South Shore Beer Garden Opens Wednesday

South Shore Terrace. Photo by Milwaukee County Parks.

Milwaukee County Parks is opening the South Shore Park beer garden on Wednesday.

“There is no better way to kick off the 2024 beer garden season than to do it at South Shore – one of the most popular beer gardens in the region and a beloved part of the County Parks system,” said Parks Director Guy Smith.

South Shore Terrace will open at 4 p.m. with free beer and root beer — while it lasts. Last year, the popular beer garden served more than 100,000 beers over the season, according to Parks, generating revenue for the annual parks budget.

“The tradition of community gathering at beer gardens within our parks not only celebrates the vibrancy of our community but also underscores the invaluable role our parks play in our lives,” the Milwaukee County Parks Foundation said in a statement. The foundation fundraises for county parks, including South Shore.

Molson-Coors, which sponsors the Miller 1855 bar at South Shore Terrace, has donated more than half a million to South Shore Park, according to Parks.

“Molson Coors is extremely proud of our long-standing partnership with the County Parks, and we are excited to start another season at South Shore,” the brewery said in a statement.

Parks has seven beer gardens and a traveling beer garden touring the park system throughout the summer. These popular amenities have also become sources of revenue for the parks department, which now has to generate approximately 50% of its own budget. Fees, venue rentals and food and beverage sales are now critical to the sustainability of the parks system.

Parks opened its first public beer garden in 2012, long after prohibition of alcohol in America ended Milwaukee’s beer gardens. The revival of this tradition by Milwaukee County Parks nearly a century later was a success, and South Shore Terrace has since became one of the most popular beer gardens in the system.