Milwaukee’s Beer Garden Tradition: Heritage and Revival

The Pabst Whitefish Bay resort. Photo via Pabst Mansion.

Picture a sunny Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee in the late 1800s: families gather under leafy chestnut trees, a brass band plays in the background, and parents and children alike enjoy pretzels, lemonade, and foamy steins of beer. This idyllic scene was common in the beer gardens of old – a German tradition transplanted to American soil.

In this article, we trace the history of beer gardens in America, beginning with their German roots and early Milwaukee heyday, through their decline during Prohibition, and finally to their 21st-century revival. We’ll especially explore how Milwaukee’s North Shore communities have reembraced beer gardens as welcoming, family-friendly community spaces.

German Tradition Takes Root in America’s Beer Gardens

The concept of the beer garden originated in Bavaria, Germany, where breweries set up outdoor gardens with communal tables so locals could enjoy beer in the shade of trees. German immigrants brought this beer culture to America in the 19th century, and few places embraced it as strongly as Milwaukee. In an era before public parks were widespread, beer gardens served as informal community parks. Milwaukee’s early beer gardens—at least eleven were established between the 1840s and 1880s—offered a place to relax outdoors with family and neighbors, drink beer, listen to live music, play games, and share picnic foods. These venues were social hubs where all ages mingled. As historian John Gurda noted, “you might go to church in the morning and spend the afternoon in the beer garden… There was no conflict whatsoever. It was a very family-oriented theme.” In other words, beer gardens were about more than beer – they were about community, conviviality (what the Germans call Gemütlichkeit), and family fun in the fresh air.

Brew City’s Beer Garden Boom in the 19th Century

According to the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee, by the late 1800s, Milwaukee was the place for beer gardens in the U.S. In fact, by some accounts Milwaukee was “the undisputed leader in the number (and extravagance) of beer gardens” during that era. Local brewing titans built elaborate beer garden parks to promote their brands and provide entertainment. Pabst, Schlitz, Blatz, and Miller each developed grand beer garden resorts on the city’s outskirts.

These weren’t just picnic tables and trees – they were full-fledged pleasure grounds. Schlitz, for example, transformed a North Side park into Schlitz Park, complete with ornate pavilions, fountains, an observation tower, bowling alleys, and a large concert hall hosting live bands and opera performances. Captain Frederick Pabst opened a popular resort in Whitefish Bay (then a rural lakeside getaway) that featured attractions like a Ferris wheel and even served plank whitefish dinners to guests. Families would take an excursion to enjoy the lakeside breeze, music, and amusements at Pabst’s park. Not to be outdone, other beer gardens added novelty attractions inspired by the era’s new amusement parks – in 1885, one even installed Milwaukee’s first roller coaster, and by the 1890s Pabst’s park boasted a mini railroad, boat rides on an “underground” river, funhouse attractions, and more.

Despite the carnival flair, the atmosphere remained very much family-friendly. On weekends and holidays, beer gardens became popular picnic destinations for Milwaukee families of all backgrounds. It was common to see children laughing and playing games while parents socialized over a liter of lager. Beer gardens also doubled as community gathering spots – local bands played in gazebos, civic groups held festivals and fundraisers, and neighbors caught up with each other on the grassy lawns. In many ways, these early beer gardens were the cultural heart of Milwaukee’s social life, blending refreshment with recreation. As beer historian Carl Miller explains, lager beer was “more than anything else, a social icon” representing friends, family, and camaraderie – and nowhere was that more true than at the local beer garden.

Prohibition and the End of an Era

The golden age of American beer gardens eventually waned. By the early 20th century, Milwaukee’s new municipal parks system and emerging amusement parks began to offer alternative leisure options, from proper playgrounds to roller coasters, reducing the novelty of brewer-run beer gardens. Then came the crushing blow: Prohibition.

In 1920, the United States banned the production and sale of alcohol, forcing beer gardens to close nationwide. Milwaukee’s once-grand beer gardens all vanished – Pabst Park, the city’s last major beer garden, shuttered in 1920 as the “dry” era began. Even after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the old beer garden tradition did not immediately reappear. America’s social habits had shifted, and for decades the idea of drinking beer outside in a public park remained a quaint relic of the past. In Milwaukee, beer gardens survived only in memory (and in a few private or seasonal festival grounds). The lively family scenes of steins and songs in the park seemed consigned to history.

