Touted as one of the Milwaukee’s creative and trendy hubs, the Historic Third Ward is popular with residents and visitors alike.
The revitalized warehouse district’s strong connection to the arts is also being recognized with the Historic Third Ward being voted the country’s fourth best arts district in the 2022 USA Today “10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.”
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees while popular vote determined the top 10 winners.
The panel noted that the Historic Third Ward is home to a “staggering” number of galleries, studios, museums, performing arts spaces and arts organizations, including the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Galleries, Milwaukee Potters Guild, ArtWorks for Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network.

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In defining an inspiring art district, the panel looked for “revitalized and renewed urban spaces in once derelict neighborhoods, big-name museums with architecture as impressive as the art housed within, or streets lined with small galleries and studios interspersed with trendy cafes.”
While noting that no two art districts offer the same experience, the panel noted that they all culturally enrich the cities and those who visit.
Here are the Top 10:
- Northeast Minneapolis Arts District – Minneapolis
- University Circle – Cleveland
- Dallas Arts District – Dallas
- Historic Third Ward – Milwaukee
- Art District on Santa Fe – Denver
- Wabash Arts Corridor – Chicago
- Station North Arts District – Baltimore
- Roosevelt Row Arts District – Phoenix
- Santa Fe Railyard Arts District – Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Richmond Arts District – Richmond, Virginia
To read about each of the sites and the selection process, go to this website.