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Guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby)

Sep 22, 2017 · 7 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links, please see my privacy policy for details.

A few miles west of Milwaukee is this adorable village called Wauwatosa. Wauwatosa, or “Tosa” as it’s called by the locals, has so much to do and see, so today I’m going to share with you a guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby, because now that we have a son, it’s so fun to discover fun things we can do as a family – and these things are activities that adults can enjoy with or without children!)

Guide for what to do in Wauwatosa, WII’ll share an itinerary with you, and go through it as you would starting on a Saturday morning, but then at the bottom I’ll provide a recap in list form of places. Any of these places are fun to go to on any night of the week also (especially the beer garden – they have live music and it’s a great spot to meet with family and friends after work).

Beer garden in Wauwatosa, WIYou’ll start the day by getting some delicious donuts from Cranky Al’s.

Cranky Al's in TosaCranky Al’s has the most delicious donuts around.

Cranky Al's in tosa with the best donutsThey are hand made, and Food Network’s Alton Brown declared they were the best donuts he’d ever had on the road in 2015! There’s also a myth going around by the nurses at the local hospital that if you want to go into labor (and you’re at 40 weeks), you should eat Cranky Al’s. When Ben’s due date had come and passed, I definitely tried this (I mean, eating donuts is the least weird thing you’ll hear) but sadly it did not work for me lol – but hey, at least I had delicious donuts!

Cranky Als donuts in Wauwautosa, WisconsinAlso, Cranky Al’s serves pizza (which you can enjoy in their restaurant or at the beer garden I’ll talk about later on.) After you grab some donuts, it’s time to head on over to the Tosa Farmers Market.

Tosa Farmers MarketTosa farmers market is a beautiful open air market, held every Saturday throughout the summer from 8am -12pm.

Guide for what to do in Wauwautosa with a baby - Tosa farmers marketThere are a plethora of farm stands selling fresh produce as well as local artists and crafters who sell their homemade goods, and the flowers, omg I’m so in love with farmers market flowers! You can also get fresh pour-over coffee and buy the freshest produce around (I love heirloom tomatoes, they’re so gorgeous!) After the farmers market you can stroll around the heart of Tosa village which has many shops to check out. Of course this guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby) is filled with amazing food options too!

Pizzeria Piccola in Wauwatosa, WINext it’s time for lunch: head on over to Pizzeria Piccola. Pizzeria Piccola means tiny pizzeria, it’s just that! It’s a small pizzeria which makes individual wood-fired pizza to order. It’s so yummy! I’m not ashamed to admit I can eat a whole pizza by myself.

The best pizza place in Wauwatosa, WIThe crust is crispy and chewy at the same time, and there is just nothing better than wood fired pizza crust and a fresh Caesar salad. We sat outside on their lovely patio, and all the warm summer air put Ben right to sleep (just look at his little cheeks though!!)

Pizza from pizzeria piccola in tosa - wood fired pizza in wiAfter lunch you’ll take a stroll along the Oak leaf Trail which goes along the Menomonee River. You can walk right from downtown Wauwatosa Village to Hoyt Park (1.3 miles).

The best places to see in Wauwatosa, WIThe Landing at Hoyt Park is a really nice beer garden where you can enjoy a nice cold beer and a giant pretzel.

Family time in Wauwatosa, WIAnd I mean GIANT! Just look at this thing. We even got a fun little family photo that I shared earlier on Instagram (ps – lets be friends on Insta!)

Hoyt park beer garden in wauwautosaThere is live music, cold beer, pretzels, and you can order pizza there too. It’s Cranky Al’s pizza – the place I mentioned earlier that has the awesome donuts. The whole family will love this beer garden! 

Appetizers at Firefly TosaFinish the evening by having dinner at Firefly Tosa. It’s back where the farmers market was.

Micro burgers and fries at Firefly tosaFirefly has a great selection of really innovative menu items and the restaurant has such a nice atmosphere. There’s a really big lounge/bar area at the back, and the dining room has big tables and super comfy chairs – and the chandeliers – swoon worthy! I could legit just eat off their apps menu. We had bacon wrapped figs (an all time fave of mine).

Dinner at Firefly in Wauwautosa, WIWe had their micro burgers (3 different sliders, each more delicious than the last) with fries as an appetizer, and then totally filled up before we even got our main course (we shared a gnocchi dish that was chock full of fresh summer vegetables and had a poached egg on top).

