A nearly perfect venue for a mid to larger event like a wedding or other reception. The building itself is historic, the location is ideal with lots of parking, in the middle of a nice park and right on the lake. The building is used for all sorts of things so in warmer weather there is a very popular beer garden, people playing in the park use the downstairs restrooms, I've attended (not entered in) the launch of a half marathon here. read more

South Shore Park Pavilion - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I have been to South Shore Park many times, but recently was the first time I'd actually gone inside the Pavilion! It was for... you guessed it, a wedding! And a beautiful one at that. The pavilion makes for a great venue. Their main hall is vast (I'd imagine it can fit a solid 150/200 people), and it overlooks the lake. It's definitely more of an old, vintage type vibe inside. The ceiling is really beautiful curved wood too. I thought the staff did a great job serving this big event - all wonderfully kind and it seemed like there weren't any hiccups. I believe Saz's is the catering partner of this venue, and they did a great job. The outdoor beer garden space was wonderful too. Tons of picnic tables, a huge bar, and lots of sunshine to soak up on the beautiful day that it was. When you're in the beer garden area, you can get an even better view of the lake anddd the city skyline. Overall I'd say this is a delightful venue for events! read more

South Shore Park Pavilion - Interior event space set up for wedding - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Beautiful, classical style pavilion for events and weddings. We attended a friends wedding here and the scene from the pavilion to Lake Michigan was absolutely astonishing. The staff working there were very friendly and the bathrooms throughout the entire event were super clean. Highly recommend this venue to anyone and any event. read more

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I love this place! It is truly a beautiful spot in Bay View. I walk pass here all the time when I'm working out and the views are amazing. It's a brick building right on the lake that holds special events. On the inside, there is a really cool event space with a large compass rose on the floor and huge windows overlooking Lake Michigan. I'm hoping someone I know will get married here one day so I can attend an event here! On the lake side, there is a beer garden with drinks and food. It's a great spot to hang out with your family and kids or meet up with friends. They have a really nice fire pit and there might be someone playing music as well. There is a playground right next door for the kids and some games like cornhole available as well. Bring your family or friends and check it out! read more

What a great little park. There is a sandy beach to play on. A great view of Milwaukee's skyline. A playground and a beer garden. It is a great place to take the family for a picnic on the water. read more

This area of the Milwaukee lakefront is exceptionally pretty. The large grassy hill above the beach allows for beautiful views and people watching. Nearby volleyball nets are available and even better - HAMMOCKS!! This area is wide and vast so overcrowding is minimal. It is very well maintained. Although I did not attend an event here, the building for parties etc is really pretty. It is a large classic vintage room steeped in classic architecture. Overall, this park and beach are charming with plenty of room for picnics and relaxation. The building is a great choice for a special function. read more

South Shore Park Pavilion - Beautiful park - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Extremely, pleasantly surprised. A veritable cornucopia of goodness nestled on the lake in the Beev! I've known many folks who've utilized this space for events (weddings, mostly), but had not been to the actual pavilion in South Shore park up until a few weekends ago. We all know the park is gorgeous, so there's that. With amazing views of Lake Michigan, green space and trees and lovely landscaping, South Shore's always a winner, always. (Don't get me started on how much I love Milwaukee's parks, because I'll go and go and no one wants that... not even me.) Any-whoo: The pavilion! It doesn't even smell weird, which most park "shelters" generally do. And it's warm woods, brick, and concrete floors without being too "cold;" just a bit of elbow grease/effort and one could completely trick this place out. TOO FAST TOO FURIOUS JUST KIDDING GUISE. The main area boasts large windows that look out on to the lake, and there's seating enough for what seems to be at least 200 folks. There's a caterer's kitchen that's perfect and capable, as well as a gathering area that can hold 50/100 sitting/standing. There's really no good answer when it comes to bar space, however, so get crafty or hire pros. The area just outside the catering kitchen works, but its definitely a touch crowded and not necessarily super conducive to being a true bar. Parking's a breeze, and rental seems pretty dang cheap by comparison to many of the other venues around town. You're cute, South Shore. read more

It overlooks a beautiful portion of the lake in bay view. Oh yeah, I'm trying to convince some friends to have their wedding here. That's the most glowing recommendation I can give! read more