Milwaukee’s Beer Garden Revival in the 21st Century

Nearly a century after Prohibition, Milwaukee is once again at the vanguard of beer garden culture. The revival began in 2012, when Milwaukee County Parks partnered with a local brewer to reopen a beer garden in Estabrook Park along the Milwaukee River. The Estabrook Beer Garden – often cited as America’s first truly public beer garden since Prohibition – tapped its first keg that summer. To the delight of many, the community flocked to this new/old idea. What started as a small experiment (just a one-week trial run) turned into a runaway success. Park officials were astonished to see families, bicyclists, and neighbors lining up 100-deep for draft beer and pretzels under the trees, just like the old days. Word spread quickly, and soon national media and even cities around the world took note of Milwaukee’s beer garden comeback.

Over the next few years, the Milwaukee area opened several more public beer gardens. By the mid-2010s, nearly every corner of the county had access to one – from permanent beer gardens in parks to roving Traveling Beer Gardens that haul kegs on vintage fire trucks. The revival wasn’t just about beer; it was about community. The new beer gardens were deliberately designed as family-friendly spaces, staying true to tradition.

Visitors bring their kids (and often the dog) to the park beer gardens for an afternoon of relaxation and fun. It’s common to see strollers and sandbox toys alongside picnic tables and beer steins. Milwaukee County’s beer gardens all serve root beer and other craft sodas for kids and non-drinkers, and many offer ice cream or snacks, making everyone feel welcome. Live music is a staple on weekends – you might hear a polka band one evening and an acoustic guitar the next – adding to the festive, all-ages atmosphere. As in the 19th century, the focus is on community and camaraderie.

“The beer gardens in Milwaukee have historically been about more than drinking beer,” one parks director noted, emphasizing the sense of community these gatherings create. In fact, Milwaukee’s modern beer gardens have been credited with drawing people back into the parks, increasing awareness and usage of public parks while also generating funds to support them. In short, the beer garden has returned to its roots as a social cornerstone – and nowhere is that more evident than in Milwaukee’s own North Shore suburbs.

Captain Frederick Pabst and the Whitefish Bay Resort

No chronicle of Milwaukee’s beer-garden golden age is complete without Captain Frederick Pabst—the onetime Great Lakes steamboat captain who turned his father-in-law’s Best Brewery into a national powerhouse and then built one of the Midwest’s most spectacular leisure parks on the Lake Michigan bluffs of Whitefish Bay.

In 1888, Pabst quietly bought roughly sixty acres of lake-front farmland just north of Milwaukee and invested about $30,000—a small fortune at the time—to create a resort that would showcase his beer and, just as important, give city dwellers a cool, breezy escape from summer heat. The Pabst Whitefish Bay Resort opened for its first full season in 1889 with a 48-foot circular bar, covered dining pavilions, a ladies’ parlor, and broad porches that looked out over the lake. Steam-powered excursion boats and later electric streetcars delivered throngs of visitors directly to the resort’s dock below the bluff.

Pabst modeled his complex on the grand German beer gardens of his youth and then upped the ante with amusement-park flair. A Ferris wheel that rose roughly 300 feet above the lake’s surface, daily band concerts (double concerts on Sundays), rowboat rentals, bowling alleys, boating regattas, and a roster of yodelers and brass bands kept patrons of every age entertained. Whitefish fresh-caught the same morning was served five ways, and—naturally—ice-cold Pabst lager flowed from gravity-fed wooden barrels. On peak summer weekends as many as 10,000 people—families with picnic baskets, courting couples, and curious out-of-towners—crowded the grounds, yet admission was free; Pabst counted on beer sales to cover his investment.

The resort thrived for a quarter-century and became a civic institution: Milwaukee newspapers breathlessly reported each spring on new attractions (one season added an “underground” canal boat ride, another a miniature railroad), and children grew up measuring summers by their trips to Whitefish Bay. But tastes changed as modern amusement parks and a growing county-park system offered newer diversions. Attendance slipped after 1912, and by 1914 Pabst closed the gates; in 1915 the land was subdivided into seventeen lakefront residential lots, erasing nearly every trace of the once-famed beer garden. Today only a small historical marker on Lake Drive hints that the quiet shorefront neighborhood was once Milwaukee’s most popular family playground.

Yet the spirit of Captain Pabst’s venture lives on. When Whitefish Bay hosts its seasonal Klode Park Beer Garden pop-ups, the sight of neighbors hoisting pints as children race across the lawn conjures a direct line back to the nineteenth-century resort a mile to the south. Milwaukee’s entire North Shore revival—Glendale’s Bavarian Bierhaus, Shorewood’s riverside Hubbard Park, Fox Point’s Longacre Pavilion events, Bayside’s Ellsworth Park series—owes a debt to Pabst’s gamble that beer, fresh air, and family fun belong together. More than a century later, that formula remains as refreshing as ever.

