Top Milwaukee Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises

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.

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.

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.

Kick off your morning with a guided e-bike tour around Milwaukee. Covering about 15 miles, you’ll ride through historic neighborhoods and scenic parks, with stops including the North Point Lighthouse and Villa Terrace Museum and Gardens. Capped at eight for a personalized experience, this tour is a fun, active way to pack in plenty of sightseeing. Hear facts and insights from your guide along the way.

Milwaukee is a city shaped by its waterways, its waves of immigrants, and its bold spirit-famous for its German heritage, its brewing traditions, and its knack for reinvention over nearly two centuries. Our journey today starts at Wisconsin Historical Marker three three three, which marks the heart of old Kilbourntown, walk through stories of rivalry, resilience, and remarkable change, all the way to the bustling Milwaukee Public Market in the Historic Third Ward. Go at your own pace. The tour never expires. This is a hand free experience, press play and put your phone in your pocket. The tour is location aware, and plays as you walk. It never expires.

The Milwaukee Downtown ride takes you on a on an exhilarating helicopter journey down the Milwaukee Bay where you can witness Downtown Milwaukee like never before! This ride offers a truly unique perspective, soaring directly over the heart of the city. You’ll be treated to sweeping views of the Milwaukee River, the iconic Hoan Bridge, and the majestic Milwaukee Art Museum. But that’s not all – this ride encompasses the entire cityscape, ensuring you don’t miss a single landmark.

Forward Outdoor offers one of the most unique ways to experience Milwaukee. Located directly on the waterfront at Discovery World, our rental location provides immediate access to calm, protected harbor waters with stunning views of the city skyline, Lake Michigan, Lakeshore State Park, and the Summerfest grounds. Unlike many paddling experiences that require transportation, lengthy instructions, or advanced skills, guests can get on the water quickly and explore at their own pace. We offer a variety of watercraft—including kayaks, paddleboards, hydro bikes, and paddle boats—making it easy for families, couples, solo travelers, and groups to find the perfect adventure. As a locally owned Milwaukee business, we're passionate about helping people connect with the outdoors and discover the city from a perspective most visitors never experience.

Downtown Milwaukee's growth began around the intersection of N. Water St. and E. Wisconsin Ave. but expanded quickly as the small settlement became a large city. If you are looking for an introduction to Milwaukee's history, this is the best place to start. The tour will explore this commercial district from the earliest beginnings at the river's edge all the way to the modern office buildings along Lake Michigan's shore. Stops on the tour include a variety of architectural styles including Alexander Eschweiler's Art Deco Gas Light Building (1930), the Richardsonian Romanesque style Federal Building (1892), and Northwestern Mutual's Neoclassical Headquarters (1914). This walking tour is 1 mile in length. We recommend that travelers bring (weather permitting): good walking shoes, water, sunscreen, and/or umbrella.

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.

The Milwaukee River has many breweries and restaurants along its shores, but driving can be a bit of a hassle. Bypass the roads and take to the water with this Milwaukee River Kayak Rental. Float down the river at your own pace without being rushed by a group and decide how you spend your time in the river and out of it.

Get to know one of Milwaukee‘s most haunted neighborhoods, Westown, and discover why Marquette University is considered one of the nation‘s most haunted schools. On this self-guided walking tour, you‘ll visit eleven haunted locations and hear some of Milwaukee‘s most spook-tacular tales! Starting in front of the Milwaukee Public Museum, you‘ll stroll around Marquette Campus and along Wisconsin Ave to Straz Tower, where our tour ends. Along the way, you‘ll meet some of Milwaukee‘s most famous ghosts, including a professor who continues to report to work, and a home-proud beer baron. You‘ll also see the site of one of the city‘s most notorious murders. Lace up your shoes and join me in discovering the haunted side of this historic neighborhood. This family-friendly hour-long walk does contain content that may be disturbing, including details of murders, mentions of suicide and accidental deaths. Please use caution when selecting this tour for very young or sensitive audiences.

Our guided City Skyline Kayak Tours are 1.5–2 hours long and follow the Milwaukee River up towards downtown Milwaukee. We do not make any stops along the way for this tour, but we do provide details about Milwaukee's history and attractions along the river. Our knowledgeable guides will provide you with any kayaking instruction you may need and ensure you feel safe and comfortable on this beginner-level tour.

