Explore American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers
The Menomonee River Valley has been home to Major League Baseball in Milwaukee since 1953, first at Milwaukee County Stadium and then at Miller Park, which was rechristened American Family Field prior to the 2021 season.
Milwaukee Brewers
Established: 1969 (as Seattle Pilots)
National League Central
Ballpark: American Family Field (opened 2001)
Milwaukee’s Major League roots go all the way back to 1900, when the Brewers were one of the eight charter members of the American League, founded in downtown Milwaukee at the Republican House Hotel. But after one season, that franchise moved to St. Louis to become the Browns, who later relocated again to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
In Milwaukee, fans had to wait until 1953 to be a Major League town once again. After Milwaukee County funded the construction of a two-decked stadium meant to lure a big league franchise, the Boston Braves moved in and began a 13-year love affair that saw Milwaukee become the first National League franchise to top two million in attendance. But by the mid-1960s, the Braves were on the move again, this time to fast-growing Atlanta. A group of business leaders led by Allan H. “Bud” Selig spent five years toiling to bring baseball back once again, and they succeeded on the eve of the 1970 season when a bankruptcy court in Seattle ruled that the Pilots could be sold to Selig’s group and moved to Milwaukee. The Brewers were reborn.
American Family Field
American Family Field (via Google Maps)
Brewers' schedule
Brewers' roster
One Brewers Way
Milwaukee, WI 53214
Capacity: 41,900
Dimensions: left field, 342 feet; center field 400 feet; right field 345 feet
Park factors (2024)
100 = league average
Runs: 92 | Homers: 111 | Hits: 94
History
By the 1999s, County Stadium was nearing the end of its lifespan just as Major League Baseball was experiencing a building boom, sparked by the Orioles’ success with quaint Camden Yards. So Selig, with help from the likes of Hank Aaron and Bob Uecker, lobbied lawmakers for help funding a new ballpark, an effort that became a reality in October 1995, when Wisconsin state senator George Petak changed his vote and cast the deciding “aye” for a bill that included a stadium tax to fund what became Miller Park -- a decision that subjected Petak to being recalled. In the ensuing years, the Brewers’ new home, with its signature, fan-shaped convertible roof, began to rise just beyond County Stadium’s bleachers.
The project came at a grave cost, however. On July 14, 1999, on a windy afternoon one day before the Brewers were to return from the All-Star break, three iron workers -- Jeffrey Wischer, William DeGrave, and Jerome Starr -- died when the “Big Blue” crane collapsed over the first-base side of the partially completed stadium. The three men were memorialized in a bronze statue, Teamwork, that was dedicated on Miller Park’s home plate plaza in 2001, when the stadium opened a year later than originally scheduled.
That is just one of the features on the wide plaza surrounding the stadium today. Fans pass by Helfaer Field, the youth baseball and softball facility that sits roughly on the site of old County Stadium (look closely and you’ll find a plaque marking the site of the former home plate) and encounter statues of the Brewers’ four most influential figures: Selig, the franchise founder, along with Hall of Fame players Aaron and Robin Yount and Uecker, the team’s late beloved radio broadcaster. Uecker is the only one who can boast two statues on the site. The second sits in the last row of the upper deck, a nod to Uecker’s popular series of Miller Lite ads in the 1980s.
Those are not the only figures recognized for their role in Brewers history, however. A ring of home plate-shaped granite slabs circle the stadium to honor inductees to the Brewers’ Walk of Fame, which represents the franchise’s highest honor short of number retirement. Ryan Braun became the 23rd inductee in 2024. But then there are the players who made a lasting impact but didn’t quite qualify for the Walk of Fame; for them, there’s the Brewers Wall of Honor outside the left-field entrance to the stadium.
Surrounding all of that is a sea of parking, the lots named for some of the best players and managers in Milwaukee baseball history, and featuring a new, contactless payment system beginning in 2024. The lots come alive on game days for tailgating, one of the greatest Wisconsin sports traditions. Fire up the grill and crack open a cold one, but be sure to follow the rules.
Of course, the real fun happens inside the stadium, which features four tiers of seating levels: The field level, loge level, club level and terrace level.
