Harley Davidson Museum Accomodation
Hi there, I am looking for a reasonably priced hotel the near the H-D Museum. We are travelling from New Zealand so trying to get a place that does not cost us the earth. Any suggestion please?
Thank you
If you will have a rental car you might be able to save money on hotels by looking near the airport. There are many to choose from and that is usually the cheapest area for hotel rooms. It is about a 15 minute drive to the Harley Museum.
If you won’t have a car you will probably be better off staying downtown. The Best Western Inn Towne is usually the most moderately priced hotel downtown.
I should have mentioned the Iron Horse Inn, which is the closest hotel to the museum and was built specifically for Harley enthusiasts. I don’t know if that will be an affordable option, but with the economy as it is hotel rates may be lower than they have been in the past.
The Iron Horse is also a little isolated from downtown, so may not be the best choice if you don’t have a car.
I would recommend the Iron Horse Hotel, great new botique hotel. It is the closest hotel to the new H-D Musueum. It is slighty out of the way of downtown and is in a revitilizng warehouse area of the city.
If you are looking for really nice restaurants, bars, clubs I suggest Milwaukee Street. Hotel Metro is located on this street. Also, Brady Street and Third Ward are worth your time exploring.
I also encourage you to check out Milwaukee Art Musueum, Discovery World, and our lakefront while in town.
Brian
Find The Best Scenic Rides In Wisconsin
After leaving the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, we have no doubt you’ll be inspired to take a road trip across this beautiful state. The open road, the beautiful scenery, the warmth of the sun on your back, and nothing but the roar of the wind and your bike in your ears. It’s a sense of peace that’s hard to come by – but did you know that bike rides and B& B’s pair well together? Depending on how much time you have, you can visit one or more areas of this incredible state, stringing together a trip from one Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast to the next. Wouldn’t that be fun?
To give you a little inspiration for your upcoming road trip, here are a few of our favorite scenic drives in Wisconsin, most of which involve the Wisconsin Rustic Roads program.
How Did They Sell Their Bikes
Harley Davidson has always been a brand that is focused on the customer experience. They have never been content to just sell motorcycles they want to create a lifestyle for their customers that is unmatched anywhere else. This culture starts with their dealerships, and that was their plan to make sure they could do what they did best: build bikes.
The Dealer Network would sell the bikes and be their company face for the brand. That is why Harley-Davidson made sure to support those dealers with more than just the product to sell.
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Corporate Archives & Collections
The Harley-Davidson Motor Company’s corporate archives are also housed on the museum’s grounds. The archives supplied more than 85% of the items on display in the museum. Since 1915, the company’s founders decided to pull one bike from the production line to be preserved in an archive. One motorcycle on display was recovered on a beach in British Columbia after being swept out to sea more than 6,400 kilometers away in a tsunami that hit Japan in 2011.
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1903 Weddings at Harley-Davidson Museum’s reply:
Amazing Experience from Start to Finish
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Pit Stop At Wisconsin Bed And Breakfasts
Between a visit to the Harley-Davidson Museum and the scenic rides above, you could spend weeks crisscrossing the state of Wisconsin and still not have covered it all. You’ll make a good dent, though, and all along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to stay at some of the best places in Wisconsin.
Wherever your travels take you in Wisconsin, you can be assured that when you stay with one of our members you are choosing to stay in some of the most outstanding lodging accommodations around the state. There is nothing standard about a stay at a Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast.
Our Wisconsin Innkeepers offer the best service and hospitality. Your day will always start with a delicious breakfast – which, as foodies, is a real point of pride for our Innkeepers. Going the extra mile to ensure you have everything you need during your stay, including personalized recommendations for places to go and things to see, comes standard with your stay. Are you ready to get out on the road and visit the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee? Start by booking a room at one of our Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts today!
Creating A Destination For Motorcycle Enthusiasts
HGA worked with Pentagram Architects on this 130,000-SF museum on a 20-acre site in downtown Milwaukee. The complex includes a 60,000-SF museum for permanent exhibits, a 45,000-SF Annex for temporary exhibits and archives, and a 25,000-SF building housing a restaurant, retail, and special-events space.
