Playing “I Spy” While Touring the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Last December, we visited Milwaukee, Wisconsin just before the Christmas holiday; when planning our visit, the locals’ top recommendation for a “must do” festive activity was a tour of the Pabst Mansion. The Milwaukee holiday tradition Christmas at the Pabst Mansion dates back to 1978 but is reimagined every year with unique and original decorations. 

The mansion was built for Frederick Pabst and his family in the early 1890s on Wisconsin Avenue, the most prominent street in Milwaukee. Frederick was born in Germany in 1836 and immigrated to the United States in 1848, working in Chicago on a steamship and later becoming the captain. Frederick married Maria Best, the daughter of the president of Best Brewing Company, and he eventually took over the company, making it the largest producer of lager beer and renaming the company the Pabst Brewing Company.

At the time of its building, the Pabst mansion had central air, ten bathrooms, several fireplaces (that were never used!), and an alarm system, one of the first ever installed in a private residence. The Pabst family hosted many dignitaries, including President Theodore Roosevelt. Frederick Pabst died in 1904 and his wife died in 1906. The Catholic church took over the property and turned it into the residence for several archbishops who lived there until 1975. The property was then restored and opened as a museum and historic site in 1978.

Note: Each year, the Pabst Mansion Board invites local decorators to volunteer to decorate a space inside the mansion, using their creativity to reimagine how the space would have been used to celebrate the holidays at the turn of the 20th century. The descriptions and photos below are from our December 2025 visit, but to see information on the 2026 decor and themes, check here. 

Travel Tips:

Playing I Spy While Touring the Pabst Mansion:

While children are touring the Pabst mansion, be sure to have them look out for:

1. The cherub chandelier and cherubs on the mantle and clocks in the Pink Parlor Room.
2. The large music box and piano in the Musician’s Room.
3. The number of glasses and utensils at each place setting in the Dining Room.
4. The large humidor (which could hold up to 300 cigars!) and the oak coppered ceiling in the Captain’s Study. Note the German proverbs etched in the wood above the door.
5. Paintings above each doorway entrance, originally painted in 1893, painted over during the archbishops’ time in the mansion, and then restored before the mansion opened to the public.
6. The pulley system, massive safe, and built in ice box in the Butler’s Pantry.
7. The hand painted Delft tiles of scenes from the Flemish Low Countries which line the Servant’s Dining Room.

8. The collection of antique jewelry  on display in Emma’s Bedroom.
9. The Cherub painting brought from the brewery in the Man’s Sitting Room.
10. The fashion magazines in the Mrs. Pabst’s Sitting Room.
11.  The collection of stuffed animals (cats and dogs) and American Girl dolls, and the cat Christmas tree in Elsbeth’s Bedroom.
12. The finials at the top of the newel posts on the Gran Staircase, symbolic of hops buds, the main ingredient in flavoring beer.
13. The hooks outside the door of each bedroom; family members, and their guests, would place any clothes that needed to be mended or laundered on the hooks for staff to attend to.
14. The tree honoring the local military with notes of gratitude and patriotic ornaments on the Third Floor.
15. Write a letter to Santa and “mail” it in the Primary Guestroom (decorated with a Home Alone theme for 2026.)

Bonus: Have kids find a dragon somewhere in the mansion (hint: check the fireplaces, and wallpaper, paintings, and decor), snap a photo, and show it to the Gift Shop staff for a special take home souvenir.

Looking for other adventures in Milwaukee? See our features of the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee and the Kohler resort in Kohler Wisconsin