May 8, 2019 · Theresa
What’s new in Milwaukee this summer?
Guests often ask us, “what’s your favorite thing to do in Milwaukee?” and we always have the same answer, “it changes so often”! There is so much to do in Milwaukee and some many new and exciting things coming to the city every day that’s it’s hard to pick one!
Last weekend we kicked off summer in Milwaukee with our tour guide training. Our local tour guides are the backbone of Milwaukee Food & City Tours. They are the faces that you see when you take our food tours, walking tours and our hop-on/hop-off sightseeing tour! Some of our guides have been telling the story of Milwaukee for years- but we are always excited to show off what’s new!
First, we loaded up our signature green bus to review our hop-on/hop-off city tour and we were sure to see some of Milwaukee’s newest hot spots like the Fiserv Forum Plaza, the Northwestern Mutual Building and the future home of MooSa’s!
After taking in these great sites we needed something sweet so we headed down Brady Street to check out Glorioso’s new bakery, Appetito. Holy Cannoli! Our friends at Appetito knew we would be stopping by to peer in the windows for a glimpse, and surprised us with a delicious treat. What a wonderful way to enjoy a cannoli and congratulate our friends on their new shop! Becca, a 1st year tour guide with us, commented later, “I’m blown away by the depth of relationships the company has with so many amazing businesses in and around Milwaukee. It’s a testament to the strength of community in the city and the power of local pride!”
Next up on our tour we had a little celebrating to do! When we were thinking about where to go we thought of one of our favorite places new to the Christmas Lights and Desserts tour this year. We knew that Greige Patisserie in Walker’s Point would fit the bill. Our bus pulled up, we hopped out and presto- it’s time for a baby shower! Jessica, owner of Greige helped us shower our good friend Caitlin with a little love and cake before she becomes a mom!
While there, Jill Hauck from VISIT Milwaukee shared with the team the greater impact of tourism in Milwaukee. Guides learned about our role in group travel and convention planning as well. But, we didn’t have time to dawdle, we had more places to go!
Load ’em up! Next stop, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum! You heard that right! Milwaukee is now home to a bobblehead mecca!
We had so much fun chatting with Phil, a co-founder of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum! We also took some time to spot some of our favorite local sports heros and even a few celebrities along the way! Our long time tour guide, Karen, was thrilled to be visiting the Bobblehead Museum, “Holy Tchotchke! Visiting the Bobblehead Museums for the first time was fascinating and slightly unnerving at the same time. I can’t wait to go bobbin’ in with a tour group”. We could have stayed and wandered the more than 8,000 bobbleheads for hours but it was time to get on the bus again!
Last stop! After all of this fun we needed some caffeine and a chance to talk about the nitty gritty of tour guiding. Stone Creek’s Factory Cafe’s upstairs rent-able room was the perfect place to grab a cup of Milwaukee-brewed coffee, review best practices, and brainstorm the ways we will help create memories for our guests this summer!
After the training, we have been overwhelmed by the unsolicited feedback from our guides. Steve, who has been leading tours with Milwaukee Food & City Tours now, stated, “I can’t overstate the effort the entire team puts into serving our clients. The hours of research and the dozens of phone calls to put together a single private tour. The continual effort to build relationships with the best restaurants. The attention to detail and true love of history our guides put into telling stories about this great little town. And the effort put into promoting and providing vision for the company. It really is why, despite the occasional imitator, no one else does what we do as well as we do.“
It’s true – after 12 years of leading tours, we cannot wait until the next time the phone rings or the InBox notification chimes so that we can begin planning another adventure around Milwaukee!
Looking for your own Milwaukee adventure? Talk to us about creating a custom Milwaukee tour just for you! We’ve accommodated groups up to 300. You pick the day and time for your tour that works best for your group, and we’ll handle the rest. To book a private tour, simply e-mail us at events@milwaukeefoodtours.com or call 414-255-0534 ext 3 to request your desired tour route, date and time.
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