McKinley Park

Lovely park on Milwaukee’s lakefront. Be sure to check out the area where you can walk out by the marina, it’s a gorgeous view!

Poor McKinley Park (beach). It’s the sometimes forgotten middle child sandwiched in between its more mature and stately neighbor, Veterans Park to the south and the wild younger Bradford Beach and its tiki bar-​ing, volleyball playin’ crowd to the north. It still has it’s charms though, and it’s usually less crowded than Bradford for sunbathing and swimming.
There’s jet ski rentals, a playground, nice grassy open spaces, and tennis courts on the west side of Lincoln Memorial Drive.
On second thought, McKinley got the Marina and the yacht’s, so maybe life is fair after all.

There are tons of things to do here. You can sail (if you can get into the yacht club), watch sailboats and motorboats, play in the grassy areas, but my most favorite, walk on the breakwater. I enjoy the city view and the perspective you get of Milwaukee. Sometimes the grass gets a little yucky with goose poop but the park is great.

Sandy beach, parking, great view of the lake and if you squint, you can see the Art Museum and of course the US Bank tower. There’s even a custard and burger vendor here! What more needs to be said?

There are a few things that say Milwaukee to me… Alterra Coffee Shops, Miller Brewery, Miller Park, and McKinley Park (along with the rest of the shoreline). When I have friends coming into town, one of the first places I take them is to McKinley park. I take them for a walk along the lakeshore and through the Marina. From the park you are able to see a beautiful view of the Milwaukee downtown skyline. And, you can top off your walk with a sit at Alterra across the street. Chad and I walk along the park on date nights. We use the park for roller blading and running, its a wonderful Milwaukee landmark. On a windy days its perfect for kite flying. If you don’t own a kite you can buy one there.

Maybe this review isn’t entirely about the park, but McKinley represents a part of me that went through a lot of emotional times.
I spent a lot of nights walking through and around this park, learning how much I loved someone. I spent a lot of afternoons with my little girl, playing in the grass and watching the kites fly overhead. I watched a lot of sunrises while sobering up from the rocks and end of the pier. I’ve been chased out of here by funny cops when we were pretty hammered and waiting for the sun to rise.
Since I grew up in NY, I’ve always been drawn to water and coastlines. When I’m most stressed, I always sought out the sound of water hitting the barriers and rocks. Not many waves, but, hey, we do what we can with the lake, right? This has been my centering place for years. As much as I wish I never needed such a thing, the beauty of the Milwaukee Park System is greatly showcased here, in the sun and by the light of the moon. It’s one of my favorite places to look forward to visiting again once I’m home.

This is the best beach in the city of Milwaukee. I spent a relaxing hot Sunday afternoon here with a great group of friends. It wasn’t ridiculously crowded, the park is clean and the sand looks well taken care of– you can actually walk in it in bare feet without worrying that that stupid little Lamisil monster from the commercial & all of his cousins are hanging out in there waiting to chew up your feet. Plenty of green space, a little snack bar close to the beach, a clean bathroom and even a playground for the tots. Over at the Marina, the more adventurous folks (namely me) can go on sailboat & fishing chartered excursions.
I *heart* summer in Milwaukee!

I walk out to this park every day I can. It’s very close to the East side and is a great place to read a book. The marina is beautiful when it’s filled with yachts and boats. A good place to walk your dog along the lake. Parts of this park are not very high traffic and peaceful. There is loads of parking available. It’s just a short walk to the Gift of Wings shop and Kite Festival. There are some trees to relax under and space to throw a Frisbee too. A nice quiet area along the lake. Very safe, lots of joggers, rollerbladers and cyclers.