When it comes to culture, Milwaukee is often overlooked in favor of much larger cities. The truth is, however, that when it comes to museums, Milwaukee has an abundance of world-class offerings. From an excellent children’s museum (Betty Brinn Children’s Museum) to beautiful lakefront properties and a giant natural-history museum, you could easily spend a week visiting various museums in Milwaukee and discover something new each day.

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is an educational yet entertaining destination for families with young kids. Designed to promote the healthy development of children from birth through age ten, the museum’s exhibits are fully interactive. Your children will likely think they are in a giant fun-zone rather than a traditional museum.

Charles Allis Art Museum

Housed in a stunning Tudor-style mansion built in 1911, the Charles Allis Art Museum displays a collection of paintings, prints, sculpture, ceramics, and more. This museum, a gift from Charles Allis and his wife Sarah, is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. It features collections that include Classic antiquities, Renaissance bronzes, Asian ceramics, and decorative arts spanning over 2,000 years.

Discovery World

Discovery World is a 120,000-square-foot interactive science and technology museum located on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Features include Les Paul’s House of Sound, where guests can engage in a virtual jam session, the Reiman Aquarium, a video and audio production studio, and various interactive exhibits. In summer months, the museum also serves as the home port for the S/V Denis Sullivan, a 137-foot replica of a 19th-century Great Lakes schooner.

Grohmann Museum

The Grohmann Museum at the Milwaukee School of Engineering showcases the world’s most comprehensive art collection focused on the evolution of human work. This core collection, titled “Man at Work,” consists of over 800 paintings and sculptures that span more than 400 years of history. Additionally, the museum features a spectacular rooftop sculpture garden with larger-than-life bronzes depicting men at work.

Harley-Davidson Museum

The Harley-Davidson Museum, which opened in 2008 for the 125th anniversary of the iconic motorcycle brand, chronicles the evolution of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Exhibits delve into the mechanics behind these bikes in the Design Lab and Exploded Bike display, allowing visitors to gain a deeper appreciation for this American classic. You can also admire custom creations crafted by passionate Harley-Davidson enthusiasts.

Jewish Museum Milwaukee

Located in the Helfaer Community Service Building, which aims to enhance the lives of all Milwaukee community members, the Jewish Museum’s mission focuses on raising awareness and appreciation for Jewish life and culture. The museum has an extensive collection of oral histories, genealogy records, and archives, emphasizing the history of the Jewish community in southeastern Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is much more than simply visually striking architecture. This iconic complex on the lakefront houses more than 20,000 works of art accumulated over 120 years, growing from Milwaukee’s first art gallery established in 1888 to a significant resource for the entire state.

Milwaukee Public Museum

The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) features three floors of exhibits, including life-size dioramas, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden. Notably popular among locals are the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit and the elusive “rattlesnake button,” a hidden feature that shakes the tail of a rattlesnake situated inside the bison hunt diorama.

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

Overlooking Lake Michigan, the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum is an art destination housed in an Italian Renaissance-style villa. Designed and constructed by architect David Adler in 1923, it originally served as the residence for Lloyd Smith of the A.O. Smith Corporation and his family. Today, the Villa Terrace showcases fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 18th centuries, features wrought-iron masterpieces by Cyril Colnik, and boasts a formal garden.