Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Discovery World, Milwaukee, WI

Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsFamily FavoriteRainy-Day Pick

Discovery World

500 N Harbor Dr · Milwaukee, WI

Why you should go…

Discovery World is a 140,000-square-foot science and technology museum on Milwaukee's Lake Michigan lakefront. Its Reiman Aquarium holds a 75,000-gallon Lake Michigan tank and a Caribbean exhibit you walk through in a tunnel. Les Paul's House of Sound displays the guitar pioneer's instruments and Grammy Awards, and the Great Lakes Future gallery lets you explore a scale model of the watershed.

  • #science museum
  • #aquarium
  • #kids museum
  • #lakefront
  • #hands-on exhibits

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Discovery World, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest Grounds)

    Under $25

    Milwaukee's lakefront festival grounds, home to Summerfest, the world's largest music festival.

    0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Tours
    Date Night

    Edelweiss Cruise Lines

    Under $25

    Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan boat cruises, from narrated sightseeing rides to dinner and party cruises.

    0.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
    Quirky Fun

    National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum

    Under $25

    The world's only bobblehead-specific museum, with thousands of bobbleheads spanning sports, pop culture and politics.

    0.9 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Milwaukee Public Museum

    Under $25

    A natural history and culture museum in downtown Milwaukee with life-size dioramas and a giant dinosaur skeleton.

    1.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Local Gem

    Great Lakes Distillery

    Under $25

    Wisconsin's first distillery since Prohibition, offering tastings, cocktails, and guided distillery tours in Walker's Point.

    1.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Old World Wisconsin

    Under $25

    An open-air history museum where costumed interpreters bring 19th-century immigrant farms and a crossroads village to life.

    32 mi awayMore like this