Here at Milwaukee Record we employ a sentient machine known as the Great Job, Milwaukee! Bot. It keeps track of the city’s many appearances on dopey online lists and studies, as well as any time a national publication acknowledges our pathetic Midwest existence. Enjoy!

Way back in 2017, the editors of Condé Nast Traveler claimed that Milwaukee was a “city to watch.” Then, last October, Condé Nast Traveler readers named Milwaukee the 3rd best big city in U.S. And then, just last month, Condé Nast Traveler declared “There’s Never Been a Better Time to Visit Milwaukee.”

And now, the travel website has named Milwaukee’s Lakeshore State Park one of the “best weekend getaways in the U.S. for a quick escape.” Sheesh. Get a room, Condé Nast and Milwaukee.

“While Milwaukee may be better known for its rich custards and Harley-Davidson Museum, don’t skip out on Lakeshore State Park on your next visit to Brew City,” the latest Milwaukee-loving blurb reads. It continues:

Nature lovers are spoiled by 22 acres of meandering trails and paths that hug around Lake Michigan. Whether you’re itching to go on a scenic walk through the Oak Leaf state trail, or you’re more of an angler chasing the thrill of the catch, consider this not-too-far escape from the city. For an authentic taste of Midwest history, book a room at Brewhouse Inn and Suites, a 90-room hotel converted from the original Pabst Blue Ribbon brewery.

Lakeshore State Park shares the list with other humble weekend getaways like, um, California’s Catalina Island, Florida’s Fort Lauderdale, and Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe region. What’s that? Lakeshore State Park (and Door County, which is also on the list) is listed as a good place to visit if you’re “coming from Chicago”? Okay. That makes more sense.

Anyway, Lakeshore State Park is fantastic. Don’t believe us? Here’s an article we ran about the Milwaukee gem in 2019!

Exploring the beauty (and the fishing spots) of Lakeshore State Park

By Matt Wild

Is it possible to describe a state park located next to a massively popular festival site as “underrated”? Overlooked? A hidden gem? Maybe not, but Lakeshore State Park—you know, the 22-acre Lake Michigan peninsula directly across from the Summerfest grounds—comes pretty close.

Chalk it up to the park’s relative newness. Lakeshore began its life as a human-made pile of limestone and dolomite from the Deep Tunnel project. In other words, it was a landfill. In 1991, the City of Milwaukee turned the whole thing into an empty grass field and dubbed it Harbor Park. (The topsoil came courtesy of the Marquette Interchange project.) There it sat, underused and uninspiring, until 2007, when the State of Wisconsin took over its management and transformed it into the Lakeshore State Park we know and perhaps take for granted today.

About that: If you haven’t been to Lakeshore—or if you’ve only used it as something to bike or jog across—change that immediately. Cross the bridge on the northern side of the park near Discovery World and you’re instantly transported to a world that seems miles removed from the city. There’s the lake and the lagoon, of course, but there’s also a winding trail, a rocky beach, a hidden park, a tucked-away picnic spot, oodles of plant life, oodles of birds (mostly dirty, dirty geese, but still), and rolling hills and yawning flatlands. Oh, and prairies. So many prairies. (One-third of the park is a short-grass prairie habitat, and nothing gets Wisconsin more excited than prairie restoration.)

Another great feature of Lakeshore State Park: fishing! Yes, urban fishing is alive and well in Milwaukee, and if you want the best of both worlds—i.e. engaging in some recreational fishing while still being a stone’s throw from the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage—you could do a lot worse than here.

There are two spots that regularly draw anglers: a roomy and well-maintained wooden pier on the northern end of the park, and an isolated corner on the southern end. If you’re in the mood for a relaxing afternoon spent tossing your line in the water and gazing out at Milwaukee’s ever-growing skyline, the pier is your best bet. If you’re more hardcore and don’t mind sitting in the industrial shadow of the BMO Harris Pavilion (and occasionally catching some gunk—fast jigging is highly recommended), the southern corner is for you.

So what about the fish? The waters surrounding Lakeshore State Park are surprisingly varied, and the lake, the inner harbor, and the river channel all provide different habitats for different species. We’ve pulled up rock bass and a few perch in years past, and we’ve heard tall tales of folks landing the occasional walleye and northern pike. We haven’t caught anything this year, but oh well! Like the saying goes: it’s called “fishing,” not “catching.” And even if you don’t catch a fish at Lakeshore, the park’s beauty will ensure you won’t walk away empty-handed.