Milwaukee Area RV Parks

[rdmike]

Heading to Milwaukee in May for the annual Pug Fest. (May 17) We would like to stay a week or so and tour the Harley factory and such. Any recommendations of your favorite park? We have a toad, so within 50 miles from city center is ok. Thanks in advance. PA members and GSC.

[Cheesehead62]

With all the freeway contruction and ramp closures in and around state fair park currently, Cliffside is your best bet, if you would have to dump its a snap, Plus it's a really nice place with trees around all sites and close to the lake. If you do stay there, be sure to check out a place called "Oh Dennis" its a rib/bbq joint that I have not had any better since living in Tejas myself. Safe travel !!!!!

[rockhillmanor]

They are not in the sense a state park designed for recreational camping. Each state has a big state fair grounds AND all little local towns usually have their own fairgrounds facility.

Fair grounds are used all year long for events and the 'exhibitors' and 'vendors' have LQ's, TT's or MH's so that is why there are hookups for RV's at fair grounds. I used to show horses which is how I know where to find the dump stations at the grounds that don't have full hookups.

Best one I stayed at was at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Over a 1,000 CG sites with full hookups.....I was the only one parked there in the off season! :C

Worst one was Florida's State Fair. Don't stay there 'during' the fair! They don't require sewer donuts and whew did it smell.

[rdmike]

All, thank you for the useful information. This helps a great deal. Looking forward to our trip!

[kknowlton]

Guess I don't think of a fairgrounds as a state park. 🙂 (I suppose technically they are.)

[rockhillmanor]

kknowlton wrote:
Cliffside is a nice park but has the disadvantage, which it shares with state parks, of having no full hookups. Staying "a week or so" means you'll be having to leave the campsite to dump periodically (unless your MH has huge waste tanks!) 🙂

Not necessarily so!

I stay at the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds when I am in town and they have several dump stations.

ALL Fair Grounds have dump stations on the grounds.

You just have to look for it as it is not advertised with signs pointing to it.

They are always located up against a wall near the horse/cattle barns. All it is is a cap on top of the sewer pipe and usually is a metal cap.

I stay at Fair Ground CG's across the US as often as I can. I love em and the price is right! :C

[Uppercrust]

I second Scheffel's Hideaway, great small campground.

[Campfire_Time]

kknowlton wrote:
Point Beach State Forest outside of Two Rivers (also a good base for Door County),

Pretty good suggestions, I always forget about Harrington Beach, but Point Beach is easily 90 minutes from the center of Milwaukee. Probably a bit too far for what they are trying to do.

But if that distance is an option and they need full hookups, I would highly recommend Scheffel's Hideaway, which is just south of Point Beach. It's a beautiful little CG and the owners are some of the nicest and most accommodating I've ever met. They live onsite and don't tolerate non-sense.

[kknowlton]

Cliffside is a nice park but has the disadvantage, which it shares with state parks, of having no full hookups. Staying "a week or so" means you'll be having to leave the campsite to dump periodically (unless your MH has huge waste tanks!) 🙂

That said, state parks in the area are a good option, though some may be booked solid on weekends, as reservations open 11 months in advance for Wisconsin parks. Some nice parks we have enjoyed that are within 50 miles of MKE: Kohler-Andrae SP near Sheboygan, Point Beach State Forest outside of Two Rivers (also a good base for Door County), and Richard Bong SRA west of Kenosha; there's also Harrington Beach SP between Sheboygan & Milwaukee. All of these except Bong are right along Lake Michigan (so is Cliffside, which is a county park). Any of them - with the dump situation noted - would make a good base camp for Milwaukee as well as other things to do in southeast Wisconsin.

[Campfire_Time]

If you aren't looking for anything too fancy you could try State Fair Park in West Allis. It's really just a parking lot with hookups.

A better option is Cliffside County Park in Calendonia, which is just south of Milwaukee county. It's not very far from where Pug Fest is held, and only 20-30 minutes from most things in Milwaukee. It's a beautiful little park with 95 sites, most of which are very large, some with water. Lots of big rigs there all the time. No sewer though.

See the Harley Museum. A bit pricey but well worth it, especially if you like history and engineering/technology. See the Milwaukee Art Museum. One of kind unique building, free to enter and see the Calatrava addition. A fee to visit the entire museum. We also have a beautiful lake front and beach area which is just north of the art museum.