One Day Itinerary for Milwaukee with Kids

One of the cities that I enjoy most with the kids is Milwaukee. There’s so much to do and see, especially in the summer months. But, in today’s article, we will cover the Jelly Belly Factory, the Betty Brin Children’s Museum and the Milwaukee Harbor.

Jelly Belly Factory

For starters, let’s gush about the Jelly Belly Factory. But, before I begin, let it be known that the Jelly Belly Factory is not located in Milwaukee. Instead it is located on the outskirts at 10100 Jelly Belly Lane in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

So, if you are coming from out of town, you may want to consider starting your day trip off with a stop at the Jelly Belly Center before entering Milwaukee, itself.

Upon arrival have your camera ready and snap a few photos outside with the Jelly Belly vehicle. Once you’ve had fun doing that, head inside to have a look around the shop, have a bite to eat, sample jelly beans, or take the train tour.

Train Tour

Every 15 minutes to a half and hour the train takes off. Visitors are encouraged to remain in line until it’s their time to board.

Before boarding the train, you are given safety instructions from your Jelly Belly Express Train conductor and given a white Jelly Belly hat for sanitation purposes.

A few rules include the following:

• No standing while the train is in motion.
• Keep your safety belts fastened.
• Please, no photography while on the tour.

The train ride takes you behind the sales area and into the factory making several stops to view information on candy making and the history of candy on large monitors.

Interesting Information

Visitors learn extremely interesting information. For example, visitors learn how taffy is stretched to be made, how each and every jelly bean is stamped with the Jelly Belly logo before being packaged, and even what happens to those imperfect jelly beans that just don’t make the cut. I guess you are wondering what happens to them? Well, they become Jelly Belly’s world famous “Belly Flops”!

In between screens, visitors also witness various mosaic art masterpieces. Each masterpiece is handcrafted with a variety of Jelly Belly jelly beans. It is important to know visitors are not allowed to photograph in the factory area.

As the ride continues, more facts and history are revealed such as…

Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan enjoyed jelly beans so much that he convinced the Jelly Belly company to produce a blueberry jelly bean - which they did! Soon after, Jelly Belly became the most popular jelly bean in the country.

Exiting

When the tour is over, visitors can unbuckle and form a line to exit the factory and return to the Jelly Belly Candy Store. But, before you exit, your amazingly entertaining Jelly Belly Express Train conductor hands you a yummy, sample pack of Jelly Belly jelly beans!

So, what started as a small family candy store has now evolved into two Jelly Belly factories. One factory is located in Fairfield, California while it’s other factory is located in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, just minutes outside of Milwaukee.

And, if you plan appropriately, you may be able to visit while the Jelly Belly is out and about.

Betty Brinn Children's Museum

After leaving the Jelly Belly Factory, head into Milwaukee to the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. The museum is located downtown at 929 East Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee, WI. The downtown area is so beautiful with so many neat buildings to see.

It’s important to note that the museum is currently closed due to COVID-19, however, online workshops are available.

Indoor admission for both adults and children is $8 with a few exceptions. Senior citizens are $7 and infants under one are free.

However, online workshops vary in costs. For example, Journal Making is $30, while Latavian Paper Dolls is $35.

While heading into the museum is not an option right now, do know that their exhibits are fun and interesting. For example, one of our favorites in the past was the Adventures of Mr. Potato Head.

The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD

The Adventures of MR. POTATO HEAD exhibit was the museum’s Summer 2017 traveling exhibit which was perfect for the little ones and includes several activities to explore such as King Tato and Spud Safari.

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Another favorite of ours was Home Town.

Home Town

Home Town was a child-size community complete with pretend cash registers and ATM’s, ringing telephones, and working computers.

The boys moved throughout the community working as a car mechanic, driving the city bus, working as realtors and bankers, and taking virtual Harley Davidson motorcycle rides, all while learning more about STEM.

STEM Education

STEM (and STEAM) is the current wave of the future. Our STEM learners today are our leaders tomorrow. Children with a background in STEM (and STEAM) education will be better prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead in the complex world, as opposed to those with little to no background in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

So, even though physically attending the museum isn’t an option currently, it gives you something to put on your future family bucket list. And, in the meantime, you can participate in the online workshops. With over 50 workshops, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

Lighthouse Tour

To end your day in Milwaukee, spend some time cruising around the town checking out the various lighthouses. Two lighthouses we love include the North Point Lighthouse Museum and the Milwaukee Pierhead Light.

According to Wikipedia, the North Point Lighthouse Museum is a lighthouse built in 1888 in Lake Park on the East Side of Milwaukee to mark the entrance to the Milwaukee River. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

According to Visit Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Pierhead Light (Milwaukee Harbor) was established in 1872 and is the sister light to the Kenosha North Pier Light. It is located where the Milwaukee River flows out into Lake Michigan. It is there that it marks the mouth of the river to traveling ships. The tower is not open to the public but you can visit around the area.

Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it. Here are three ideas for a one day itinerary in Milwaukee with kids. Since, the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is currently closed, take a stroll downtown and check out all of the various buildings, sculptures and architecture. Don’t forget to stop and grab some of your favorite eats and treats.