Background information about Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin. It is an hour and a half drive from Chicago. The city is located on the Southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and has a population of about 600,000 people going by the statistics from the 2010 census. The larger Milwaukee Metropolitan area has a population of about 1.6 million people. Milwaukee has a humid continental climate. The hottest months are between May and September when temperatures range between 48oF and 80oF. Between October and April temperatures can go as low as 5oF. As such tourists are advised to travel in the summer months of early May and late September when the climate is most favorable. The following is a 2-day trip plan for a 61-year old grandmother and her 6-year old granddaughter.
Day 1
Morning
Take breakfast at home and depart from Chicago to Milwaukee. Purchase some supplies (water, snacks, etc worth about $30) along the way. The entire drive is expected to take about two and a half hours. In order to refresh the memory of the grandmother and give her some stories to tell her granddaughter along the way, a stopover at the Chicago Landmark Congress Theater would be relevant. The stopover should take about thirty minutes. The pair resumes their journey and arrives in Milwaukee city at around noon. They have lunch at the Pfister Hotel and book one room for that night. The average cost of lunch for both is about $20 for both of them. The hotel rooms cost $150 per night. The total cost for these events is $200.
Afternoon
Visit the Milwaukee zoo (seniors pay $13.25) the granddaughter to pay $11.25. The zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals from 330 species. Plan to visit most of the sections especially the kids section where the granddaughter should find it fun to play some games and see her favorite American birds! Depart back to the Pfister Hotel for dinner and the night. Dinner costs $20 for both of them. The total cost is $44.5. At the end of day 1, the total cost is $244.5.
Day 2
Morning
Take breakfast at the Pfister Hotel ($20 for both of them) then leave for the Milwaukee Public Museum (entrance costs to the museum amount to $23). Activities here shall include visiting the iconic “snake button” and take a short walk in the streets of Old Milwaukee. The grandmother and her granddaughter should find the walk memorable and some good exercise. Have lunch at a facility near the museum at a cost of $25. The total cost for the morning session amounts to $68.
Afternoon
Visit the Milwaukee Art Museum which is famous for its $100 million wing! This museum bears some rich cultural aspects about Milwaukee and the pair should find a lot of information about the city, its history and its people. Entrance costs for both of them are $25. The pair then leaves for a Milwaukee shopping mall and purchase some items worth $200 as souvenirs for their memorable trip. The two then leave for Chicago in the evening. The total cost amounts to $225. The total cost for the second day amounts to $293 ($300).
The total cost for the two days is ($244.5+$300) =$544.5. The grandmother and her granddaughter are to use cab transport for the trip at a cost of about $200 for the 2 days. The total cost for the trip comes to ($544.5+$200) = $744.5 which roughly amounts to $750. This is properly within the budget of $1000 that they have at their disposal and as such the granddaughter can have a few teddy bears (if she loves them)!
In preparation for the trip the pair should ensure that they carry enough varied (warm and light) clothes in case of weather changes. Some comfortable shoes, some medication (sleep medication, allergy medicine, eye drops, band-aids etc), snacks (energy bars, bottled water etc), electronics (phone charger, camera, camera charger etc), toiletries (hand sanitizer, body wash etc) and some identification documents would all be very relevant to carry for the trip.
