, and upgrades to the entrances and landscaping. The hotel has about 20,000 square feet of meeting space.
Meeting Hotels Properties include the 730-room Hilton Milwaukee City Center, 483-room Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, 307-room The Pfister Hotel, 160-room Aloft Milwaukee Downtown and 160-room Ramada Plaza Milwaukee Airport. For more complete hotel listings, go to mcvenues.com.
Convention CenterMidwest Airlines Center; exhibit space, 188,695 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 28; (414) 908-6072
Airport Transit General Mitchell International Airport, about eight miles from downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, approximately $22
Taxes Room tax, 9 percent; sales tax, 5.6 percent; total tax on hotel rooms, 14.6 percent
Group VenuesThe Harley-Davidson Museum opened in July 2008 and encompasses 20 acres of motorcycle-related exhibits, dining options and retail outlets. The venue features indoor meeting space for up to 1,000 people, including six breakout rooms holding anywhere from 40 to 190, and outdoor space that can accommodate up to 15,000. (877) 436-8738
Dining Out
Sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan, Harbor House is a 180-seat New England-style seafood restaurant with a raw bar featuring eight different types of oysters. Additional menu items include Maine lobster roll, seafood risotto and a "non-swimmers" section featuring veal, poultry and beef. The venue includes two outdoor patios and a private room that can accommodate up to 50 guests. (414) 395-4900
CVB ServicesVisit Milwaukee, (414) 273-3950 or (800) 231-0903
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