The exhibit design follows the buildings industrial character. The team developed a chronological narrative, beginning with motorcycles arranged down the center of the main hall. This road links the upper exhibit floor with the lower floor. Along the way, visitors encounter a series of galleries that present the history of Harley-Davidson from its founding to the present, as told through motorcycles, posters, photographs, film clips, and interactive displays.
Lighting Design
Throughout, lighting enhances the exhibit experience.
Telecommunications
Throughout, telecommunication infrastructure supports the interactive exhibits and building programming to provide a media-rich museum-going experience for visitors.
- 2009 Milwaukee 2008 Mayors Design Excellence Award
- 2009 Daily Reporter/Wisconsin Builder Top 20 Projects of 2008
- 2009 Milwaukee Business Journal, Real Estate Awards Project of the Year
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Harley Davidson Museum In Milwaukee Wisconsin: A Unique Look At A Legendary Company
The Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a unique look at a legendary company. Harley Davidson has always been more than just a motorcycle manufacturer they have built a culture around their brand that is both fascinating and unique.
From the beginning, they have had the foresight to plan for future generations, and their museum is a testament to that. It showcases everything from their early history all the way up to the present day. If youre interested in learning more about Harley Davidson, or if youre a fan of motorcycles, then this museum is definitely worth checking out!
We were treated to a private tour when the museum wasnt even open yet by them as we were working on our new Wisconsin travel book: 100 Things to do in Wisconsin Before You Die and were simply blown away by the font of knowledge that Bill Rodencal shared with us and Tim McCormicks excitement as we went through room after room.
Highlights Of The Harley
- The Motorcycle Gallery a procession of Harley-Davidson motorcycles is displayed
- The Harley-Davidson Journey exhibits the Harley-Davidsons chronological history
- Serial Number One the oldest known Harley-Davidson in existence
- The Engine Room a Knucklehead engine, Panhead and Shovelhead motors and how they work
- Clubs and Competition Harley-Davidsons racing history with 1920s-era Harley-Davidson racing motorcycles
- Tank Gallery exhibit displays 100 of Harley-Davidsons memorable tank graphics, spanning 70 years, reproduced on Fat Bob tanks
- The Custom Culture gallery covers Harley-Davidsons impact on American and global culture
- King Kong a 13-foot -long, two-engine Harley-Davidson customized motorcycle
- Famous Replicas the customized Harley-Davidson bikes ridden in the 1969 American movie, Easy Rider
Board Track exhibit Clubs and Competition gallery Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee
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The Brief History Of Harley
In the late 1800s, a 15-year-old boy named William Harley was so intrigued by a new form of transportation called the bicycle that he took a job at a Milwaukee-based bicycle factory. It was this intrigue that may very well have been the start of Harley-Davidson.
In 1901 William Harley made a drawing of an engine designed to fit the bicycle. Harley had a simple dream to build him and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson motorized bikes.
Harley and Davidson spent many hours trying to complete a prototype of Harleys drawing. This prototype never materialized. At the same time, Harley was designing a second engine. William and Arthur knew the one thing that was missing to make their dream of a motorcycle a reality was a competent machinist.
They knew just the person, Arthurs brother Walter, who was living and working in Kansas at the time. To get Walter on board, they had to trick him into coming home. The two friends sent Walter a letter claiming they had already built the motorized bike and saved the first ride for him.
Surprise! When Walter arrived home, all he found was a pile of parts. Walter must have been intrigued enough with the possibility of a motorized bike because he chose to stay in Milwaukee and help make the first motorcycle a reality.
Even though there were three Davidson brothers, the decision was made to put Harleys name first because it was his original design and dream that started it all.
How Did They Support Their Dealers
To create consistent messaging across all retail outlets, Harley-Davidson made sure to supply them with pretty much anything they could need from stationary with branded logos to display signs, they were covered.
They made the dealerships the go-to place for service, besides just sales. It was one-stop community support for that brand.
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The Harley Davidson Museum In Milwaukee Wisconsin Itself
100 years after they started their manufacturing, the incredible collection of items that they had stored was to have a home: The Harley Davidson Museum was started.
