Deal or No Deal: Taking the Bus to Summerfest
A major consideration when going to Summerfest is transportation. Driving your own vehicle offers the most flexibility, but it can be very expensive to park in the area surrounding the Summerfest grounds. Parking in one of the official Summerfest lots will cost you $20. There is limited parking in these lots, and if you don’t purchase parking in advance there may not be a spot for you when you arrive. Parking is available at many other lots in the area. Pricing varies by location and day, but typically will cost $10-$15 (or more) within a few blocks of Summerfest. Free street parking is available, however it can be very difficult to find. If you don’t mind walking, you can sometimes find a free spot on the east side of downtown.
Bus Transportation to Summerfest
The Milwaukee County Transit System offers a convenient method of transportation to Summerfest. Buses depart from 10 Milwaukee area Park & Ride lots and drop you off right at the gate. At $6.50 per person, riding the bus to Summerfest isn’t cheap, but is it worth it?
For the convenience sake, we say yes! You might be able to save money by carpooling with several people, however in our opinion the cost of taking the bus beats the hassle of driving, finding a place to park, and then walking to Summerfest.
For more information about bus transportation to Summerfest, including information on the Ozaukee County Express service, visit the Milwaukee County Transit System website. Coach USA offers roundtrip Summerfest bus service from Waukesha County for $10. For more information, visit the Coach USA website.
How do you get to Summerfest? Leave a comment and let us know!
Free St. Patrick’s Day 2011 Bus Rides & Coupons
Free Milwaukee County Transit System bus rides are almost as big of a St. Patrick’s Day tradition in Milwaukee as green beer. This is the 18th year of the Miller Lite Free Rides St. Patrick’s Day program. The free rides on Milwaukee County buses start at 6:00 P.M., and run until the end of regular service.
During the hours of the program, coupons will be distributed to bus riders (ages 21 and up) for discounts at several area bars and restaurants:
- Saz’s - Free appetizer with any entrée order through 4/30/11
- Flannery’s & McGillycuddy’s - Half-price Buffalo Wings (Buffalo, Teriyaki or BBQ) through 4/30/11
- Chili’s - $5 off $25 through 4/1/11
- Texas Roadhouse - $5 off $30 through 4/30/11
- Applebee’s - Free appetizer (choice of mozzarella sticks, crunchy onion rings or spinach/artichoke dip) through 4/17/11
More details on the program can be found on the Milwaukee County Transit System website and the Miller Lite Free Rides website.
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, check out the Between the Bars blog for the 2011 Guide to St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll find information on anything and everything that is going on in Milwaukee for St. Patrick’s Day. The Shamrock Club of Wisconsin also has an extensive list of St. Patrick’s Day events throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.
Free New Year’s Eve Bus Rides
Miller Lite has teamed up again with the Milwaukee County Transit System and Waukesha Metro Transit to provide free bus rides on New Year’s Eve.
The free rides on Milwaukee County buses start at 8:00 p.m., and run until the end of regular service on all routes. In addition, 13 main routes will stay in service until 4:00 a.m. offering pick-ups every 30 minutes. A route map is available on the Milwaukee County Transit System website
In Waukesha, free rides start at 7:00 p.m. and run until 3:30 a.m. If you live in Waukesha and want to celebrate in Milwaukee, you can ride a Metro Transit bus to Brookfield Square which is also served by Milwaukee County Transit. For specific route information, visit the Waukesha’s Metro Transit web page.
Full details on the program can be found on the Miller Lite Free Rides website. If you need help planning your route, call 1-800-FREE-RIDES (1-800-373-3743). Customer service reps will be available from 6:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. on December 31, 2010 and January 1, 2011.
If you’re still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, check out our post Nine Affordable Things to do in Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve.
Free St. Patrick’s Day Bus Rides
Tomorrow’s free Milwaukee County Transit System bus rides are almost as big of a St. Patrick’s Day tradition in Milwaukee as green beer. This is the 17th year of the Miller Lite Free Rides St. Patrick’s Day program. The free rides on Milwaukee County buses start at 6:00 P.M., and run until the end of regular service.
During the hours of the program, coupons will be distributed to bus riders for St. Patrick’s Day discounts at Champp’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, Saz’s, Chili’s, McGillycuddy’s and Flannery’s.
Full details on the program can be found on the Milwaukee County Transit System website and the Miller Lite Free Rides website.
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, check out the Between the Bars blog for the 2010 Guide to St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll find information on anything and everything that is going on in Milwaukee for St. Patrick’s Day.
**Update
We have details on the coupons that will be distributed during the Miller Lite Free Rides St. Patrick’s Day bus rides. Riders will receive the following coupons:
- A free appetizer (up to an $8.00 value) with the purchase of any two adult entrees, valid Sunday through Thursday at any Champp’s location through April 30, 2010
- ½ price Buffalo wings through April 30, 2010 at McGillycuddy’s and Flannery’s
- A free appetizer with any entrée order (maximum value $8.00) good at any Wisconsin TGI Friday’s through April 30, 2010
- $5 off the purchase of any two new menu items at Chili’s (Maximum one discount per coupon/guest. Minimum purchase $9.99. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Expires April 1, 2010)
- A free appetizer with any entrée order at Saz’s. Valid through April 30, 2010.
Free St. Patrick’s Day Bus Rides Today
Today’s free Milwaukee County Transit System bus rides are almost as big of a St. Patrick’s Day tradition in Milwaukee as green beer. This is the 16th year that MillerCoors (and its predecessor Miller Brewing) has sponsored this program on St. Patrick’s Day. According to the Milwaukee County Transit System, 27,000 rides were given away last year as a part of the MillerCoors Free Rides program. The free rides on Milwaukee County buses start at 6:00 P.M. tonight, and run until the end of regular service. For more details on the program, check out the Milwaukee County Transit System website and the MillerCoors Free Rides website.
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