Milwaukee County Historical Society
Milwaukee County Historical Society
4
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Milwaukee County Historical Society and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
834 within 3 miles
Attractions
339 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
32 reviews
Excellent
8
Very good
14
Average
6
Poor
4
Terrible
0
Nick Schwartz
Bloomington, MN392 contributions
Jul 2022
I've always wanted to visit MCHS for years. Finally went in July of 2022 and really liked the various exhibits and the video about Milwaukee. I grew up in Milwaukee during the mid 1980s.
Written 11 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Betty
2,916 contributions
Dec 2022
The building is beautiful and we love the ornate architectural style. Nice photos and history to read. The vault is impressive. It's not huge, wished there was more to see but great place to view the history of Milwaukee.
Written 31 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mandylewismarketing
London, UK24 contributions
Dec 2019 • Business
Researching Milwaukee 1936-1945. The librarian was super helpful and knowledgeable. Provided all the references needed. The building and architecture was other-worldly. Also, Universal studios with Johnny Depp filmed Public Enemy #1 there!
Written 27 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue H
38 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
This gorgeous building was the site of a wedding reception I recently attended. The building’s ornamentation was lovely, and there were areas for eating, visiting and dancing. The overall effect was charming and elegant. I’ve included a picture of the ceiling.
Written 11 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sharronc413
Findlay, OH298 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
This is a super neat building and we needed somewhere to go before our show and thought we could spend half hour here. There is so much potential compared to what they have. The bookstore had a nice selection and there was a little outdated video. We love history. Especially local history but there were no engaging displays here. The Old bank vaults were neat and there was some sparse old Christmas toy display. It was seven dollars a person If we weren’t just killing time it would not have been worth it. Would love to see someone come into this nice building and improve the displays. There certainly would be history to do it with. It seemed to have a big reading room for documents which I’m sure is helpful for some
Written 10 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara A
Milwaukee, WI1,961 contributions
Mar 2013 • Solo
This building has an amazing view of Pere Marquette park and the river and is filled with historic photos and objects. It has marble, chandeliers, bank vaults, interesting fixtures, and displays that change. The library has books on every Milwaukee or Wisconsin topic imaginable. You can trace your geneology there or research old buildings. I enjoyed just looking at the interior. It would be a great place for a wedding or other special party. As an added bonus- there's a free wifi spot in the park right outside.
Written 7 March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James M
Augusta, ME289 contributions
The Milwaukee County Historical Museum is neither one of the largest of best-known museums in Milwaukee, but is well worth a short visit. It is located downtown, close to Pere Marquette Park, the Hyatt Hotel and the river. It is located in an old bank building which was donated by the First Wisconsin Bank (now part of USBank) in 1965. One of the most interesting things to see is the original bank vault with its huge door on the first floor.The museum is presently (January 2007) under heavy renovation, leading to some inconveniences (the public restrooms are closed) and some display areas also being closed.
The museum's focus is Wisconsin in general and Milwaukee County in particular. In early January, the museum featured an extensive display about Billie the Brownie, a popular MIlwaukee Christmastime character from the 1930s to 1950s. The upstairs focuses on Wisconsin folk art. The muesum sells a variety of books on local history. Admission is free with a suggested donation.
The museum's focus is Wisconsin in general and Milwaukee County in particular. In early January, the museum featured an extensive display about Billie the Brownie, a popular MIlwaukee Christmastime character from the 1930s to 1950s. The upstairs focuses on Wisconsin folk art. The muesum sells a variety of books on local history. Admission is free with a suggested donation.
Written 10 January 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheWuch
South Milwaukee, WI223 contributions
Feb 2020
You can't help but stand in awe as you enter this stunning venue! To realize it was a bank, on the bank of the Milwaukee River, when it was built in 1913 just gives you pause. Imagine the business people who frequented the site feeling secure in seeing the massive vaults under the architectural splendor of the space. We are fortunate to have this solid reminder of our prosperous past. The current exhibit that runs through April 25 features "Milwaukee's Unseen Treasures." A section of the Goldman's lunch counter, a jacket worn by Liberace, a collection of hand puppets used on TV shows in the 50's - and so much more. The permanent pieces include stories of prohibition, scale models of buildings that shaped the city, dresses, signage and a research library open to the public. This is a quiet place that allows you to reflect and appreciate our heritage.The entrance fee for Seniors is $5 - and worth so much more.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DreamsOfMyComrades
Park City, UT429 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
Beautifully restored building. The current exhibit, about the history of prohibition, was extremely interesting. Inexpensive and definitely worth a visit. About 90 minutes was ample time.
Written 4 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tracey B
Plainfield, Illinois, United States175 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
Gave a review of 2 instead of 1 simply because the woman gave us our money back. Beautiful building for weddings....which is why the entire building was mostly empty. Apparently they only display a few items at a time so that they can put it away for venue rentals on Saturdays. Don't bother. I love museums and this place had about ten items with twenty posters on the walls. So very disappointed.
Written 17 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing