1. Embrace Oktoberfest (The Beer Style) Season
CHRIS DROSNER | EXECUTIVE EDITOR
The first 2026 Oktoberfest beers I saw in the wild dropped in early July. That’s too early for me, but also, if you love this undisputed king of seasonal beers and want to drink märzen in 90-degree weather, that’s between you and “Saint” Gambrinus. But now, as nights cool off and football getting real, is when I start my Oktoberquest. Many of the Wisconsin-brewed Oktoberfests are excellent (thanks, German heritage!), and one of the stronger of the field is Doktoberfest from Raised Grain Brewing of Waukesha. It’s a classic American take on this German-born märzen lager: malt-forward with a gently bready, lightly caramel character – relatively subtle as far as American märzens go. And that means that tallboy can drains fast. Prost!
2. Get Wild at the Milwaukee Mile
CAROLE NICKSIN | PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Drivers, start your engines—and head to the Milwaukee Mile, where they will be IndyCar racing this weekend! You can expect to see many of the stars of the Indy 500, including this year’s 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas, who came in a mere .0233 seconds behind him. It’s a double-header, with races on both Saturday and Sunday. 640 S 84th St., West Allis
Celebrate this year’s winners of the Betty Awards!
3.Sip a Coffee at the Ally’s Powerhouse Patio Before the Long Winter Takes Us
ARCHER PARQUETTE | MANAGING EDITOR
If you know me, you know I am a creature that craves the darkness. Pale of skin and sweaty of behind, I shrink from the warmth and the sunlight like a vampire from garlic – and yet even I am occasionally won over by the joy of a good ol’ Wisconsin summer. Alas, ours is coming to its end quickly. There are hundreds of spots to appreciate the warmth while we have it, but one recent place I stopped for a coffee was Ally’s Powerhouse in Tosa. The place has a wide-open patio out back where you can get a little sunshine before the long dark. Nice spot! Fair warning though: When I was there bees were out in abundance. 10460 W Innovation Dr., Wauwatosa
4. Read “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson
ANN CHRISTENSON | DINING EDITOR
In 1962, TIME magazine named We Have Always Lived in the Castle one of its 10 best novels of the year by Shirley Jackson (best known for her 1959 novel The Haunting of Hill House). In We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood is the only person in her small, isolated family to ever leave the grounds of their estate. She leaves only to buy groceries in the small surrounding village, where she is mocked just walking down the street. Merricat is not a typical 18-year-old girl. She wears her dead mother’s shoes, buries objects to keep her family safe, and pretends she lives on the moon. There are reasons – dark reasons – Merricat, her sister Constance and their Uncle Julian live in isolation. Jackson’s superb story has all the best gothic elements – the presence of decay, the supernatural undercurrent and the sense of doom. I read the book in one day and I’m still thinking about it.
5. Eat Morning Burgers at Nite Owl
EVAN MUSIL | ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Like many people, my ideal breakfast food is not a burger. But there I was at 10:30 in the morning outside Nite Owl, the cult classic diner by the airport known for its seasonality and selling out of burgers early. Fearful of making the drive and then going home beefless, my partner and I showed up a half-hour before open, staking our claim for the object our hearts desired. We did not find a long, snaking line of hungry folks, as we expected – but we weren’t alone. A handful of regulars were waiting for their orders that were already anticipated by the cook. Ten minutes before Nite Owl officially opened, we forked over our dollars (cash only!) for two singles. The burger was an old-school classic without concessions. I’m glad I didn’t go double – those are thick patties! – but the beef was flavorful and the bun was fluffy and sturdy. It met the hype for me and I’d gladly go again – maybe closer to the afternoon. 830 E Layton Ave.