Rocket Baby Bakery in Wauwatosa, WIThe next day, start the morning off right by going to Rocket Baby Bakery!

Rocket Baby Bakery TosaThis bakery has long been one of my favorite morning spots in Milwaukee. They have their flagship location in Tosa (they’re located kitty-corner from Cranky Al’s) and then they also have a satellite location in Milwaukee (both of which we’ve been to plenty of times.)

Inside of Rocket Baby Bakery TosaI would suggest getting some fresh baked goods (definitely get a croissant or savory scone) and grab a cup of coffee to go, and then head on to the Milwaukee County Zoo. I don’t know about other babies, but I can tell you that Ben loves to be on the go. As soon as the stroller gets going, he calms right down and even sleeps. But stop moving? That my friends, is when he has a meltdown! So all the activities you see here, they’re all nice and baby friendly because they had space for us to keep Ben on the move!

Milwaukee County ZooNow, I have been to the Milwaukee Zoo a few times, but with a baby? OMG it’s so much more fun! I cannot wait until Ben is a little older, but we will definitely be getting a Zoo pass next summer.

Family time at the Milwaukee County ZooThere are so many amazing exhibits and activities at the zoo. You can take the Safari Train or take a tour on the Zoomobile or visit the family farm (or feed the giraffes or go on the climbing wall or ropes course!) While Ben was a little young for any of the activities, we loved walking around the zoo and staring at the majestic animals! This was probably Ben’s favorite thing in this guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby)!

Best places to see in Wauwatosa, WIAfter the Zoo, head on over to the Mayfair Collection. The Mayfair Collection is a brand new premier shopping complex (I’ve been seeing it be built over the past few years, so it’s great to finally be able to shop there) and has stores such as Carter’s and OshKosh Bigosh.

The Mayfair Collection is also home to may great restaurants.

Cafe Grace Mayfair CollectionWe went to Cafe Grace for a late lunch/early dinner which is sadly no longer there. Cafe Grace is a modern, upscale French cafe. When at a French cafe, you must order a French onion soup (the one at Cafe Grace is so darn good, I may or may not have regretted splitting it with my hubby lol). Also when at a french restaurant, steak and frites is a must.

Cafe Grace Mayfair CollectionWe shared our meal, and everything was just so perfect, I could not have asked for a better finish to our active weekend.

Food:

  • Cranky Al’s – donuts and pizza
  • Pizzeria Piccola – wood oven pizza
  • The Landing at Hoyt Park – beer garden and pizza
  • Firefly Tosa – contemporary food – twists on classics
  • Rocket Baby Bakery – fresh bread, bakery, sandwiches
  • Cafe Grace – modern French cafe

Activities:

  • Tosa Farmers Market
  • Oak leaf Trail
  • Hoyt Park
  • Milwaukee County Zoo
  • Mayfair Collection

This guide for what to do in Wauwatosa (with a baby) was so fun to make! If you’re looking for family/baby friendly places to go and things to do in outskirts of Milwaukee, the Village of Wauwatosa has a lot to offer!

Beer garden cheers in wauwautosaThis post is brought to you by my partnership with Visit Milwaukee. As always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands I partner with which make the SweetPhi blog possible.

 

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Blog Posts, Travel family friendly activities in wauwatosa, guide of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee suburbs, Tosa guide, wauwatosa, what to do in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Did you make this recipe? Hashtag with us! Be sure to follow/tag @PhiliaKelnhofer and hashtag #sweetphiblog – we love to see what you’re cooking up!”

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chrissy Bonnell says

    July 11, 2019 at 9:17 am

    Awww take the baby out of the car seat 🙁

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      July 12, 2019 at 11:56 am

      The baby was definitely out of the car seat 90% of the time, just had to transport him safely and in the process took a few photos 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kay Bastian says

    September 22, 2017 at 6:20 pm

    More places I need to visit, Thank you Phi!