It is a park. It is near the lake - or on the lake if you think about it a bit. There is a jogging path. There is a beach. There is a Greek food stand. There are trees. On most days it is pretty quiet. It is a good place to rent for weddings and parties for sure. If you are a south sider you probably went here for the Water Frolics. Well, that's the basic information.... but what I like about this park is that it is perfect for sunset or sunrise (if you are up) walks. You get to walk along the lake, hang out on the pier, have a look at the wind turbine, and all in a little quiet neighborhood (much more quiet after the construction of 794 a while back). read more

Two weeks after we got hitched in Vegas in 2010 we invited our extended family and friends to join us in celebrating at the South Shore Pavilion. It ended up being a very warm October day and it was beautiful! The parks people were pretty easy to work with. The entryway and bathrooms might not be the prettiest but you can dress them up a little with candles and flowers. For our casual celebration it was just what we wanted. We were also able to bring in our own food which was important since my husband is a chef and made the food to cut costs. Most of the venues, even some of the park buildings, in Milwaukee come with a contract for certain caterers or you are tied to one specific one. My favorite element was the compass rose on the floor! read more

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We had our wedding and reception here, and could not have asked for a better venue. The price, the location, the view; after the Milwaukee Art Museum, this may be the best wedding venue in the City, but thousands of dollars cheaper. They don't lock you in to a caterer, so you can find your own. The gorgeous WPA building is perfect for wedding photos, large windows overlooking Lake Michigan, beautiful stonework, tall wooden ceiling. The building and location are treasures; I can't recommend them highly enough. read more

One of my fav places in the city bc we got married here!!! Fun fact: the day we got married they were rolling up kegs & I said they must be mistaken...I did not order 12 kegs...well they were opening up the beer garden the next day! Although looking back, I should have accepted the kegs - like a typical Wisconsin wedding, people drank too much - we ran out of beer & we had to have some ppl make two beer runs for us DURING the event!! If you are thinking of using South shore as your venue, I couldn't recommend it more - bring your own food (we had food trucks), bring your own beer, and the lake views! Great price and allows you to customize. Feel free to reach out - I'm happy to answer any questions. We did the ceremony & reception on a Friday in August. :) read more

I can safely say that South Shore Park is the best park in the city. If you don't agree, I'll challenge you to a water gun fight! En garde! But in all seriousness, the park itself is beautiful and has great views of the lake and of our beautiful city. The pavilion is spacious and is a great spot to host events like weddings and other large parties. The playground is large and always busy. Above all things, the surrounding neighborhood is just wonderful and everyone is so polite and nice. Here people still say hello to one another when they pass by. It's incredibly refreshing. Also, who can argue with the awesomeness of the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings? See you there! read more

This park is pretty cool. It's where my husband and I and like a million other couples have gotten married. I was at a Mickey Mouse themed wedding there and it was by far the weirdest wedding I have ever been to. Anyhoo, a lot of people used to get married behind the building overlooking the lake and it was awesome. But-and this is a big but-the parks department installed a few very terrible art things sprinkled throughout the lakefront and the biggest, grossest one of all is right smack-dab in the middle of what used to be an awesome view of the lake. What the fart?! This is also where I go to vote. Last time I voted they ran out of stickers. read more

beautiful summer night fun! Love the beer garden. Drank some Leinies which isnt my favorite.. but who cares.. great place to people watch. A lot of dogs which is a little uncomfortable for me .. but it has a great community vibe to it. Eclectic crowd .. which I love!! read more

I cannot say enough about South Shore Park Pavilion. What a beautiful venue. I do; however, want to give a huge thanks to Clifford Hale and his staff (especially Nick), for their time, assistance and patience. They will help you with anything they can, offer advice, and generally and discreetly become a part of the team when we are doing set up and break down. This place books well in advance, so plan a head. Remember also that it is a landmark of great significance and beauty. In other words, have a great time but do no damage. Our guests were respectful, and we as hosts, and I am sure the Park appreciates this. Truly a beautiful place. read more

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We had our reception there as well. We did a ton of research into reception spots and this is by far one of the cheaper ones. Going this route doesn't lock you into insane food and bar prices that you'll find elsewhere. Find your own catering(Irene's is my recommendation) and find your own bartenders and dj. My only complaint would be the building still being open to the public for restroom use-we had problems with a couple of them strolling into the party. read more

