Silver Spring - Milwaukee, WI Area Guide

Wisconsin's largest public housing development, the Westlawn neighborhood, was developed in the 1950s. The development project covers 75 acres in the Silver Spring neighborhood, providing affordable housing with over 700 units. Westlawn has seen revitalization in the advent of the 21st century. New green spaces and energy-efficient upgrades have given Silver Spring a boost worth bragging about.

While here, visit the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum on West Center Street and 145 to learn about the shared roles played by African-Americans in settling and building Wisconsin. General admission costs $5. The historical society hosts an annual Kwanzaa celebration at the end of every year. The free event welcomes all members of the public.

Specialty sandwiches, meats, gyros, Hunan and American comfort food fill the air around Silver Springs. Traveling along Highway 181 or West Silver Spring Drive reveals most of the restaurants in the neighborhood. Residents also find a couple of chicken diners on Villard Avenue.

For a classic Greek menu, look no further than Spartan Gyros Inc. These dishes hail from a proud tradition of excellence with regard to service and product. This establishment serves gyros, but diners can also order the ever-popular chicken and waffles. Many diners attempt to eat the beast of a sandwich known as the pastrami burger. Come by on Sundays for special deals on corned beef sandwiches.

The best in corned beef any day of the week always originates at the House of Corned Beef. Hand carved, fresh and hot off the stove top, the corned beef on these sandwiches keeps you coming back for more. You can't go wrong with the Reuben sandwich, and order it extra lean for a tasty treat without all the fat.

Bars are scattered across the area, but many find homes on West Fond Du Lac Avenue and West Silver Spring Drive. The Hideaway serves as a favorite place for fun-loving patrons. Come in early for happy hour and stay late for billiards, good food, dancing and a game on the flat screens. Dee's Elegance resides nearby, giving you another way to celebrate the night. For UFC bouts and a lively scene, travel a little further west on West Silver Spring Drive for Roufus Pettis Showtime Sports Bar.

Common forms of travel in Silver Springs include walking on paved sidewalks, using city buses and traveling by car to nearby shopping centers and farther removed destinations via Highway 145. Access Highways 145 and 41 easily via West Silver Spring Drive.

Bicyclists can find a dedicated bike lane on Silver Spring Drive and bicycle-friendly roads on West Villard Avenue and West Grantosa Drive. Vehicle owners can park on residential streets for free, and the shopping centers provide free parking spaces for customers.

Bus stops connecting commuters to the places they need to be adorn major city intersections in Silver Spring. Hailing taxis in Silver Spring proves more difficult except in commercial districts, but Uber serves all of Milwaukee, including Silver Spring.

The 61-acre McGovern Park hosts many different ball fields and a senior center for the older crowd. The free public park allows leashed dogs. Residents visit for the basketball and tennis courts, sand volleyball, softball and tot lot playground. Reserve any of the five picnic areas in this park for your family events. Parties interested in making a reservation should call the pavilion and picnic reservations hotline.

Westlawn Playground, attached to the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, provides children a place to play basketball and let loose on the jungle gym.

The Milwaukee Recreation Center, 6 miles south of Silver Spring on west Vilet Street, hosts seasonal programs for community members of all ages. A satellite community center sits just north of West Silver Spring Drive on West Florist Avenue. The Madison Community Center helps local neighborhood residents with cooking, computers, aquatics, dance, fitness and much more.

Oktoberfest Milwaukee celebrates in neighboring Glendale for four Fridays and Saturdays after Labor Day. $5 at the door gains daily entry. Veterans, firefighters, police officers and active military members enter free on Fridays.

Living in Silver Spring costs 4 percent less than the city average, with gasoline here dipping 8 percent less than the national average. The average tenant pays $740 per month in rent. Draft beers at local establishments usually set you back $4.

Residents can travel to downtown Milwaukee for as little as $2.25 using public transportation. MCTS bus route 80 travels from West Villard Avenue and North 68th Street to West Clybourn Street and North 6th Street, only blocks removed from central downtown Milwaukee.

Surrounded by numerous convenient high-value shopping opportunities, residents enjoy easy access to numerous stores in and near the neighborhood, but no defined central shopping district exists here, and the high-value stores cater primarily to the home improvement crowd.

Nearby Kallas Honey Farm's family-owned business supplies pure, natural honey and honey products and has done so for three generations. When it comes to remodeling and renovations, Midwest Tops has a one-stop shop to help simplifying the selection process and expedite your project.

A Save-A-Lot discount grocery store serves the neighborhood when locals need food and other staples. Growing Power supports communities through education and work. The non-profit grows foods in an urban environment and sells its produce on location during regular business hours. It also sells its merchandise at the Winter Farmers Market in Butler.