It is more than just a museum its an experience that you need to go through to understand why this brand is so iconic. They not only have some of the oldest motorcycles on display, but they also showcase how the company has evolved over the years.
You can see everything from their first advertising campaigns to how they developed Harley-Davidson dealerships around the world. It was interesting for me to see all of the different things that they have done over the years to create that customer experience and community.
Its not just a museum for Harley Davidson fans its a museum for anyone who is interested in the history of American business.
It was funny to hear that about 80% of the visitors are NOT motorcycle owners.
The Harley Davidson Museum is the perfect place to see all of these things and more. It showcases its history, its brand values, and how it managed to become one of the most iconic motorcycle companies in the world.
If you are ever in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I highly recommend that you go and check out the Harley Davidson Museum. I was there less than 2 hours and know that I need to go back heck, Jason Mamoa has been there at least 4 times already maybe I will get lucky and see him the next time I go!
How To Reach Harley
Love this? Explore the entire list of places to visit in Milwaukee before you plan your trip.
Fancy a good night’s sleep after a tiring day? Check out where to stay in Milwaukee and book an accommodation of your choice.
- Harley-davidson Museum Address: 400 W Canal St, Milwaukee, WI 53201, United States
- Harley-davidson Museum Contact Number: +1-8774368738
- Harley-davidson Museum Timing: 09:00 am – 06:00 pm
- Harley-davidson Museum Price: 20 USD
- Best time to visit Harley-davidson Museum: 10:00 am – 04:00 pm
- Time required to visit Harley-davidson Museum: 01:00 Hrs
- Try the best online travel planner to plan your travel itinerary!
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How Did They Create And Build Their Customer Experience
One of the things that makes Harley Davidson so unique is its focus on customer experience. They have always been willing to go the extra mile to make sure their customers are happy, and its paid off in a big way.
They did so many different things here you really need to see the museum yourself to get the full scope of their brilliance on this.
Just a few highlights:
- They created the Harley-Davidson Magazine and had it translated into 16 different languages, which became the longest-running motorcycle magazine of all time.
- They offer parts for their line of bikes going back to 1909 Harley Davidson has always been a company that is focused on customer service and longevity. Even Tupperware cant beat that kind of parts availability.
- They offered customers the ability to customize their motorcycles.
- They crossed all demographic lines from the beginning. They didnt target just the white male but women, people of color, and more.
- People were encouraged to create motorcycle clubs out of their local dealership and those too had universal offerings from jackets to custom patches. Harley Davidson has always been a company that wants to create a community and family for its customers.
- There is so-so-so much more!!
Take Your Experience To The Next Level
Enjoy a self-guided experience or enhance your visit with a guided tour or audio device.
Explore on your own, add an audio tour or check out our Guided Tour options.
Experience the Harley-Davidson Museum
All new guided tour options are available for an add-on to General Admission or by reservation for a group or private tour experience. Head to our ticketing page to learn more about the Spotlight, Beyond the Gate and VIP Tours.
Check the calendar for availability or call to reserve a private or group tour experience .
Hear the voices of riders, heroes, and experts from the past and present with our self-guided audio tour. The audio tour can be purchased in the Museum Lobby. In addition to English, the audio tour is available in: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.
Price
Scouts will learn about the history of Harley-Davidson as well as the engineering of motorcycles as they complete all of the requirements to earn an Engineering Merit Badge. The Scout Merit Badge Activity Booklet can be downloaded and printed in advance of the Museum visit. Scouts should bring their booklet and blue card to the Museum.
Available
and follow the path around the 20-acre H-D Museum® campus for a self-guided tour. Tour length is variable as it is self-guided.
PriceNo fee
Call 287-2799 or email for more information. Reservations must be made one week in advance.
Group admission rates
Senior – $12
Youth – $5
Group planning details
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They Survived The Great Depression
We all know how a global pandemic forced a ton of businesses to pivot or go under. We saw it everywhere from restaurants to the entertainment and hospitality industries.
Harley Davidson was one of those companies that not only survived the Great Depression but thrived. They still worked on their motorcycles and upgrades/improvements but also built things like lawnmower engines, paint sprayers, etc.
They would be one of only two American motorcycle companies to survive and move forward, Indian being the other.