Concessions
Nothing beats a bratwurst with sauerkraut and Secret Stadium Sauce, but if you must broaden your culinary horizons, the Brewers have stepped up their concessions game in recent years. The ballpark underwent a $20 million concessions remodel for the 2017 season, which introduced the “wards” on the first-base and third-base field level concourses, with a number of stands featuring local restaurants. For 2024, even more local vendors arrived with the addition of the 3rd Street Market Hall Annex on the loge level down the right-field line, near large bar areas featuring craft cocktails and local beers. If you’re on a budget, look for the 12 concession stands around the ballpark offering the 414 Menu, which offers four items a la carte for just $4 each: a junior hot dog, junior nachos, Cracker Jack and 16 oz. soda.
If you’re a lot hungrier, and you have backup, try one of American Family Field’s all-inclusive group areas. There are nine of them for rent (with typical group sizes in parenthesis):
• Johnsonville Party Deck (25-260)
• Northwestern Mutual Legends Club (25-260)
• Aurora Health Care Bullpen (25-75)
• Miller Lite Landing (75-125)
• Casamigos Patio (50-80)
• Vizzy Loft (30-60)
• Brew Room (30-50)
• Toyota Territory (30-50)
• Associated Bank Power Alley (42)
And don’t forget that J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard, the restaurant in the left-field corner, which has operated under several different concepts since the stadium opened in 2001, is open year-round.
Mascots
Some of baseball’s most recognizable mascots reside in Milwaukee. Bernie Brewer, best known for celebrating home runs with a trip down his slide high over the left field bleachers, started as a real, live Brewers fan named Milt Mason.
And of course you know the Famous Racing Sausages, who started as a between-innings feature on County Stadium’s dot matrix scoreboard in the 1990s before springing to life and sparking copycats all across baseball.
Local attractions
If you’re visiting Milwaukee for a ballgame, there’s a lot to do around town -- including right there at American Family Field. The Brewers offer stadium tours for individuals and groups, which take fans from the dugout up to the press box, where the walls are dotted with holes from foul balls that come screaming in. If you’ve always wanted to slide down Bernie Brewer’s slide, you can experience that, too.
There are two attractions inside the stadium. History buffs may enjoy The Selig Experience, which opened in 2015 and was updated in 2022, and tells the story of the Brewers’ founding -- with a surprising appearance from Selig himself. Follow that with a round at X-Golf, the golf simulator open year-round in what was once the Stadium Club.
Off the stadium grounds, here are some of the attractions within five miles of American Family Field:
• National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, 170 S. 1st St.
• Milwaukee Public Market, 400 N. Water St.
• Harley-Davidson Museum, 400 W. Canal St.
• Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, 524 S. Layton Blvd.
• Lakeshore State Park, 500 N. Harbor Dr.
• Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Bluemound Rd.
• Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr.
• Discovery World Science Museum, 500 N. Harbor Dr.
Food and drink
One of the best ways to get to a Brewers game is to take a shuttle from a local bar and restaurant, and there are no shortage of options. See the shuttle guide on Brewers.com for some of the many choices.
For out-of-towners looking for a drink or a bite to eat, it’s worth exploring some of Milwaukee’s distinct neighborhoods, from Bay View just south of the city to Brady Street downtown to the quaint main drag of Whitefish Bay just to the north (home of GM Matt Arnold and Whitefish Bay High School’s Craig Counsell Field) to Wauwatosa to the west. Weekend visitors might grab an early Friday fish fry before a game from Kegel’s Inn in nearby West Allis. But don’t take our word for it. Every Milwaukeean has a favorite fry, so ask around.
In close vicinity to American Family Field itself, favorite dining options include Saz’s State House or Leff’s Lucky Town on State St., McGinn’s Sports Bar or Balistreri's Bluemound Inn on Bluemound Rd., The Neighborhood Draft or Wyeast Pizza on Vliet St., or, for an upscale experience in a dive bar atmosphere, 4th Base on National Ave. Unless price is no option, be sure to ask what you’re getting into when you order at 4th Base -- and look for former manager Harvey Kuenn’s wooden leg hanging on the wall. Speaking of Kuenn, just down the road is Cesar's Inn, the tavern once owned by Kuenn and his wife, Audrey, where players and fans mingled on the way to the 1982 World Series.
For the thirsty -- and 21+ -- among you, Milwaukee’s beer culture is worth exploring. The stadium sits in the shadow of the Miller Brewery, after all. Miller has daily tours, and so do some of the craft breweries in the area, like nearby Third Space, City Lights, Lakefront, Good City, Eagle Park, Central Waters, Enlightened, Perspective, Lion’s Tail, Ope! and baseball-themed Broken Bat, where the brews on offer include “Just a Wit Outside.” The Lakefront Brewery tour is especially great, since it’s home to Bernie Brewer’s chalet from old County Stadium.