    Reply
    • Sweetphi says

      September 24, 2017 at 6:54 pm

      Thank YOU so much for commenting Kay, really appreciate that. Hope you discover some special and neat places when you visit 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Catching Up With The Kelnhofers -5 - Sweetphi says:
    September 7, 2019 at 2:03 pm

    […] Wauwatosa – they have this great outside area. I shared about this amazing bakery in my Guide for Wauwatosa with a baby. On the way walking to the bakery, we had the twins in the stroller and Ben was walking, and then […]

    Reply
  2. Catching Up With The Kelnhofers -4 - Sweetphi says:
    August 30, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    […] On another note – I love the zoo, we took Ben there when he was a baby and I shared about it as part of my Guide for what to do in Wauwatosa with a baby. […]

    Reply
  3. The Best Milwaukee Restaurants Guide - Sweetphi says:
    April 20, 2018 at 5:58 am

    […] and dinner menu, their beer list is also very extensive. This restaurant is in Wauwatosa (I did a guide for what to do in Wauwatosa with a baby). Here’s what I order the Pretzel Benedict for brunch, The Wurst Dish for dinner (definitely […]

    Reply

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Welcome to the SweetPhi blog, I’m Phi! I live in Milwaukee, WI. I’m a busy working mom (and cookbook author x2) to boy-girl twins and a toddler.

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On his way outside, Ben stopped by my office to sa On his way outside, Ben stopped by my office to say bye, and ended up snitching a piece of the recipe I was photographing (mini naan pizzas)!
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Speaking of which...those are our go-to quick meal, the kids love them!!
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Clickable link in profile or 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/mini-naan-pizza-recipe/
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Happy 5-ingredient Friday!! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Happy 5-ingredient Friday!! 
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This week I’m sharing a recipe for these seed crackers, that happen to be gluten free (and nut free and are ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS!!) 
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I created the recipe based on some seed crisps things I had at Trader Joe’s and just couldn’t get them off my mind, they were so good! 
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These are so good, serve them with a cheese plate or with some hummus!!
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Recipe 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/5-ingredient-seed-crackers-recipe-gluten-free/
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Real life: phone smudged with makeup from calls an Real life: phone smudged with makeup from calls and food splatters from babies and sticky toddler hands, lukewarm coffee that’s been sitting too long, and stacks of projects and other work and a pen that is out of ink 🤪🤷🏼‍♀️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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All this to say, the weekly love list is live, so grab a cup of coffee/tea/water (<- need to drink more of the stuff) and enjoy. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Also, not gonna lie, I still have last weeks’ love list pulled up because I forgot to share about it and purchase something (the cool health tracker bracelet thing, which will hopefully help me with the above water situation!)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Clickable link in bio 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/love-list-30-amazing-flats-and-dessert-tea/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This freezer frittata is gluten free and great for making head and then having a delicious breakfast all ready to go in the morning⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I’ve shared how to make this for eating after you make it, and for how to freeze it, and a bunch of different customizing options!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You can find the clickable link in my bio https://sweetphi.com/freezer-frittata-recipe-with-salsa-and-sausage/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Iced coffee or hot coffee?! ☕⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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There’s nothing I enjoy more than a cold, delicious iced coffee from Starbucks. But sometimes I don’t have the time (or, let’s be real, the 💰) to pick one of these bad boys up in the mornings, so I was determined to figure out how to make Starbucks iced coffee at home, which is exactly what I did with this french press iced coffee!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Clickable link in profile 👉🏻https://sweetphi.com/starbucks-iced-coffee-copycat-recipe/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Who doesn’t love Mexican food?! 🙌⠀⠀⠀⠀ Who doesn’t love Mexican food?! 🙌⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I like to prep these Mexican chicken and quinoa bowls on the weekend and then have everything ready to go for a quick dinner during the week.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I just separate everything in containers, and then when we need a quick dinner, I just put everything on the table and let everyone choose their toppings.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Clickable link in profile 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/mexican-chicken-and-quinoa-bowls-recipe/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I love using my Instant Pot for soups because you I love using my Instant Pot for soups because you can build amazing flavors in no time at all! ⏱️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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When you make this Instant Pot chicken and rice turmeric soup, it will be bright yellow! You’ll taste flavor notes of ginger and lemon (and, of course, a slight earthiness of turmeric). YUM!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Do you cook with an Instant Pot?!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Clickable link in profile 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/instant-pot-chicken-and-rice-turmeric-soup-recipe/⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Can we talk food storage? 
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Storage containers and finding the right ones that work for me has been a complete game changer! 
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Not only do I use containers as mixing bowls/etc but I also use them for food storage and for photography props!
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Fave food storage containers 👉🏻 https://sweetphi.com/best-food-storage-containers/ 
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#foodstorage #containers #ecofriendly #sweetphiblog #foodphotographer #foodphotohraphyprops #foodstoragecontainers #kitchenfinds
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