We held our wedding and reception here at the end of August, and we could not have asked for a better venue for a better price. The space worked perfectly for us. The people that run the park and the venue were great to work with. It was a fantastic experience. The only problem was the seemingly endless amount of goose poop on the lawn outside, but that could not be helped. read more

This park is pretty nice. I have been to the pavilion for a couple of events. The location is accessible. There is ample parking. The building itself is pretty inside and out. The park staff was helpful. I would recommend South Shore Park Pavilion to anyone who wants to book a beautiful event and is on a budget. read more

I just went here yesterday. It smelled of chlorine and urine. Do they clean it before a wedding? I was just surprised that someone would hold a wedding there. It looks like it would be BEAUTIFUL if cleaned up properly. thoughts? read more

Gorgeous building, right on the lake, great view without the crowds you'll find further north. Love it.

Great pavilion with friendly staff. Love this environment- relaxed, fun, and beautiful scenery.

the venues were amazing and the owner gave me a good deal for my wedding. he worked with my budget. all the guests had an amazing time.

Our wedding ceremony and reception were both celebrated at South Shore Park Pavilion. The venue features a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and showcases the Milwaukee skyline. The building itself is quite beautiful too. There are some great photo opportunities. We also appreciated the freedom to select the caterer of our choice. (We chose Maxie's Southern Comfort. Many guests have since told us it was the best food they had ever eaten at a wedding!) The Park staff were friendly and accommodating. Everything was arranged exactly as we had requested. I whole-heartedly recommend South Shore Park Pavilion to anyone planning an event in the Milwaukee area. read more

Family wedding was held there this fall and it was very beautiful. The sunset and the park were perfect for pictures.

We held our wedding ceremony and reception here and couldn't have found a better choice if we searched for months! With just over 100 guests there was plenty of space for everyone to be comfortable and move around. The County Parks allows you to work with the caterers of your choice or to bring in your own food if you like, the flexibility was really an attractive feature. The kitchen had enough space that one side was used for our caterer and the other for a bar. It also has a refrigerator, microwave, and range if you need to cool or keep anything warm. The pavilion has a built in audio system too so it's no trouble to use the house mic or bring one in for speeches or toasts. We also used it for music throughout the ceremony and reception, the volume was perfect. It also allows people to plug in their own devices if someone brought a special song to share! The spectacular eastern view was a lifesaver too, because of the late season snow most outdoor locations were too cold and muddy but for photos but because the indoor view is so pretty we simply set up and used the lakefront as our scenery through the giant wall of windows. The team from the Parks Dept who helped us; Cliff, Jerry, and Andrew could not have done more to make things go smoothly. If you're hosting an event up to ~200 people consider the South Shore Pavilion, it's a beautiful historic community gem and is an unbelievable value. read more

We had our wedding at this venue last weekend and we are so happy that we did. The location is absolutely gorgeous and our guests loved it. The building itself is beautiful on the inside with the exposed brick walls and huge windows facing Lake Michigan. Guests were able to go outside to the lake or visit the beer garden in the back while pictures were being taken. There are a few downsides to renting out the venue as it has to be rented out by the hour. When you initially rent the venue it's rented for 4 hours and then you have to pay for each additional hour. Once you've rented out the venue for the 4 initial hours, then no one else is allowed to rent the venue for that day but you're still required to pay for each additional hours that you're there. I did run into the issue where I wanted to rent the venue the night before for rehearsal and decorating but was unable to so it caused us to rush the morning of our wedding to make sure all of the decorating was done that day (you're not allowed to get into the venue until 10am and my wedding was at 4pm). It's also considered a public building since it is park of Milwaukee Parks so people are allowed to come in and out to use the restrooms inside. We did have to remove a few people that came in and were trying to take cupcakes from inside so we are really unhappy about that. For the price we had to pay for this venue I feel that it should be more private. Overall we are happy that we were able to have our wedding here as we've always loved the venue and location, but the price does get a little expensive with having to pay by the hour. read more

My husband and I would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone at South Shore Pavilion who helped make our wedding possible!! Our wedding ceremony and reception was absolutely beautiful and far surpassed our expectations! Thank you for being so professional and helpful throughout the planning process! We highly recommend this venue to future brides and grooms-to-be! read more