Lake Park, Milwaukee

Lions and lighthouses and Pokemon — oh my! 

Confession: I've lived in and around Milwaukee all my life and had never seen the North Point Lighthouse until about a month ago. I'd been to Lake Park Bistro a few times with my family, but never really explored Lake Park itself. Confession number two: What finally brought me to Lake Park was the Pokemon.

Yes, there are Pokemon Go hotspots in Lake Park — so much so that the parks department even asked for the game developers to remove Lake Park as a Pokemon destination, or at least apply for a permit or something. Before all this permit business, I tagged along with my brother one night for a little Pokemon hunting. What I saw were a whole lot of zombies (and when I caught a Pikachu I was happy to briefly be one of them!) — and the beauty of Lake Park.

There are stone lions, a bridge decked with wrought iron, a postcard-ready lighthouse, a rocky waterfall (albeit a small one), and a lovely glimpse of the lake. My brother told me that, given the Pokemon craze, the park is always busy now — except, maybe, if you go at the crack of dawn. So that's exactly what I did one Saturday morning. 

At that time, there were some runners, some dog walkers, and just two kids playing Pokemon Go — it was wonderful! Try parking near Lake Park Bistro and walk south. That's where you'll run into the lions and lighthouse. Although I felt a little silly not ever knowing this spot existed (it's nestled just-so and you can't see it from Lake Drive), I'm happy I finally stumbled upon it — better late than never.