Immediately north of Milwaukee along Lake Michigan is Shorewood, the southernmost community in the North Shore suburbs. After a growth boom in the early 1900s, this small village has largely remained frozen in time. Striking, visually diverse homes from the 1920s and ‘30s line its tree-covered streets, many within walking distance of waterside parks and a central business crossroads. Residents can also enjoy a quick commute to downtown Milwaukee and being part of a top 10 Wisconsin school district.
Lake Michigan plays a large part in the lives of Shorewood residents.
Shorewood is full of beautiful architecural styled homes, like this Colonial home.
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Between Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River
Shorewood’s eastern border features over 1 mile of Lake Michigan shoreline. A few dozen homes offer views of the water from their backyards. Those without lakeside properties can access the lake publicly at the 5-acre Atwater Park. Visitors can relax on its 800-foot sand beach, cool off in the water, take their kids to the playground and watch the sunrise from an overlook. Two other green spaces line Shorewood along the Milwaukee River to the west: Estabrook Park and Hubbard Park. “[Estabrook Park] can be very relaxing and very exciting,” says Friends of Estabrook Park president and former Shorewood resident Harold Schmidt. “We kind of resurrected this park over the last 25 years, so now it’s very accommodating.” Its 125 acres include a disc golf course, soccer and softball fields, a skate park, a dog exercise area and a sand volleyball court. However, Schmidt says the “highlight of the park” is the Estabrook Beer Garden. “We have the first public beer garden in the country since Prohibition,” he says. “It’s modeled after … the English beer gardens in Munich. Everything’s communal; it’s good for families.” Hubbard Park also has a beer garden. It and Estabrook Park both offer access to the Milwaukee County-wide Oak Leaf Trail system.
The wide beach at Atwater Park welcomes visitors.
Estabrook Park in Shorewwod has a 18 hole Disc Golf course along with beautiful walking trails.
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Beer gardens, beef sandwiches and brunches
Patrons at the Estabrook Beer Garden can sip on large beer steins while munching German-style pretzels and sausage. The Hubbard Park Beer Garden offers similar fare week-round and hosts Friday fish fries. Meanwhile, Shorewood’s two main commercial corridors — Capitol Drive and Oakland Avenue — are home to numerous locally owned businesses. Benji’s Deli & Restaurant is among Shorewood’s longest-running eateries. Customers have visited this no-frills spot for over 60 years for its corned beef sandwiches, matzo ball soup and other specialties. Across the street, the 1960s-inspired Buttermint offers a unique twist on various American eats. Its Sunday brunches are popular for dishes including deviled eggs, oysters and calamari. Many residents can quickly walk to these and other nearby businesses, including a Metro Market grocery store. “People are out and about,” Powers says of the village’s foot traffic. Walmart Supercenter, Aldi and other retailers lie just west across the river.
Benji's Deli & Restaurant in Shorewood is famous for its pastrami sandwiches.
During the summer months the Estabrook Beer Garden in Shorewood is a great place to hangout with friends and have a pint.
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From one-bedroom condos to lakeside estates
By the 1930s, most of Shorewood’s acreage had been filled with primarily gridded residential streets. Its population has remained steady for nearly a century, lightly fluctuating between 13,000 and 17,000. “It’s an older community and landlocked by the other communities around it,” Schmidt says. “It’s not going to get any bigger.” The village’s housing stock offers “a good mix” of options, according to Powers Realty CEO Suzanne Powers, who frequently sells in the area. Single-family homes range considerably in size and include Cape Cod, Colonial Revival, Tudor-style, Federal and ranch-style designs, among others. Grand estates along the lake feature architecture inspired by various European movements. Prices for detached homes range from the $200,000s for a two-bedroom Cape Cod to $3.5 million for a five-bedroom lakeside home over 7,700 square feet. Multi-family developments throughout the village offer condominiums, duplexes and townhouses. These range from the $100,000s for one-bedroom condos under 800 square feet to the $900,000s for three-bedroom condos on the lake.
Large grand homes in Shorewood sit along the Lake Michigan coastline.
A handful of condos are available to Shorewood residents, adding to the diverse selection of homes.
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Wisconsin's No. 8 public school district
The Shorewood School District serves all of Shorewood’s public school students. Niche gives it an A-plus overall, calling it the eighth-best school district in Wisconsin. Students attend prekindergarten through sixth grade at Lake Bluff Elementary to the north or Atwater Elementary to the south. Both have A scores from Niche, as does Shorewood Intermediate School for grades seven and eight. Niche gives Shorewood High School an A-plus and considers it Wisconsin’s second-best public high school. Its roughly 640 students can participate in a dozen Advanced Placement classes, a theater department that’s performed internationally and more.
The Lake Bluff Elementary School signage sits in a shaded field.
Shorewood High School signage provides daily announcements.
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Yearly fireworks displays, chicken barbecues and more
Atwater Park hosts several prominent events, including the annual Shorewood Men’s Club Chicken BBQ, which opens the beach every summer. A Memorial Day celebration, Independence Day fireworks and other holiday festivities occur at the park. Estabrook Park is home to the Shorewood Farmers Market, which has sold locally produced food since 2015. Its 2024 season will run from mid-June to late October.
Just a few miles from downtown Milwaukee
Central Shorewood is about a 4-mile drive from downtown Milwaukee, with several routes available. One possible route is Interstate 43, just over 1 mile west of the village. The Milwaukee County Transit System serves many bus stops along Capitol Drive and Oakland Avenue.
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