Whenever I go to Milwaukee, I always remember how much I like the city. Museum Days gave us the perfect reason to spend a day in Brew City.

In its second year, Museum Days started Jan. 19 and runs through Jan. 29. Discounted prices range from $1–15 at the nearly 30 Milwaukee area museums. Last year, museums reported as much as a 70 percent increase in attendance.

We started our day at Grohmann Museum, which features three floors of galleries and a rooftop sculpture garden dedicated to the evolution of work. With more than 1,700 paintings, sculptures and other works, it is a fascinating look at the history of work. A current exhibition is A Time of Toil and Triumph: Selections from the Shogren-Meyer Collection of American Art, focused mainly on art from the 1930s and ’40s.

Photo 180029911 © Tony Savino | Dreamstime.com

After lunch we visited the Pabst Mansion. Completed in 1892 at a cost of $250,000, it served as home for Captain Frederick and Maria Pabst, respected members of Milwaukee’s society and avid art collectors. In 1975 Pabst Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Photographs, art, papers and even the décor present a view of life spanning three centuries.

Photo 23766395 © Maxym022 | Dreamstime.com

Of course, we had to stop for dinner at the Brat Stop. The cheese curds alone make this a mandatory dinner spot, but we also split chicken quesadillas. As an added bonus, the Coke is outstanding.

On the return trip to Chicago, we discussed a return trip next week. I didn’t suggest it yet, but I’m hoping to talk her into making the Bobblehead Hall of Fame one of our stops.

— John Wroblewski, online writer