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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Milwaukee

27 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Updated January 15, 2025

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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

11 Zany Collections That Prove Wisconsin's Quirkiness

Pick an object. It could be a bottle of mustard. Or a life-size troll sculpture. Or a metal sculpture with big Victorian-steampunk energy. It doesn't really matter, as long as you collect or create so many of them that your collection becomes a roadside attraction and a cherished local landmark. A remarkable number of Wisconsinites have chosen this life path, and the result is a truly remarkable collection of collections scattered across the state.

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Explore Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Architecture 7
Bars 4
Art 3
Houses 3
Architectural Oddities 3
Outsider Art 3
Homes 3
Museums 3

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Stories About Milwaukee

How Milwaukee Is Celebrating the Typewriter’s Long, Local History

In June 2023, Milwaukeeans celebrated 150 years of typewriter history.
by Jennifer Byrne
Treasure hunter Tom Klein believes the statue of John Plankinton in Milwaukee’s Plankinton Arcade is one of the clues to The Secret’s buried treasure.

Hunting for 'The Secret' Treasure Buried in Milwaukee

Has this couple finally found fantasy author Byron Preiss’s hidden treasure?
by Tea Krulos
A member of the Milwaukee Krampus Eigenheit was one of dozens of furry, horned menaces swatting onlookers with switches during the annual Milwaukee Krampusnacht.

Krampus Is the Christmas Icon We Need—And Maybe the One We Deserve

At Milwaukee’s Krampusnacht, we go in search of the essence of Santa’s unholy enforcer.
by Gemma Tarlach
After closing in 2008 and becoming an online museum in 2012, America’s Black Holocaust Museum reopened in February 2022 in a sleek new building in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville, the historic hub of the city’s Black community.

A Revived Museum Presents the Full History of Black America

America's Black Holocaust Museum reopens in the historic hub of Milwaukee's African American community.
by Beck Salgado
Pneumonia fronts may be accompanied by low shelf clouds, and may travel several miles inland from Lake Michigan.

What the Heck Is a Pneumonia Front?

The explanation behind a "drastic," bone-chilling, mysterious weather event in the Upper Midwest.
by Gemma Tarlach

Podcast: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Burnham Block

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
Ernie’s training culminated with a parking-lot demonstration of sniffing prowess.

The Milwaukee Dogs That Learned to Sniff Out New Zealand Mud Snails

In a Wisconsin basement, two Labradors learned to detect tiny aquatic hitchhikers.
by Ashley Stimpson
An image from the 1931 cookbook Recipes The Modern Pabst-ett Way.

When the Government Banned PBR, Pabst Made Cheese Instead

Selling dairy products helped the brewery survive Prohibition.
by Mark Hay

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