Traveling to Milwaukee
From a travel perspective, Milwaukee is a fairly easy and straightforward place to visit for a ballgame. This chapter of our insider guide to American Family Field will look at transportation options to the city and other things you should consider when planning your trip.
We will review:
Flying to Milwaukee
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) is the area’s primary airport. It’s located about 10 miles south of downtown Milwaukee, and 12 miles south/southeast of American Family Field, so it’s very close and easy to get to.
While the airport’s small size is quite convenient, you should note that it’s a secondary airport, meaning there are no airlines that are hubbed there. So if you’re flying from a major airport hub like Dallas, Denver, Atlanta, New York, etc., you may be able to book a direct flight. But if you’re flying from another secondary airport (such as St. Louis, Kansas City, Tampa, Cleveland, etc.), you’ll likely have to connect through another airport. Keep that in mind as you pick the games you’re thinking of attending, as some of your flight times/options might be limited.
In the event that you find flights into Milwaukee too restrictive, your best alternative is Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (about 80 miles south), which is one of the country’s biggest – thus offering lower prices and more flight options. That said, you’d then have to factor in the time and cost of getting to Milwaukee from O’Hare, which will undoubtedly require a rental car or hopping on a bus, and could take 1-2 hours in travel time, depending on traffic. So unless you’re planning a roadtrip that includes the Chicago Cubs or White Sox, or have another reason to be in Chicago, O’Hare would really be a last resort.
The benefits of flying out of the Milwaukee airport are the short wait times at security and its close proximity to both downtown and American Family Field. The airport is set up with a center hub connecting separate concourses, each with their own security entrances. Due to this design and a lower volume of passengers compared to larger airports, getting through security is a quick process and you shouldn’t need to arrive more than an hour early. That said, the busiest months at Mitchell International Airport are June, July, and August. Sunday afternoons and evenings are the busiest times and you will want to plan for an extra 30-45 minutes if you fly out during those times.
Transportation from Mitchell International Airport to your lodging
Once you’ve landed at MKE, your main transportation options are car rental or rideshare/taxi. Based on experience, we strongly recommend you skip the rental car. Both Uber and Lyft operate in Milwaukee and offer reasonable rates – expect to spend approximately $30 to travel between downtown and the airport. We also recommend ridesharing to any of your destinations in the city that are too far to walk from your hotel.
By contrast, the cost of a rental car, gas, and parking (both at your hotel and at the stadium) make renting a car both expensive and inconvenient, not to mention unnecessary. But if you have specific plans to explore beyond downtown Milwaukee and American Family Field, then a rental car is certainly an acceptable option.
Hotel Shuttles
The only hotels offering shuttles to/from the airport are located in the immediate vicinity of the airport; downtown hotels do not run shuttles to the airport. Regardless of that, we do not recommend staying near the airport unless you have a very specific reason to. All of your destinations, including the ballpark, will require a rideshare or taxi into the city. But if you do stay near the airport, check to see if your hotel offers a complimentary shuttle – many of them do.
Amtrak/Bus/Light Rail
For those living in the region that are taking Amtrak or the intercity bus, you will arrive at the Intermodal Station in downtown. Once you arrive, you’ll still need transportation to your hotel unless you’re staying at one of the handful of hotels within walking distance of the station. You can take a rideshare or The Hop, Milwaukee’s downtown light rail system, if your hotel is near a station. You can access The Hop immediately to the east of the Intermodal Station. There are also a plethora of hotels near a light rail station that are also within walking distance to a free game day shuttle. The Hop is discussed in our Local Transit chapter, and we consider it to be a safe and relevant form of transportation for visitors, but will only be relevant for you if you’re staying on the east side of the river. If you’re staying to the west of the river, you’ll be better off just getting a rideshare to your hotel.
While we do not recommend a car rental for your visit to Milwaukee, if you require one, there are options available a short distance from the Intermodal Station. Enterprise, Budget, Avis, and Hertz are all a 3-5 block walk north on Vel R. Phillips Ave from the Intermodal Station (see the map below). Be sure to make a reservation as vehicles book quickly in the summer from these downtown locations.
Downtown Rental Car Locations
Driving to Milwaukee
If you decide to travel by car and wish to stay downtown, expect to pay $30-50 for overnight parking at most hotels. If you stay in the western suburbs, notably Wauwatosa or West Allis, parking at your hotel will likely be free. Lodging advantages/disadvantages will be discussed in our Lodging chapter but consider where you will keep your car while in Milwaukee if you drive.
County Bus
While we recommend rideshare for its convenience, those prioritizing only cost may also consider the most economical mode of transportation—the Milwaukee County Bus.
But despite the low cost of only $2 per passenger, we do not consider the bus to be appropriate for tourists as a means of transportation. There have been well documented incidents of violent crime on the bus, including in the area of the downtown hotel district, and as such, we cannot recommend this as an appropriate means of travel from the airport, or even around the downtown area.
That said, if you are inclined to take the bus anyway, the Green Line does run from the airport through downtown, and you can catch it from the stop outside of Baggage Claim #1. The bus takes 30 minutes to travel from the airport to the stop at Water St and Wisconsin Ave, approximately the center of downtown.
Bottom Line
Milwaukee is an easy city to travel to and navigate around. Our advice is to fly into Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and then rely on rideshares, taxis, the Hop, bar shuttles, and walking to get around while you’re here. Forget about renting a car unless you really need one.
