‘A culmination of experiences’: King Drive Trolley offering free tours

Welcome to Milwaukee! Today, I had the opportunity to take a tour of King Drive by trolley.

“The goal, of course, is to get people moving around!” says Ray Hill, the Executive Director of Historic King Drive.

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If you hear a bell ringing on King Drive, that's a trolley!

"I think people are always shocked when they see a trolley traveling down Martin Luther King Drive," says Hill.

On July 16th and 17th, from 10 am to 2 pm, you can experience Historic King Drive by trolley for free.

"King Drive is a culmination of experiences, extremely loud and proud about the heritage in the African American community," says Hill.

VIDEO: ‘A culmination of experiences’: King Drive Trolley offers free Tours of Business District

‘A culmination of experiences’: King Drive Trolley offers free Tours of Business District

The trolley will make five stops, highlighting a few community gems. Some of the stops working spaces and eateries along the trolley route include:

• (1819 N MLK) Honeybee Sage and Apothecary & Wellness Cafe
• (1920 N MLK) African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin
• (2053 N MLK) Bronzeville Kitchen and Lounge
• (2737 N MLK) Rise and Grind Cafe
• (3338 N MLK) Sam’s Place Jazz Cafe

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"To see people come from out of town and to help us activate the space is very exciting," says Baboonie Tatum, the owner of Rise and Grind.

Rise & Grind has been on MLK since 2019. People come for the food, but they stay for the vibes.

"We have great fish and grits; also, our skillets are amazing!" says Tatum.

"We are the epicenter of black excellence and the true experience of local," says Hill.

Next, I visited Bronzeville Kitchen and Lounge, not too far down the street.

“Great food, great atmosphere, great environment,” says Barry Green, the owner of Bronzeville Kitchen and Lounge.

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Bronzeville Kitchen is new to the area and hopes to bring upscale dining to the north side.

"We have a variety of options. Favorites are fried green tomatoes and the lamb chops," says Green.

With weekly events, including a gospel brunch on Sundays, the trolley is a great way to experience what King Drive has to offer.

"Excited for the exposure. The RNC is in town, and we’re looking to get some people to patronize the businesses on King Drive," says Green.

As we load back onto the trolley and continue the tour, having grown up in Milwaukee myself, I can't help but think how far King Drive has come.

"The construction of the new library is going very well. The Bronzeville Center for the Arts is pretty new. There are a lot of things that have been built and are also coming as well," says Hill.

For more info on the pickup locations, see the flyer below:

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