Top Milwaukee Pop Culture

Unveil the dark history of Brew City with this ghost tour of the city’s most haunted locations. Meet your guide for a ghoul-fueled stroll through the heart of Milwaukee to take in spirit-infested historic hotels, theaters, and even skyscrapers. Be entertained by bone-chilling ghost stories and tales of paranormal activity as you delve into Milwaukee’s ghoulish past.

One of the most haunted bars in the nation, Shaker’s Cigar Bar—a Milwaukee institution formerly owned by the infamous Al Capone—has a history as wild as its ghostly encounters. On this small-group tour, explore behind the scenes, hearing stories about its Prohibition-era connections, the bar's cemetery and brothel past, and accounts of lingering spirits. Part history tour, part paranormal experience, this tour is not for the faint of heart.

As seen on BBC, NBC, and featured on Netflix’s Dark Tourist, this is one of the most talked-about true crime tours in the world. The Cream City Cannibal Tour explores one of Milwaukee’s most infamous criminal cases—walking through the exact neighborhood where multiple events connected to a notorious serial killer took place. This is not a casual history tour. Through guided storytelling, guests are led through the psychological, cultural, and real-world impact of the case, offering insight into how it unfolded and why it continues to be studied today. The tour has even been referenced in academic settings, including university psychology and criminal justice programs. Expect a deeper, more intense experience—focused on understanding, not sensationalizing. Outdoor tour. Rain or shine. Not recommended for those sensitive to true crime content.

Swap the big bus tours for a crowd-free experience. Traveling in an open-air, five-seater electric vehicle, you'll thoroughly explore the historic city of Milwaukee, from popular tourist destinations to some hidden gems that most visitors miss. As you travel, your guide will fill you in on Milwaukee's rich and exciting history. This tour has different lengths to suit your schedule.

Find out about Milwaukee’s dark history and most haunted places with this ghost-themed tour. Opting for a private tour means you’ll hear your guide clearly and can ask all the questions you want along the way. Find out about the city’s devastating fires in 1892 and the ghosts that are still believed to haunt the city. Learn about apparitions in a pub’s basement and bathroom mirrors, and visit the city’s most haunted location.

If you've already seen most of the sights of Milwaukee, get a different perspective on the city with this haunted history walking tour of Lake Geneva. As you stroll in a small group, your guide will fill you in on all the colorful history and characters, from haunted mansions and vengeful spirits to lake monsters and more.

Shakers Bar in Milwaukee, formerly owned by the infamous Al Capone, has some gritty stories that have happened behind its walls. Dive deeper into the stories, spirits, and paranormal encounters that have earned this bar a spot among the most haunted bars in the United States. Enjoy this experience with just a small group for company and an included cocktail—an ideal tour for those who want to go beyond the basics.

Explore Milwaukee’s criminal underworld on the Mobsters and Mafia Tour, a guided walking experience that uncovers the rise and fall of the Milwaukee Mob and the powerful Balistrieri crime family. Visit historic locations while discovering how organized crime, political influence, and underground enterprises shaped the city throughout the 20th century. Hear captivating stories of power, loyalty, corruption, and betrayal as your guide reveals the real people and events behind one of Milwaukee’s most fascinating chapters. While the tour touches on the city’s Prohibition-era roots, its primary focus is the Milwaukee Mob and the figures who dominated the city’s underworld from the 1960s through the 1980s. Perfect for history enthusiasts, true crime fans, and curious travelers seeking a side of Milwaukee few visitors ever discover.

Step back into Milwaukee’s Prohibition era and uncover a world of speakeasies, madams, gangsters, corruption, and scandal. The Whorin’ 20s Walking Tour explores the city’s notorious vice district during the Roaring Twenties, when bootleggers, brothel owners, politicians, and organized crime figures helped shape Milwaukee’s nightlife and underground economy. Led by expert storytellers, this entertaining and historically grounded walking tour reveals the hidden stories behind the city’s most colorful characters and forgotten locations. Along the way, guests will discover how Prohibition transformed Milwaukee and why the era continues to captivate visitors nearly a century later. Perfect for history enthusiasts, groups, couples, bachelorette parties, and anyone looking for a different side of Milwaukee beyond breweries and ballgames. Bride goes free with qualifying bachelorette party reservations.

Like many communities in the industrial Midwest, Milwaukee’s ecological legacy has a significant period of pollution. Thankfully, in the late 1980s & early 1990s, driven by Mayor John Norquist and others, Milwaukee dedicated resources to water clean up and the reinvigoration of the buildings along the Milwaukee River. This reinvestment included the creation of a public-private partnership known as the Riverwalk (1993). Today, the Riverwalk extends 3.1 miles along both sides of the Milwaukee River, from the site of the former North Avenue Dam, through Downtown and the Historic Third Ward to Lake Michigan. The tour will explore the industries and early city growth that impacted the river so greatly and also a number of the historic buildings along the way. You’ll also learn about some of the temporary and permanent public art on display. This walking tour is 1.2 miles in length. We recommend that travelers bring: good walking shoes, water, sunscreen, and/or umbrella.

Get to know some of the darker corners of Milwaukee’s history on this small-group walking tour of the city’s downtown. You’ll enjoy hearing haunting tales associated with famous Milwaukee landmarks like the Pfister Hotel, City Hall, and the Pabst Theater as your guide leads you through the Cream City evening.

Get a different perspective on Milwaukee and learn about the unique heritage of it Historic Third Ward on this ghost-themed walking tour. A you stroll the streets, you'll hear tales of paranormal activity and about the haunted history of the district, which was once a rough and ready 19th-century ghetto known as the Bloody Third.