Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ingoperation,putout300barrelsperyear—nomeanfeat,butnothingstellar.Today,Miller
is the second-largest brewery in the nation, with a total production of 45 million barrels a
year;thewarehouseisthesizeoffivefootballfields.Hour-longtourstakeintheultra-high-
tech packaging center, the hangar-size shipping center, and, finally, the brewhouse. Tours
endattheCavesMuseum,arestoredpartofMiller'soriginalbreweryinwhichkegsofbeer
were cooled.
MM
Harley-Davidson Museum
Harley-Davidson plant tours in the western suburb of Wauwatosa ended in 2009, but that's
OK, because to replace it the company has created Paradise for you. You can't say you've
seen Milwaukee without a visit to “Hog Heaven,” the
Harley-Davidson Museum
(Canal
andSouth6thSts.,414/343-4235,
www.h-dmuseum.com
,
10am-6pmFri.-Wed.,10am-8pm
Thurs., $16 adults), a massive, 100,000-square-foot facility. This $30 million project, the
mecca for Made in America, features an interactive museum and exhibits on the history,
culture, and lifestyle engendered by the company and its slavishly devoted riders. Rooms
arefullofvintagevehicles;notsurprisingly,Elvis'bikeprobablygetsthemostattention.In
2012,the newest permanent exhibit foundits home: After the 2011earthquake andtsunami
in Japan, a Harley-Davidson floated to North America in a shipping container. The owner
asked that it be placed here, untouched. The museum stays open 365 days a year, in true
blue-collar style.
The best way to experience Harley otherwise is to be around for Harley riders' conven-
tions, when literally 100,000 Harleys descend on the city to fete the metallic beasts. It's an
indescribable experience to hear and feel thousands of Harleys roaring down I-94 toward
MillerParkontheirwaytoaBrewersgamefromthemuseum,whentheBeerCitybecomes
a tented Hog City for a glorious summerlong celebration.
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
“Mylittle jewel—a miniature SantaSophia”ishowFrankLloydWrightdescribed thefinal
major work of his life, the
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
(9400 W. Congress
St.,Wauwatosa,414/461-9400).ItsimposingrondureisalandmarktoMilwaukeearchitec-
ture—a dramatic inverted bowl into which Wright incorporated symbolic golds and blues
and the Greek cross. The blue-tiled dome rises 45 feet above the floor and spans 104 feet.
Some find the whole place stunning; others think the outside looks like a UFO and the in-
terior murals far too modern in style. Individual tours are not available.
