By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Mar 29, 2024 at 9:01 AM

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The sun is rising on beer garden season in Milwaukee! Here's the dish, or should I say, the pour, including when they're open and what they're serving.

And you know this is nowhere near all the Milwaukee-area beer gardens. So, bookmark this page as we'll keep adding more beer garden information as it becomes available.

414, let's have one more!

Estabrook Beer Garden
4600 Estabrook Pkwy., (414) 219-9065
estabrookbeergarden.com

Estabrook Park – serving daily from noon until 10 p.m., with last call at 9 p.m. (though early in the season the hours may vary, check the Facebook page to be sure) – carries the honor of being the first public beer garden in the U.S. since Prohibition.

The beer garden, which offers plenty of shaded seating and a river view, features imported beer from the Munich Hofbrauhaus, along with brats, hot dogs, freshly baked soft pretzels, a Friday fish fry and schnitzel on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hubbard Park Beer Garden
3565 N. Morris Blvd., Shorewood, (414) 332-4207
hubbardparkbeergarden.com

This Old World Beer Garden in Shorewood is located along the Oak Leaf Trail just south of Capitol Drive.

The garden features locally brewed beers, non-alcoholic drinks and a menu featuring sausages, hot dogs, German-style pretzels and Wisconsin cheese. There's also a great fish fry on Fridays.

The beer garden's availability is weather-dependent, but on days that are sunny and above around 60 degrees, Hubbard Park will serve starting at 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends.

Early in the season it's wise to consult the Facebook page for hours.

Kegel’s Inn Beer Garden
5901 W. National Ave., West Allis (414)  257-9999
exploretock.com/kegelsinn

Opens May 1.

Kegel's Inn Beer Garden has extended Saturday hours this year. It’s an easy walk to the ballpark and there’s incredible food plus live music, 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 6-9 Friday and noon-3 Saturday. Austrian/German classical music on Wednesdays, classical and jazz on Thursdays, authentic/traditional music on Fridays and singer-songwriters on Saturdays.

Open Tuesday-Thursday, 4-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The Landing at Hoyt Park
1800 N. Swan Blvd., Wauwatosa, (414) 302-9160
friendsofhoytpark.org/the-landing

Open mid-May through October, The Landing – with seating both outdoors and inside this amazing great hall – features a changing list of local craft and imported beer, along with red, white and sparkling wines and a food menu including Cranky Al’s pizza, giant pretzels, obatzda, beer brats, hot dogs, popcorn and fountain drinks.

A schedule of live music is also posted on its website.

There's a playground nearby and one of the best pools in the area is on the other side of the fence (though the latter is currently closed for the season).

South Shore Terrace
2900 S. Shore Dr., (414) 617-1147
southshoreterrace.com

South Shore
(PHOTO: County Parks)
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South Shore Terrace opens on April 4 and runs through October.

This beachside concessions area in South Shore Park features the Miller 1855 Bar, with its nearly 30-foot concrete and cedar counter complete with 20 tap handles. The gathering space, open spring through fall, also includes a cedar pergola, two stamped-concrete stages, gas fire pits to keep everyone cozy during cooler weather, seating and a glorious view of Lake Michigan and the Downtown skyline.

And to help soak in the sights and the suds, there's also a menu of farm-to-table snacks including pretzels, cheese boards, fries, sandwiches, Friday fish fry and more.

Lakefront seating returns thanks to the support of Molson Coors.

The Tap Yards
Fox Brook Park, Brookfield
Menomonee Park, Menomonee Falls
Schlitz Park, Milwaukee
Minooka Park, Waukesha
Ackerman's Grove, West Bend
thetapyards.com

The Tap Yard group of dog- and family-friendly beer gardens – with beer, food, lots of events (including yoga classes this year!) – all open at 4 p.m. on May 1.

Stay tuned for a big announcement from the Tap Yards on April 4.

Traveling Beer Gardens
travelingbeergardens.com

The County Parks & Sprecher Brewery Traveling Beer Gardens are back, bringing food, froth and fun to parks all around the area. Open weekdays from 5 to 9 p.m. as well as Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.

In 2024 it will follow this schedule:

  • May 15-27 – Greenfield Park
  • May 29 to June 9 – Froemming Park
  • June 12-23 – Cooper Park
  • June 26 to July 7 – Grant Park
  • July 10-21 – Kops Park
  • July 24 to Aug. 4 – McCarty Park
  • Aug. 7-18 – Doctors Park
  • Aug. 21 to Sept. 2 – Sheridan Park

War Memorial Beer Garden
750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr., (414)  534-7289
warmemorialbeergarden.com

The War Memorial Beer Garden, right alongside the lake and Veterans Park, just north of the War Memorial and Milwaukee Art Museum, opens with a special ceremony, Friday, May 24. Great German beer and sausages and other treats provided by Kegel's Inn.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.