Outdoor Walking Tours Return May, 18th, 2025

Historic Milwaukee’s 2025 Tour Season will kick off on Sunday, May 18th with seven tours offered weekly and 10+ special tours throughout the summer.

The following tours will be offered on a weekly basis: Bay View, Downtown, Historic Third Ward, HOP Streetcar, North Point Mansions, Riverwalk, and Water to Westown.

Due to demand, we are bringing back tours on Mondays at 11am. Tours run Wednesday – Monday, no tours on Tuesday. Tour tickets can be reserved online in advance of the tour.

Historic Milwaukee wrapped up biennial guide training, inviting a new class of tour guides that will help lead hundreds of visitors throughout Milwaukee this summer. “Historic Milwaukee is proud to add 20 tour guides to our roster of volunteers for the 2025 season. We could not host the tours we offer without the time and efforts of all of our volunteers. Their expertise and love of Milwaukee make such a difference in the tour experience for locals and visitors alike.” said Julia Griffith, Program Director of Historic Milwaukee

Announcing New Tours in 2025

Historic Milwaukee is proud to introduce new tours in 2025 featuring topics like stained glass, the history of bowling, Milwaukee’s early city leaders and more.

The Stained Glass Tour focuses on the stained glass windows of three Yankee Hill churches – St. Paul’s Episcopal, Immanuel Presbyterian, and All Saints Cathedral. Learn about the artistic process and the stories behind the creators and donors of these magnificent pieces.

The Small Bites series is the newest way to taste a little bite of Milwaukee history! This lunchtime series will be offered monthly this summer at different spots around Milwaukee. The first of these lectures is happening on Wednesday, June 25, and will discuss Milwaukee’s early city leaders.

Partner Tours

Historic Milwaukee is proud to partner with local businesses including the Milwaukee Milwaukee Public Market and Edelweiss to bring new and exciting tours to the city of Milwaukee. These partnerships allow for a deeper understanding of Milwaukee, its history, landmarks, and communities.

Tour the Milwaukee Public Market

The Milwaukee Public Market is celebrating their 20th year in operation this year. This tour explores the Market’s development including vendors past and present, shares behind-the-scenes stories of the antiques on display and delves into the neighborhood’s past as the center of Commission houses and the wholesale grocery business in Milwaukee. In addition to supporting Historic Milwaukee, $1 from every ticket sold will benefit Hunger Task Force.

Historic Narrated Boat Tours

Returning for the second year, Historic Milwaukee is partnering with Edelweiss Cruises to bring back Historic Narrated Boat Tours. This tour travels through downtown Milwaukee and highlighting historical landmarks and amazing views of the Milwaukee skyline with an experienced Historic Milwaukee Guide.

“We are excited to partner with Historic Milwaukee on another season of Historic Narrated Boat Tours. Together with Edelweiss, Historic Milwaukee’s team of knowledgeable volunteer narrators provide an informative and enjoyable experience while cruising down the Milwaukee River and the inner and outer harbors.” said Lindsay Schwegler, Director of Operations

A portion of the ticket sales from this cruise go directly towards supporting HMI’s mission. Tickets can be booked at edelweissboats.com.

Regular Tours Tickets:

• Free – HMI Members
• $16 – General Public

Special Tour Tickets:

• $10 – HMI Members
• $20 – General Public

Children

• $8 – Kids 5-12
• Free – Kids 5 & under

View All Tours

Background information:

Historic Milwaukee is a nonprofit founded in 1974 that seeks to promote Milwaukee’s architecture, history and the built environment through tours and programs. The Historic Milwaukee store is located at 235 E Michigan Street, at the corner of Broadway and Michigan. It is in the historic Mackie building.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.