Property at a Glance: The Delafield Hotel

With its deep-cherry woodwork, Italian linens, and antique furnishings, The Delafield Hotel is nothing if not dignified. The boutique property exudes an understated luxury that helped make it one of only 10 hotels in Wisconsin to earn the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award. It’s an idyllic place to stay when visiting Milwaukee, just a 30-minute drive away.

• Press mention: US News & World Report named The Delafield on its list of the top 10 Wisconsin hotels.
• Award-winning seasonal meals from Chef Jonna Froelich at the onsite Andrew’s Bar & Restaurant, which hosts live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays
• Guest rooms boast Kohler spa bathrooms complete with flat-screen TVs and rain showers.
• Unique decor: Each room contains antique furnishings and Baker beds, but no two are the same.
• Relax and say “spaaa” with in-room spa services.
• Call of the wild: The hiking trails of Kettle Moraine State Forest are less than a mile away.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Breweries, Sports, and Art Along Lake Michigan

Located along Lake Michigan, about 90 miles north of Chicago, Milwaukee is a proudly unpretentious city with working-class roots. The city has been synonymous with brewing since the mid-1800s, when Miller, Pabst, and Schlitz dominated the landscape. Visit the Flemish-style Pabst Mansion, beer baron Frederick Pabst’s 1890 estate, to see just how profitable the beer business was. The mansion has 14 fireplaces, an opulent dining room, and several hidden compartments.

Today there’s a new microbrew-inspired scene, with several smaller brewers opening their doors for tours and freshly brewed beer. One of the city’s best tours is at Lakefront Brewery on North Commerce Street. Here, witty tour guides take guests through the beer-brewing process, encouraging them to enjoy samples of Lakefront’s india pale ale and organic coffee stout along the way.

There are also noticeable cultural undercurrents in Milwaukee. Set along the downtown lakefront, the Milwaukee Art Museum is beloved for its futuristic, sailboat-like architecture by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Inside, you can browse 30,000 works of art, ranging from 15th-century antiques to Georgia O’Keeffe paintings. Just south of the museum, the Milwaukee RiverWalk runs alongside the river for 3 miles, taking you through the Historic Third Ward, where antique shops and art galleries fill century-old warehouses. Drop by the Milwaukee Public Market here to sample local cheeses, baked goods, and other culinary delights.

For a city of its size, Milwaukee offers several sports and recreation opportunities, including Brewers baseball and Bucks basketball games. Fans start tailgating outside of Miller Park before each Brewers home game hours before the first pitch. The stadium’s sixth-inning Sausage Race has been called one of sports’ best traditions. There are also more than 150 local parks to explore, 100 miles of lakefront biking and hiking trails, and seasonal watersports in Lake Michigan, with beaches typically open from mid-June to late August.

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