Milwaukee is ranked one of the best cities to have a bachelor party. Planning yours here? Here are some ideas.
If you had your bachelor party in Milwaukee, you were onto something.
Brew City was ranked the third-best U.S. city to have a bachelor party in 2024. That's according to a recent ranking compiled by Searchbloom, a SEO and PPC marketing company, that identified which popular bachelor bash destinations nationwide provide the best bang for your buck.
First place was awarded to party central, Las Vegas. Could've guessed that.
But, a not-so obvious place came in second — our neighbor to the south, Chicago.
Maybe if we just start calling Milwaukee the Las Vegas of the Midwest, it'll catch on and we'll eventually outrank the Windy City. Who knows?
Here's a look at how the ranking was conducted, how Milwaukee scored and some ideas — from golf courses to brewery tours — if you're planning on coming to town for your guys trip:
How the bachelor party ranking was conducted, how Milwaukee scored
According to the methodology, Searchbloom started with 15 of the "most popular and common" bachelor party destinations.
Three categories — entertainment value, social scene and accommodation — were given a score out of 10 for each location. Here's what was taken into consideration:
Entertainment value: The number of reviews and average visitor rating for the top attraction on Trip Advisor, and the availability of beer tasting, breweries, golf courses, sights/landmarks and live performances.
Social scene: The number of fine dining restaurants and bars/pubs in the area on TripAdvisor, the proportion of fine dining restaurants and bars/pubs five stars or above, as well as average nationwide Google searches per month.
Accommodation: The number of Airbnbs and hotels available for a random week in summer, and the proportion of both rated "superb" or guest favorites.
While Milwaukee was given only a 1.1 out of 10 for entertainment value — c'mon now — it scored a 9.6 for social scene and a 5.4 for accommodation.
The "affordability" of each destination was determined by the minimum daily cost, which was based on three pints of beer, the cost of a midrange hotel room for one night, the cost of an inexpensive restaurant meal and a 1-kilometer taxi trip fare, the data showed. Milwaukee's "affordability," or minimum daily cost, came out to $174.65.
The "affordability" was then divided by the combined average of entertainment value, social scene and accommodation to get a "value for money" score. Milwaukee's "value for money" was 32.5, which ultimately landed it in third place.
"A lower score means a more worthwhile destination, while a higher score means it's an overrated pick," the data explained.
In the end, Searchbloom awarded each city a final score out of 10. Milwaukee received a 9.8.
If you're planning to visit Milwaukee for your bachelor party, here are some ideas
If you're planning to come to town for your bachelor party, here are some ideas to get you started:
Earlier this year, Golf Digest ranked the best states for public golf and gave Wisconsin the No. 1 ranking. These Wisconsin courses were ranked among America's 100 greatest public courses and are within an hour drive of Milwaukee:
Whistling Straits (No. 4) and The Irish Course at Whistling Straits (No. 56), N8501 Lakeshore Road, Sheboygan: Around a one-hour drive from Milwaukee.
Erin Hills (No. 17), 7169 County Road O, Hartford: Around a 45-minute drive from Milwaukee.
Blackwolf Run (No. 18) and The Meadow Valleys course at Blackwolf Run (No. 74), 1111 W. Riverside Drive, Kohler: Around a 55-minute drive from Milwaukee.
The Bull at Pinehurst Farms (No. 88), One Long Drive, Sheboygan Falls: Around a 55-minute drive from Milwaukee.
If you rather watch sports than play 'em, Milwaukee is the place to be with the world-class Bucks, Brewers and Admirals.
Brew City — once home to some of the country’s largest breweries — has a burgeoning craft beer scene. Here are five brewery tours to check out, from Lakefront to Miller. And, don't get us started on beer gardens. We'll be here all day.
Did you know Milwaukee is also called the City of Festivals? And, it lives up to the hype. There's Summerfest — one of America's largest and longest-running music festivals — beer festivals, the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival, the Wisconsin State Fair and many cultural fests — just to name a few. This is a list of dates and locations for outdoor fests and fairs in the area from late May through early September of this year.
The city has no shortage of live music either. These are all of the arena, large amphitheater and stadium concerts announced for the area in 2024.
If you (somehow) haven't heard, Milwaukee has a vibrant and exciting dining scene. Heck, "Top Chef" filmed here for Season 21, which premieres March 20.
JS dining critic Rachel Bernhard compiled this list of eight of the city's best new restaurants of 2023. The establishments range "from a high-concept experience to a simple corner cafe." Milwaukee favorite Odd Duck recently made USA TODAY’s list of best restaurants in the country.
Cream City even has a casino: Potawatomi Casino Hotel. And, its official sportsbook and poker room will be opening in May (The casino has been operating a temporary sportsbook for about a year).
Plus, there are plenty of watering holes to post up at, from Brady Street to the Old World Third Street Entertainment District on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Las Vegas, Chicago, Milwaukee ranked best cities for bachelor parties
