Walking tour: DeadBeats - A Revue of Milwaukee's Musicians

Milwaukee has long been a central hub of music, from the first German Saengerfests to early conservatories and colleges of music. There's no shortage of music educators, entrepreneurs, performers, composers and craftsmen; each of them with a story to tell. This tour is not the same old song and dance--it will definitely strike a chord and be music to your ears!

Tour includes:*

• Hans Bruening
• William Daniell
• Gretchen Gugler
• Charles W. Dodge
• Eugene Luening
• Louis Frank
• Jacob Nunnemacher
• Otto Von Gumpert
• Christopher Bach
• Louis Henes

*subject to change

Tour guide Leah Duckert-Kroll has been a music educator and conductor for over 20 years. She is both a classically-trained bassoonist, as well as a jazz saxophonist. Ms. Duckert-Kroll is passionate about Milwaukee's history and preservation.

PLEASE READ

This 1.5-mile walking tour moves at a brisk pace over uneven cemetery roads and grounds. Please wear comfortable footwear and watch your step! Our tour guides have a lot to share but are on a tight timeline, so please try to stick together.

This tour will run rain or shine and will only be canceled in the event of a dangerous weather event. Tickets are non-refundable.

Please arrive about 10 minutes before your tour. Meet under the canopy outside Halls of History (next to the main office inside the Lincoln Avenue entrance.

Parking is free and available throughout the cemetery; however, the spots in front of the office are reserved for cemetery business Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. and 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday. There is ample parking around the chapel, in front of and to the side of Halls of History. Sundays you may park wherever you like.

After your tour, please take a moment to review us on TripAdvisor.

Proceeds from all tours and events help preserve and enhance the historical and natural elements of the cemetery.

ABOUT FOREST HOME CEMETERY & ARBORETUM

Established in 1850, Forest Home Cemetery is Milwaukee’s oldest operating cemetery, open to all since its inception. Forest Home Cemetery is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is the finest example of a Victorian-era rural garden cemetery in the Upper Midwest.

In 2021, Forest Home became the city’s first accredited arboretum, Milwaukee’s largest green space with more 2,600 trees on nearly 200 acres.

Our 189 acres are open daily to the public. Leashed dogs, jogging, strollers and bicycles are welcome. Each year, we host public and private historical and nature-based tours and wellness events, birding opportunities, Doors Open, a Memorial Day event, a Dia de los Muertos 5K and festival and our new Spirits of the Silent City after-dark historical tours. Sign up for our newsletter on the website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (use #foresthomecemetery) so you don’t miss any of our tours and events!

If you enjoy our beautiful space, stay longer! Stop in the office Monday-Friday 8-4:30 and Saturday 10-3:30 or call a counselor (414) 645-2632 to find out about our many burial options.

Host or Publisher Forest Home Historic Preservation Assoc.