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Walk among the graves of Milwaukee’s brewing pioneers and beneath an accredited arboretum canopy on a 1.5-hour guided tour. This small-group experience from Historic Milwaukee, Inc. pairs beer-industry history with Victorian-era landscape and conservation.
Walk among the graves of Milwaukee’s brewing pioneers and beneath an accredited arboretum canopy on a 1.5-hour guided tour. This small-group experience from Historic Milwaukee, Inc. pairs beer-industry history with Victorian-era landscape and conservation.
Book with Historic Milwaukee, Inc.
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Operated by Historic Milwaukee, Inc. · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Forest Home Cemetery sits on nearly 200 acres in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Beer Barons Tour at Forest Home Cemetery Presented by Historic Milwaukee, Inc. draws a small group into the city’s industrial past. Meeting at Plankinton Arcade 161 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this 1.5-hour walking tour threads through winding lanes and over uneven ground to visit the burial plots of beer pioneers—Joseph Schlitz, Captain Frederick Pabst and Valentin Blatz—and the craftsmen and suppliers who kept breweries running. The experience is part history lesson, part arboretum walk: Forest Home was established in 1850, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and became Milwaukee’s first accredited arboretum in 2021, with more than 2,600 trees across the site. Docents from Historic Milwaukee, Inc., founded in 1974 to promote the city’s architecture and built environment, narrate how Milwaukee’s location, immigrant workforce and river access made it an ideal brewing center. You’ll learn about the four major breweries—Schlitz, Pabst, Blatz and others—along with related trades: barrel making, wagon building and bottling innovations. The cemetery itself is a rare surviving example of a Victorian-era rural garden cemetery in the Upper Midwest; monuments, sculpted stonework and Victorian-era landscaping give the tour texture and sightlines that feel more like a living museum than a park. Practical visitors’ details are woven into the story. The walk covers uneven terrain and is not accessible; there are no guaranteed seats along the route, so comfortable, sturdy footwear and a steady pace help you enjoy the 1.5-hour itinerary. Parking is free throughout the cemetery—guests are asked to avoid spaces in front of the office reserved for funerals—and the tour supports preservation: proceeds benefit Historic Milwaukee, Inc. and Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum. What sets this trip apart is the collision of industrial biography and quiet green space. You stand beside gravestones that name company founders and then look up into an arboretum canopy whose specimen trees have shaded Milwaukee for generations. For history buffs, beer lovers and anyone curious about how a city’s industries shape its landscape, the Beer Barons Tour offers a compact, revealing walk that connects architecture, commerce and everyday labor in a way few museum galleries can match. Plan to arrive 10–15 minutes early and bring a camera; the statuary, mature trees and storytelling make for memorable photos and sharper understanding of why beer made Milwaukee famous. Groups are intentionally small—20 People maximum—which keeps conversations intimate and allows time to linger at individual monuments without feeling rushed. Tours run with English-speaking docents; the route is unsuitable for strollers but fits steady walkers. Your ticket supports free public programs like Doors Open Milwaukee and ongoing preservation of this historic garden cemetery and arboretum and community education efforts.
Meet at Plankinton Arcade 161 W. Wisconsin Ave. Milwaukee, Wisconsin; plan to arrive 10–15 minutes early.
No. The tour covers uneven terrain and does not have places to sit; it is not accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.
The tour runs about 1.5 Hours and is limited to 20 People to keep the group intimate.
Because this is an active cemetery and a preservation site, pets are generally not permitted on the tour—check with the operator if you need clarification.
Tours are led in English by docents from Historic Milwaukee, Inc.
Yes. Proceeds benefit Historic Milwaukee, Inc. and Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum to support preservation and public programs.
Historic Milwaukee, Inc. preserves and interprets Milwaukee’s built environment through curated public programs and guided tours. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Historic Milwaukee, Inc. presents walking tours, multi-session neighborhood series, one-way Riverwalk tours, river cruises and specialty sessions that focus on architecture, neighborhood history, cultural heritage and public art. Tours begin at recognizable local points such as the Historic Milwaukee Store and explore diverse neighborhoods including North Point, Newberry Boulevard, Brady Street, Walker’s Point, the Historic Third Ward and downtown corridors. Many programs highlight specific themes: stained glass at Yankee Hill churches, German heritage on Old World Third Street, industrial heritage in Walker’s Point and theatrical and architectural history along N. Water Street and N. Broadway. Programming includes short lunchtime learning events, multi-Saturday series, half-mile neighborhood strolls and guided cruises. Presentations and tours are led by named guides and local historians — for example, Dr. Judy Wimmer and Cyndi Kramer — and emphasize documented research, architectural observation and neighborhood storytelling. Historic Milwaukee, Inc. is a community-based organization focused on accessible public history programming. Events are factual, research-driven and designed for residents, visitors and students who want clear historical context and engaging on-the-ground interpretation.
Book with Historic Milwaukee, Inc.