Beer Gardens Blossom in Milwaukee’s North Shore Communities

Today, Milwaukee’s northern shore communities have fully embraced the beer garden revival, blending old-world tradition with local flair. Each community – Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Glendale, Fox Point, Bayside, and beyond – now offers its own take on the beer garden, ensuring there’s a welcoming spot for families and friends to raise a glass together on a summer afternoon. Here’s a look at the North Shore’s beer garden offerings and what makes each unique:

Glendale: Glendale has become a true North Shore beer garden hub, boasting multiple locations to enjoy a brew al fresco. Perhaps the most iconic is the Bavarian Bierhaus at Old Heidelberg Park – a sprawling Bavarian-style beer garden and hall with a history stretching back over 60 years. With long communal tables, live music, giant pretzels, and even games like Hammerschlagen (a traditional nail-hammering game), the Bavarian Bierhaus feels like a slice of Munich right in Glendale. This expansive beer garden (capacity around 7,000 for big events) is famed for its annual Oktoberfest and family-friendly vibe – you’ll see kids dancing to polka music and parents clinking steins of German lager.

Glendale also features the Sprecher Brewing Outdoor Oasis at Richard E. Maslowski Community Park – a relaxed beer garden that pairs locally brewed beers with Sprecher’s popular gourmet sodas and root beer on tap (a hit with the kids). Open seasonally from spring through Labor Day, the Oasis offers picnic tables, a playground next door, and a menu of casual fare like brats, hot dogs, and ice cream. It’s the perfect spot to watch a Little League baseball game while sipping a craft beer.

Rounding out Glendale’s offerings are some modern twists: The Yard at Bayshore is an outdoor beer garden in the Bayshore town center, where parents can enjoy one of 36 beers on tap while kids play in the adjacent “Play Yard” green space or catch an outdoor movie. And let’s not forget Glendale is home to Sprecher Brewery’s taproom, essentially an indoor beer hall that offers tours and tastings – though not an outdoor garden, it underscores Glendale’s reputation as a beer destination. Whether at a festive Bavarian beer hall or a community park patio, Glendale’s beer gardens are all about good drink, good food, and welcoming all ages.

Shorewood: In Shorewood, the go-to gathering place is the Hubbard Park Beer Garden, a hidden gem nestled along the Milwaukee River. Tucked below street level and accessible via the Oak Leaf Trail, Hubbard Park’s beer garden offers a peaceful, wooded setting that feels like a mini retreat. Families love this spot for its natural beauty – you might snag a picnic table under towering trees or near the river’s edge and watch ducks swim by. The beer garden serves up a rotating selection of Wisconsin craft beers (available in the classic half-liter or full liter glass steins) as well as soft drinks, local hard cider, and even Bloody Marys. A small food menu covers the essentials: warm pretzels, bratwurst, and cheese platters, with a Friday fish fry special that nods to Milwaukee tradition. Hubbard Park Beer Garden is known for its laid-back, family-friendly atmosphere. There’s often a bin of kids’ toys (balls, sandbox buckets, etc.) available to keep little ones busy, and the adjacent grassy areas and nearby playground let children burn off energy while parents relax. Parking is limited in this tucked-away locale, so many visitors arrive on foot or bicycle – it’s an easy stop along the riverside bike trail. In the summer, Hubbard Park often hosts live music or special themed nights, and in cooler months it cleverly converts its indoor lodge into a cozy year-round beer hall so the community fun can continue. For Shorewood residents, this beer garden has revived a bit of local history – over a century ago, this very area was home to an amusement park built by beer baron Captain Pabst! Today, Hubbard Park Beer Garden carries on the legacy in a more low-key way, offering neighbors a friendly place to unwind with a brew by the river, any time of year.

