From the gaming to the entertainment and food, Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee makes for such a fun weekend getaway. I am thrilled to share with you all about my stay there.
This year for my birthday my husband and I spent a weekend at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino in Milwaukee and it was so much fun!
I had only been to Potawatomi for ‘night owl’ bingo. Funny side story – I had never played bingo before in my life, the first time I went I was so overwhelmed, the calling of the numbers went so fast and I found it was hard to keep up lol, but, to the shock of my friends and self, I actually won-something like $200 so it was an all-around fun experience! I had never ventured outside the bingo hall, but had been passing the hotel & casino on the highway for years. I even remember them building the gorgeous hotel addition.
I’m so glad I got the chance to stay in the renovated hotel and experience the casino and try the restaurants, an all around super fun experience. A little history of Potawatomi, it opened in 1991 as a 40,000 square foot bingo hall. Since then, two expansions of the property have made it one of the state’s most visited entertainment destinations. Potawatomi features gaming, seven restaurants, and live entertainment throughout the property. Most recently their 19-story hotel was added which opened in 2014.
The hotel rooms were absolutely gorgeous, with stunning views of the Milwaukee skyline. The rooms were modern and clean and very comfortable. My favorite part was the chocolate on the pillow for turn down, it’s the little touches that always make the experience so special.
Let’s talk about the food!! Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s restaurants offer guests a multitude of tastes at several diverse venues, we sampled cuisine from Bella Italiana; Canal Street Cafe; RuYi, an Asian noodle and sushi bar; the four-star Dream Dance Steakhouse; and brunch at the expansive Buffet.
At Bella Italiana we enjoyed all things Italian- spinach dip, shrimp linguine, and of course tiramisu. Bella Italiana offered a wide selection of Italian food – everything from appetizers, flatbread, pizzas and a huge wine list. Delicious!!
Brunch is one of my favorite meals, and Canal Street Café did not disappoint. Canal Street Cafe offers casual dining featuring comfy, classic dishes for anyone desiring a hearty meal and a little taste of home. Canal Street Café is decorated with Milwaukee-inspired touches and offers a menu that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the Potawatomi Hotel. I would recommend getting the waffles – super yummy!
Another great breakfast option is Sunday brunch at The Buffet. Tons of options and different stations, my favorite was the dessert selection, I mean, dessert for breakfast, how can one go wrong?
RuYi, which means “as you wish,” (how cute is that?) is an Asian eatery and sushi bar. I was so bummed I couldn’t eat sushi because I’m preggo, but I do have to second what my husband said “this is some of the best Asian food I’ve had in Milwaukee.” Everything was super delicious, and Nick said the General Tsos chicken was the best he’d ever had.
Dream Dance Steak is a steakhouse which boasts regional ingredients, house-made cheese and a seasonal menu, along with a wine list consisting of nearly 600 worldwide wines! Our meal started out with a bread basket which came with 3 different kinds of butter (be still my heart) and continued to get better from there. The food was super delicious, and the steak, wowza, my hubby got this steak that was the biggest steak I have ever seen in my life. The surroundings were elegant and beautiful, a true steakhouse experience.
Entertainment & Gaming:
Now lets talk about the fun entertainment and gaming!
The Northern Lights Theater provides an intimate entertainment experience for guests. Nationally-known musicians and comedians get up close and personal with guests. We got to see the BoDEANS (an 80s rock bank who are originally from the area which was cool) – so fun, you would probably recognize this song (or this one), I know I did and was singing along, they opened with Fadeaway and I’ve had it stuck in my head ever since lol!
Potawatomi also offers free concerts and comedy shows at their Bar 360 and at The Fire Pit Bar and Grill every Thursday through Saturday night.
The casino was super fun – they have so many options – more than 2,600 video and reel slot machines, nearly 100 table games, 20 poker tables, a 1,350-seat bingo hall and a 5,000 square-foot off-track betting room. Below – right is Nick, I think he won like 34 cents on a slot machine lol!
Something I learned about that I thought was really special was about how much the casino gives back to the community. The casino’s signature giving program is called Heart of Canal Street and runs from August through mid-December benefiting children’s charities in southeastern Wisconsin. They raise money primarily through a special bingo game played during each bingo session during that time. Guests can opt to play the $7 or $3 dollar Canal Street Bingo game. Half of the purchase price goes to the winner of the game, and half goes into Heart of Canal Street fund. In December they announce how much they’ve raised for the benefiting charities. Last year they raised just under $1.2 million, and each charity received a little over $35,000. Since the program’s inception in 1994, they’ve raised about $17 million for hundreds of children’s groups in the area.
We had such a lovely weekend at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, I can definitely recommend a trip.
One of my favorite things were all the gorgeous Milwaukee city views, I just love this city!
Other posts you might enjoy:
- The Best Milwaukee Restaurants Guide
- Savor The Journey Travel Review {& Favorite Milwaukee Restaurants}
- How To See And Tour Milwaukee
This post is brought to you by my partnership with Visit Milwaukee. A big thank you to Visit Milwaukee and Potawatomi Hotel & Casino for coordinating this weekend. 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.
Jessica Lane says
Looks like an amazing getaway! Happy belated birthday!
Sweetphi says
It was so much fun, a staycation is always fun, thank you for the birthday wishes!
jess larson | plays well with butter says
my first late-night bingo experience was at poto too, & you hit the nail on the head…it is SO overwhelming! i don’t know how people go through with multiple boards & stampers because i couldn’t even keep up with the one board i had! the photo of the milwaukee skyline made me sigh out loud – seriously such a beautiful city! sounds like you had a great birthday weekend. xx
Sweetphi says
Hahah, I’m so glad I’m not the only one that thought it was overwhelming, it did go SO fast, I was like what in the world is happening lol.
Sues says
What a great trip and an amazingly fun hotel!! I’ve never been to Milwaukee, but have a couple cousins there who have been dying for my husband and I to come visit so they can show us around. They’re always talking up all of the awesome breweries in the area 🙂
Sweetphi says
It definitely was such a fun weekend. I think you’d absolutely LOVE Milwaukee – there is SO MUCH to do! I’m going to be doing more posts of Milwaukee faves in the upcoming months 🙂