A couple of weeks ago I got to spend a few lovely days in my hometown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin! I try to take as many pictures as I can, everywhere I go, but Milwaukee holds special inspiration for me. This is the city where I first picked up a camera, took a photography class, and started on my photo journey years ago. Fun fact: my first DSLR camera was a Nikon D3000. This camera was left in the bathroom of the coffee shop where I worked, and wasn’t claimed for six months! My manager eventually let me take it home, and the rest is history. I no longer have that camera, but the shots I took with it will last forever (thank you digital). 

My first stop after landing in Milwaukee was the Lakeshore with my younger siblings. Jamie got in the water, even though it was freezing, while the rest of us soaked up the sun on the beach. After sunbathing for a while, we headed over to North Point Snack Stand for authentic, Wisconsin cheese curds! Deep fried, as they should be. Followed, of course, by frozen custard, which is infinitely better than ice cream. 

Next up: discing in Estabrook Park. Estabrook Park is part of the Milwaukee County Park System, and is home to the Estabrook Park Disc Golf Course. This course is 18 holes, and takes about an hour to an hour and a half to work through. I am not an experienced discer, but I did my best and got some great shots of the course!

Click here for more information about the Estabrook Park Course

The best part about Estabrook Park, by far, is the Estabrook Park Beer Garden, open every day of the week, May through September. The beer garden is a Milwaukee staple, and claims to be the “first public beer garden open since Prohibition.”  The beer comes in traditional glass Steins, and is imported from the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München. This brewery was originally opened in the 16th century by the Bavarian nobility, and still operates in Munich to this day. Wisconsinites take their German beer quite seriously!

After your beer, head down the stairs towards the river, to take in the sites and sounds of nature in the city. In addition to native foliage and flowers, there are plenty of city creatures to spot as well. I got this very lucky shot of a dragonfly sunbathing on a rock. 

My family is a family of performers, so I had to catch at least one of them in a show while I was visiting. Max recently helped start a rock band called The Madcap Quartet with some of his high school friends. They played Battle of the Bands at Gathering on the Green, and I got a few shots of them onstage. 

Oh, and also, they won! Congrats to the Madcap Quartet on your big win.  You can see more photos of their set on my Band Photography Page. 

Speaking of talented siblings, my other little brother puts on a show of his own as part of the Milwaukee Hurling Club. This match was at Brown Deer Park, and was between two U15 teams. Jamie’s team won! 

You can see on his hurley (the stick they use to hit the ball around the field) that there are celtic designs burned into the wood. Jamie designed and applied that artwork to his hurley himself! My family is quite multi-talented. 

See the rest of the photos from this game on my Sports Photography Page.

Can’t forget to give a shout to a few more great food and beverage experiences you can ONLY get in Wisconsin (and some parts of Illinois if you look hard enough). For great fast food, head to Culver’s! For fantastic coffee, Colectivo is the place to be. And for beer, of course it’s Spotted Cow always and forever. 

I know this post was a long one, so if you’re still with me, thanks! I hope you enjoyed my explorations in my hometown. If you’ve stuck with me til the very end, it means you get to see my proudest accomplishment from the whole weekend. I was reposted in Instagram stories by the one and only Charlie Berens! Life. Made.