This August day was forecast to be a hot one! Trying to beat the heat, we hooked up early, grabbed our gear, and headed out to a local site with a ton of history! While looking for quick hit-and-run sites to fill our mornings, I came across Sanctuary Woods in Wauwatosa and the old Schlitz Brewery Ice Tunnel on Milwaukee’s east side!
Today’s Sanctuary Woods is located on the old grounds of the Milwaukee County asylum for the chronically insane. This asylum opened nearly 150 years ago, using ideas and techniques well ahead of their time for working with its patients. These ideas included open natural areas for relaxation and recuperation. Such as pathways and patios, an artificial lake with a waterfall, and healing gardens. Some of which were hand-built by the residents. Now, these structures are all that remain here.
Throughout the years, Sanctuary Woods has seen many changes and the relocation of all of its facilities. For the most part, nature has reclaimed this site. With the barely visible remnants of stairs, train tracks, and tennis courts peeking out through the underbrush,. Depending on the season and the noise level of the visitors, an abundance of wildlife may be seen. Butler’s garter snakes, long-eared owls, hawks, deer, and even coyotes!
Wauwatosa’s Sanctuary Woods offers an interactive map (Google-based) that helps you navigate this site! Since Mother Nature continues to reclaim this site and the surrounding area, it is nice to have a little something to help guide you around. This map will not be perfect, but it is a great way to get your bearings and find more details and history about each minor stop along the way!
There may not be as much of an “urban explore” left here, but Wauwatosa’s Sanctuary Woods offers a fun morning of hiking with just enough history and variation in its destinations to keep the exploring interesting.
Even more so, if you’re willing to occasionally take more of an unbeaten path. Most of our hike was done off-trail and through the early August underbrush and overgrowth! We didn’t stay at Sanctuary Woods too long, as the day really started to heat up and get muggy. Once the temperature started to climb, we headed to our second stop that morning.
We drove east toward the Milwaukee River, hoping to find a little cooler temperature to go along with our next adventure. The hike to and from the Schlitz Brewery Ice Tunnel took longer than our actual exploration of it! While a shorter exploration, this old construction really added a bit more history to a morning already crammed full of it! If you want a good read with a touch of Milwaukee history, google “Milwaukee Ice War.” You won’t be disappointed!
As always, again, thank you all for playing along! It really does mean a ton to us! Like, comment, share, subscribe, and all other interactions are welcome and encouraged! You could even tell us about a spot you want us to check out, or just send us an email for the hell of it! Email US
We hope you decide to play along! Tell a friend!!
Sanctuary Woods long-form video
Now my UE partner’s pics. I think her pictures offer a more natural color palette! We hope you enjoy some of our pictures. As we drove to brunch, I could not stop thinking about all the years of history we had roamed through that morning! We have such finite lifespans, never really seeing how a place changes through time…
As always, again, thank you all for playing along! It really does mean a ton to us! Like, comment, share, subscribe, and all other interactions are welcome and encouraged! You could even tell us about a spot you want us to check out, or just send us an email for the hell of it! Email US
Between 1980 and 1988 went to the abandoned asylum on the county grounds in Tosa. We had explored the place a few times but the thing that I have always remembered was the basement hallway between wards. The walls were smooth white and curved inward to a point were only one person turned sideways could pass. It was to prevent a lot of people from passing quickly from the ward. Creepy with no light.
I’m unfamiliar with the beer cave shown here, but have been into the big Schlitz grain elevators near Estabrooke Park. Early 80s we were looking for unusual beer cans. This was also the site of Contenental Can ( a huge supplier of steel and then aluminum cans to brewers).
We could ride slow moving trains,walk across the trestle (bridge) over the Milwaukee River.
There were some offices that looked as if the workers left for lunch and never came back. We could climb interior stairs to the top and go out on to the top of the elevators.
** replying with 1 non-dominate hand- other is broken**Sorry** That all sounds amazing! and a bit terrifying.. The curved narrow hallway/tunnel! We had done a few other tunnels at asylums in and out of this state, WI. They both intrigue and horrify me a little. There should be those galleries on this site. We were aware of some of those other sites, but we will do more research and see if anything remains! TY a ton for playing along, it means a ton to us! I love the feeling of everything left behind. people, just, missing!