Accessible MKE

A Great Place on a Great Lake for every body.

Milwaukee is a town that is powered by its people and that means ALL people. If you or someone you know is impacted by a disability or disabilities, our city is equipped to help you see the sights and experience the attractions with ease. We've highlighted some of the best accessible places, forms of transport and other things to help your planning go smoothly.

family of 4, son in wheelchair on Bradford Beach

Attractions

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Kids of all ability levels are welcome in the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. Inclusive considerations and experiences at the children’s museum includes ramps, toys, and more.

Bradford Beach
Bradford Beach is one of the most accessible beaches in the United States. With an accessible pathway that leads right to the water’s edge and two types of beach wheelchairs, this downtown beach truly welcomes all visitors and beach goers.

Henry W. Maier Festival Park
Home to Summerfest and many of Milwaukee’s ethnic festivals, this 75-acre permanent festival park has plenty of accessible features and is continuously adding more. Visit the Summerfest website for accessible features, tickets, parking, and more.

Harley-Davidson Museum
Visitors of the Harley-Davidson Museum can bring their own wheelchairs, power chairs and mobility scooters. Service animals are welcome as well. The museum also offers complimentary wheelchairs to visitors at a first-come first-serve basis.

Milwaukee Public Museum
Milwaukee Public Museum has many components to make their exhibits accessible for all visitors. This includes explorer kits with 3D replicas and exhibit guides written in braille to check out, noise cancelling headphones, a sensory room, visual and audio guides, and much more.

The Milwaukee RiverWalk
The three miles of Milwaukee’s iconic RiverWalk is lined with ramps and elevators to ensure that all travelers can take in the sites. The RiverWalk also connects to fun shops, restaurants and more!

Northwestern Mutual Community Park
The Northwestern Mutual Community Park located on the Summerfest grounds offers a variety of amenities for inclusive and accessible play for kids ages 2 to 12. The design of the enhanced play equipment allows for wheelchair accessibility along with interactive musical play tools all seated on a soft surface. There are also three individual and wheelchair accessible sensory rooms that are air conditioned for children that find themselves overstimulated by the experience. This only a brief list of what this awesome inclusive park has to offer.

mom helping daughter swing on monkey bars

Lakefront Brewery
Lakefront Brewery is widely known for their out-of-the-box brewery tour which also welcomes all types of visitors. The tour is wheelchair accessible and, as a bonus, guests of age get beer at the beginning and end.

Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum is wheelchair and stroller accessible. Wheelchairs, if needed, are available from the admissions desk. Service animals and Segways used for mobility are welcome at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Milwaukee County Parks
Milwaukee County Parks pride themselves on being parks for all abilities. From adaptive golf to accessible beer gardens, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy their time outside to the fullest.

Milwaukee County Zoo
The Milwaukee County Zoo now offers sensory friendly equipment including noise-cancelling headphones, fidget tools, verbal cue cards, and weighted lap pads. Wheelchairs are also free with a deposit of a driver’s license or a mobility scooter is available for a charge of $30 as well.

Pabst Mansion
All three floors of the Pabst Mansion are wheelchair accessible. Take in the history and see where beer baron Capt. Pabst resided. If there during the summer, partake in the Pabst Beer Garden.

Possibility Playground
Possibility Playground in Port Washington offers fun and universally accessible play to all children with thoughtful design. The goal of the playground is to create fun and social interactions between kids with or without disabilities.

Slice of Ice @ Red Arrow Park
Wisconsinites know how to have fun in all four seasons, and this includes ice skating! Slice of Ice @ Red Arrow Park is fully accesssible and offers free ice sled rentals for skaters with mobility impairments.

Wehr Nature Center
The Friends of Wehr Nature Center believe that all people deserve access to nature year round. Through their partnership with Access Ability Wisconsin, visitors can reserve an Outdoor All-Terrain Wheelchair to explore the grounds. You can even reserve an AAW trailer to tow the wheelchair to another site.

Performing Arts

First Stage
First Stage, Milwaukee's acclaimed children's theater company, has hosted sensory-friendly performances since 2012 and runs the Next Steps Academy, offering theater classes for children with sensory-processing disorders.

Marcus Performing Arts Center
The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts offers wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms in both of the center's theaters as well as assistive listening devices, audio show descriptions, and ASL interpretation by request.

Milwaukee Ballet
The Milwaukee Ballet has begun offering a sensory-friendly version of their annual performance of The Nutcracker.

Pabst Theatre Group
The Pabst Theater Group – which includes Pabst Theatre, The Riverside Theatre, and Turner Hall Ballroom – offers ADA accessibility, parking, and seating. Patrons may also request a sign language interpreter at performances.

Sports

American Family Field
The home of the Milwaukee Brewers, American Family Field, offers wheelchair accessible ADA seating and facilities to provide an equivalent experience for people with disabilities.

Fiserv Forum
Fiserv Forum, the home of the Bucks, features seven sensory rooms with adjustable lights, textured walls, and soothing music. Guests may also check out sensory bags with helpful items such as noise-cancelling headphones and a card for those unable to verbally communicate. Accessible tickets may also be purchased by calling the Fiserv Forum Ticket Office at 414-227-0511. Accessible seating is available on all seating levels for all events, subject to ticket availability.

UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
The UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena – home of the Milwaukee Admirals hockey team, Milwaukee Wave soccer team, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Men’s Basketball – is ADA accessible. Additional information on ADA tickets and stadium accommodations is available from the respective teams.

Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association
From basketball and bowling to tennis and lacrosse, the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association (WASA) offers a wide variety of adaptive sports and recreation programs.

Community Organizations

Independence First
The mission of Independence First is to empower people living with disabilities through advocacy, independent living skills, information and referral, peer support, and transition.

Milwaukee Center for Independence
The Milwaukee Center for Independence provides programs to help people with disabilities, disadvantages, serious mental illness, and employment barriers gain independence in work, their community, and life.

Milwaukee County’s Office for Persons with Disabilities
Milwaukee County’s Office for Persons with Disabilities ensures everyone shares equally in County programs, services and facilities. Be sure to check their page for the office’s monthly newsletter, which features local, state and national news, and plenty of local information and opportunities for persons with and without disabilities.

Office of Equity & Inclusion
The Accessibility portion of the Office of Equity & Inclusion strives to identify and break down every barrier to accessibility in Milwaukee’s facilities, programs/services, and streets.

The Ability Center
The Ability Center aims to provide people impacted by disabilities opportunities to get active, play, and live in a healthy lifestyle every day.