This year, Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18, and many Milwaukee-area restaurants and attractions are introducing all the goods to make sure dads have a great day. From steak or cigar-and-whiskey dinners to free admission to the Harley-Davidson Museum and the Milwaukee County Zoo, there’s something for every dad.
1. Dinner Train
On board an East Troy Electric Railroad car, the Father’s Day dinner train ($115 per person) hosted by East Troy Railroad Museum features four dinner courses, starting with a Wisconsin cheese and sausage board, followed by wedge salad, Bavarian pork chop (with mashed potatoes, vegetables and dinner rolls) and—for dessert—apple turnover. A cash bar’s on board. Departure is at 5:30 p.m., returning at 7:30 p.m.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
2. Fishing Clinic
Open to all father figures and levels of experience, this two-hour fishing clinic (free) meets at 1 p.m. on the fishing pier at Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee, which is also ADA accessible. Supplies provided. For children 15 and under, a fishing license is not required.
3. Harley-Davidson Museum
On Father’s Day at the Harley-Davidson Museum, the admission fee for all dads is waived. Plan to stay for lunch or dinner, too: MOTOR Bar & Restaurant plans to have BBQ Usinger’s brats and hot dogs on its patio, served with potato salad and coleslaw. Families can also play lawn games.
4. Milwaukee County Zoo
Bringing the whole family to Milwaukee County Zoo is suddenly cheaper on Father’s Day because dads (and granddads, too) get in for free. Parking fees still apply. On Father’s Day the zoo is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. And thanks to Prairie Farms Dairy (an Illinois dairy cooperative) presenting this deal, samples of milk will be served, in the U.S. Bank Gathering Place.
5. Whiskey Dinner
Held on Shaker’s Cigar Bar’s rooftop, this annual Father’s Day feast ($175 per person) – which kicks off at 3 p.m. with a reception, followed by a three-course dinner – features whiskey pairings and, of course, three Montecristo cigars. The dinner features wild boar, Japanese sika deer and grilled New Zealand red stag.
6. Steak Dinner
Rolling out a special meal on Father’s Day, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s three-course Father’s Day dinner folds in prime Tomahawk steak and lobster tail ($140 per guest) or prime bone-in ribeye or filet mignon and lobster ($85 per person), along with salad and dessert. If Dad is a wine lover, the restaurant’s extensive wine list will more than satisfy his palate. The Capital Grille’s Father’s Day special (served from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.) adds shaved black summer truffles and truffle demi to a 20-ounce 30-day dry-aged New York strip. Another indulgence is lobster mac and cheese, and Caymus poured by the glass.
7. Fly-In with Music and Breakfast
Hosted at Palmyra Municipal Airport, in Palmyra, this annual event honoring dads begins at 9 a.m. and pairs a pancake breakfast with live music by the Palmyra-Eagle Community Band – and the sight of planes flying in.
8. Bartolotta Supper Club Brunch
Book a table for brunch at Joey Gerard’s – A Bartolotta Supper Club (Father’s Day buffet includes prime rib and honey-glazed pit ham, plus free beermosas for dads; $65 per adult and $19.99 per child; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
