Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

If you're looking for a unique and enriching cultural experience in Milwaukee, I highly recommend Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum. It's a place where you can learn about art history, appreciate beautiful craftsmanship, and enjoy the serene beauty of a Renaissance villa and garden.Visited onWeekendWait timeNo waitReservation recommendedNoPrice for adult entry$11–15

As a Milwaukee area wedding photographer, it is always a pleasure when I end up working with couples at Villa Terrace. The beauty of the venue speaks for itself, and it's like traveling back in time to a beautiful Italian renaissance style villa. There are rooms for multiple groups in the wedding party, along with plenty of additional rooms all with their own character. Natural light bounces around everywhere always makes for great photographs and the lime trees throw around the scent of citrus in the summer which is a nice touch. It's named for its art collection, which is of course wonderful and a pleasure to experience in such a cool environment. Working with the staff and all of the individuals who keep the place running has always been a pleasure as well. I'm always looking forward to my next visit to Villa Terrace, as a patron OR as a photographer! -Patrick Betcher Photo

Breathtaking. There are so many different and fun things to do here, depending on when you visit. Yes, it's am art museum, but I have gone to yoga out on the terrace, music & café in the front garden, and will be touring a new art exhibition later this month.Visited onWeekendWait timeUp to 10 minReservation recommendedNot surePrice for adult entry$6–10

Beautiful Italian manor with art displayed around each room. On the weekends they even have live music around noon. There is also a sculpture garden with a water feature and nice views of the lake in the back.Visited onWeekendWait timeNo wait

There are already many Google reviews and photos so I'll just add what I think needs to be mentioned or shown. Villa Terrace is a hidden gem of Milwaukee. I say hidden as I had lived within a mile of it for one year decades ago and never knew it existed. In fact, the entire N Terrace Ave can easily be missed. The avenue also boasts a Frank Lloyd Wright home, the Frederick Bogk House, and I recommend stopping at viewing it from the sidewalk. I see that Villa Terrace hosts weddings and other large gatherings so it's well-worth confirming by phone or website that the museum will be open to the public on the day you plan to visit. Call or purchase your admission via their website before arriving to confirm it's open to the general public. Be sure to visit the backyard in good weather even with its long stairway. The stairs taken are not the one with the waterfall but instead is alongside the nonfunctional electric lift. Membership in Villa Terrace includes another gem, the nearby Charles Allis Art Museum.

The grounds were lovely and the historic home was quite beautiful.Visited onWeekdayWait timeNo waitReservation recommendedNoPrice for adult entry$6–10

UPDATE: A couple of friends and I decided to visit the Sopra Mare Sunday music/coffee event thinking it would be a pleasant coffee shop sort of vibe. No. It was not. It was a chilly and stilted mini concert with people stiffly sitting in their chairs, facing forward, and shooting daggers at anyone who even dared to whisper. The music was fine but it was a solo guitarist who was the very definition of background music. And if the free offerings are going to be dried up slivers of fly infested pastry it might be better to set up a venue outside to performance area for purchasing fresh and clean snacks. The employees/volunteers still present as rude and condescending so we adjourned to the lower patio area for quiet conversation and pleasant weather. Just very disappointing all in all. Underwhelming. This building practically begs for guided tours because its layout is confusing even with a map and because the rooms are essentially empty. Even more docents available in the rooms to offer some information and answer questions would have been helpful. It seems they have opted for being a museum/gallery and not focus on the fact that a family actually lived here for many years. It's possible that the focus on having it be a "venue" has created a need for more empty rooms with fewer items of value that could be damaged by drunken wedding guests. That being said, there are a couple of interesting features: the blue and white stones in the courtyard were collected by the original owner and her children over the course of a summer from the beach below the terrace at the direction of the contractor. The water stairs were amazing, probably more so with actual water. And the Cyril Colnik exhibit was as great as I was hoping.

Nice Villa overlooking the lake with beautiful grounds you can tour as well. When we were there, they were in between exhibits so the inside was kind of sparse, but the permanent items were fun to read and learn about the history of the families that had lived there. The picture I've attached is from the lakeside outside of the fence. There is no entry from this side. You must find your way up the hill around the corner and enter from the street up there. They have free days for touring so check that out to see if it fits your schedule.

Villa Terrace is a mansion with an amazing backyard terrace and view overlooking Lake Michigan. The terrace includes a waterfall that flows down a well-manicured hill into gardens at the bottom of the hill. The place is huge, with a lot of great spaces to photograph and enjoy. The 'backyard' is really where you can see the beauty of the estate.

I serviced a wedding at this venue. It is absolutely  drop dead gorgeous!  The old historic mansion sits on top of a hill overlooking the lake. The view is breathtaking. I also have to mention the staff. Very courteous and professional and always wearing a smile! Can't recommend this place enough for future weddings! Visited onWeekendWait timeNo waitReservation recommendedYesPrice for adult entryFree