Half the history talk calories of the Old Milwaukee Tour but with all the full bodied flavor! Ride 15 miles on a pedal assist e-bike through the best of Milwaukee. Enjoy a frozen custard at the beach, a local speciality. See incredible variety! Ride through historic working class neighborhoods and past ornate mansions that were built when Milwaukee was the machine shop of the world. Admire hidden alley street art. Gaze up at massive frescos inside our finest cathedral. Cruise along lakeshore parks and past downtown architectural gems. Wrap it all up with a visit to a beer garden, a city tradition since 1848, and you'll have a real taste of Milwaukee.

The Midwestern city of Milwaukee is known for its beer and cheese and this walking food tour gives you a taste of the best. Join a small group and enjoy a walk through "Brew City" to sample a number of beers and regional snacks. Learn about the 19th-century Germanic population that immigrated to the area and its influence on today's local cuisine.

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.

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.

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.

Set on a bluff, overlooking the northern point of Milwaukee’s harbor, this neighborhood boasts an incredible collection of mansions from the early twentieth century. The tree-lined blocks feature a variety of styles including German Renaissance Revival, English Tudor Revival, Mediterranean Revival and others popular from 1890-1940. The houses were designed by some of the most notable Milwaukee architects including Eschweiler, Clas, Niedecken and even Wisconsin’s own Frank Lloyd Wright. Beyond the architectural details, the neighborhood’s past residents include many prominent Milwaukeeans who made money in wheat, railroads, straw hats, fur coats, ice cream and more. The tour also includes non-residential neighborhood landmarks like a historic hospital complex, water tower and lighthouse, as well as a Frederick Law Olmsted designed park. This walking tour is 1.4 miles in length. We recommend bringing (weather permitting): good walking shoes, water, sunscreen, and/or umbrella.

The home of American lager and once a rival to Chicago in size, Milwaukee’s history and preeminence may not be as obvious as it once was—unless you look. With this self-guided audio tour, you’ll travel down Brew City’s most opulent drag, from the Milwaukee Public Library to the Milwaukee Art Museum. Across 150 years of history and plenty of steps, you’ll get a guided-tour experience without any of the crowds.

Set sail around Lake Michigan on this private adventure tour. With the safety of a life jacket and boat captain, spend two hours enjoying a smooth sail along the calming waters, soaking up city views of Milwaukee, Kenosha, and Racine. You also have the opportunity to spot local wildlife like lake trout, sandhill cranes, and otters.

With 191 different blocks, it should come as no surprise that Milwaukee is known as a ‘City of Neighborhoods’. On this self-guided walking tour, you’ll be introduced to two of its most interesting suburbs, Brady Street and the Lower Eastside, and their architecture. You’ll begin by discovering the impact that Polish and Italian immigrants had on Brady Street Historic District, including delicious Italian cuisine at Sciortino’s Bakery and Glorioso’s Deli. Finally, you’ll stroll down the city’s former Gold Coast to end this tour at the Oak Leaf Trail on Prospect Avenue, giving you the opportunity to continue your Milwaukee adventure independently on the Lake Line Trail. This family-friendly tour is an easy stroll, with the option to pop inside some of the city’s most interesting churches. Come hungry, there are plenty of opportunities to grab snacks, or discover your new favorite restaurant along the route.

The Historic Third Ward was the first stop for many of Milwaukee's European immigrants, particularly the Irish and later the Italians. Close to cheap housing and available jobs, these new arrivals created close-knit communities. Like most major industrial cities, the Third Ward had a significant and destructive fire in 1892, which reshaped the landscape to much of what you see today. In the 1970s, this area experienced a resurgence that transformed factories and warehouses into condos and mixed adaptive reuse. On this tour, learn about the neighborhood landscape as well as the Irish and Italian immigrants as well as the impact of the LGBTQ+ community and other residents. Stops include the Milwaukee Public Market (2005), Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) (1974), and Commission Row (1894). This walking tour is 1 mile in length. Travelers are recommended to bring (weather permitting): 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.