BEER in the Parks! Visit the "Traveling Beer Garden" this summer

MILWAUKEE (WITI) – Milwaukee County Parks, in partnership with Sprecher Brewing Company, will operate a Traveling Beer Garden to meet the demand for these family-friendly facilities in the Parks.

The traveling facility will visit six different parks or parkways, each for a two-week season between early-June and late-August.

The opening day at each location is celebrated with free Sprecher beer and root beer while supplies last.

“In the mid-19th Century, Milwaukee’s German immigrants brought us biergartens. The mobile beer garden revives this tradition with a 21st century twist,” said Parks Director John Dargle, Jr. “This mobile operation will give families throughout the County the opportunity to experience a beer garden and explore parks they may not have visited previously.”

On the schedule are:


    Hours are 4-10 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

    The last beer is served at 9 p.m.

    Sprecher products will be featured. About 10 on-tap beers will be served in souvenir glass pints and steins and souvenir plastic boots, with refills offered at reduced prices.

    The souvenir cups can be reused at any of the Traveling Beer Garden stops or at the Estabrook Park or Hoyt Park facilities.

    In addition, flights of five beer samples will be served in recyclable plastic cups.

    Other Sprecher beverages to be served include hard root beer, hard ginger ale, sodas, and root beer floats.

    Snacks will also be available.

    Families are welcome to pack their own picnic lunches or suppers and non-alcoholic beverages. License restrictions prohibit the carry-in of any alcohol.

    Grilling is not allowed at the beer garden site or the immediate surrounding area.

    Facilities offer shared-table seating, where families are encouraged to make new friends.

    All Traveling Beer Garden stops are wheelchair accessible and have ample restroom and parking facilities nearby.

    Beer Gardens in Milwaukee have been a tradition, bringing friends, families, and neighbors together in a relaxed, social setting.

    With the arrival of German immigrants in the mid-1800s, beer gardens began to spring up—often located in parks.

    By the late 1800s beer gardens were prolific throughout the city as the center of summer social life.

    Two permanent beer gardens have operated in the Parks since 2012.

    Estabrook Park Beer Garden, developed and operated by the same folks who brought Old German Beer Hall to Milwaukee, overlooks the Milwaukee River, and The Landing at Hoyt Park, operated by the Friends of Hoyt Park & Pool, offers views of the Menomonee River Parkway.