Whitefish Bay: Whitefish Bay’s lakefront has joined the beer garden scene in the form of a seasonal pop-up at Klode Park. Perched on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, Klode Park’s beer garden offers a picturesque backdrop for summer fun. This beer garden isn’t a permanent establishment but rather a series of community beer garden events on select weekends during the warm months. In recent years, local craft breweries (such as 1840 Brewing or Torzala Brewing) have taken turns hosting the Klode Park Beer Garden on Friday or Saturday evenings. Neighbors bring lawn chairs and blankets to spread out on the grass as they enjoy small-batch beers brewed right here in Wisconsin. The atmosphere is like a friendly block party: children chase each other on the open lawn or romp on the playground, a food truck or two serve up tacos or BBQ, and a local band might play live music ranging from classic rock to folk. As the sun sets over Lake Michigan, families toast with pints of craft beer and cups of root beer, soaking in the lakeside sunset together. Whitefish Bay, historically a dry village in its early 20th-century days, now embraces this festive summer tradition wholeheartedly. The Klode Park Beer Garden usually kicks off around late May and runs on intermittent weekends through September, giving residents a few chances each summer to experience an evening of beer-garden camaraderie by the lake. It’s a reminder that you don’t need a giant venue to capture that beer garden magic – sometimes a beautiful view, a good brew, and a gathering of friends and neighbors are all you need.

Fox Point Beer Garden: Since 2022, Fox Point has teamed up with a local craft brewery (the community-driven New Barons Brewing Cooperative) to host the Fox Point Beer Garden at Longacre Pavilion, the village’s ice-skating warming house turned summer beer garden. On select Friday evenings throughout the summer (about every other week from late May into August), Longacre Pavilion comes alive with families and friends. The setup is simple and welcoming: the pavilion’s patio becomes a bar serving New Barons’ craft beers (often including some unique small-batch brews), while rotating food trucks offer tasty bites – think gourmet sliders, wood-fired pizza, or ice cream treats. Many attendees bring picnic blankets or their own lawn chairs, since seating can fill up quickly as folks settle in for an evening of live music. Kids have ample space to play on the adjacent green field; it’s not uncommon to see impromptu games of tag or frisbee underway. Adding to the fun, Fox Point also hosts a few special Saturday beer garden events in early fall, extending the season into September or October with afternoon “Oktoberfest” style gatherings. And each August, the Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden rolls into Fox Point’s Doctors Park for a two-week stint, bringing its restored fire-truck beer bar and serving up pints under the trees by the Lake Michigan bluff. These combined efforts have turned Fox Point’s quiet parks into occasional vibrant beer garden celebrations – times when the whole community comes together to share a brew, enjoy lake breezes, and watch the kids play as dusk falls.

Bayside: Bayside’s beer gardens take place at Ellsworth Park, a lovely neighborhood park that features sports fields, a playground, and plenty of open space. Rather than a continuous beer garden, Bayside organizes a handful of beer garden events scattered throughout the summer (and even one during the village’s Fall Fest). For example, on several Saturday afternoons and evenings from May through August, Ellsworth Park transforms into a pop-up beer garden complete with local craft beer and live entertainment. Bayside has partnered with a craft brewer – currently Torzala Brewing Company – which brings in a variety of fresh beers on tap. Village volunteers and park staff help serve beverages (including craft beer for adults and soda or root beer for kids) and ensure a safe, enjoyable time for everyone. Each Bayside beer garden event typically features live music – you might catch an acoustic duo or a classic rock cover band playing under the park gazebo – and often a food truck or local eatery providing burgers, BBQ, or other treats. Families from around the North Shore pack up their folding chairs, kids’ wagons, and even the family dog, and head to Ellsworth Park to join the fun. The kids make a beeline for the playground or start pickup soccer games, while the adults socialize and sample the latest summer brews. It’s a relaxed, come-as-you-are atmosphere. With about eight beer garden dates each season, Bayside has turned these events into mini community festivals – a chance for residents to meet up, for local musicians and businesses to showcase their talents, and for everyone to enjoy a summer evening outdoors. As the organizers like to point out, it’s not just about the beer – it’s about building community. And judging by the laughter of children chasing bubbles and the contentment of parents chatting over pints, Bayside’s take on the beer garden is as family-friendly and community-focused as it gets.

From their German beginnings to their modern Milwaukee resurgence, beer gardens have always been about bringing people together. In Milwaukee’s North Shore, the beer garden tradition is alive and well – adapting to the times but still rooted in that old-world spirit of hospitality, music, food, and family fun. A trip to a local beer garden might find you clinking a glass of Hefeweizen with neighbors or watching your kids dance to a polka tune they’ve never heard before. It’s a chance to slow down and enjoy life’s simple pleasures in a beautiful outdoor setting. As the North Shore communities have shown, you don’t need to travel far to experience the magic of a beer garden – it’s right in our backyard, welcoming everyone to share in the Gemütlichkeit. So grab a picnic table, raise your stein (or root beer mug), and say “Prost!” – this is one tradition that proves great ideas, much like great beer, only get better with time.