• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
She Buys Travel

She Buys Travel

Traveling tips, deals, info for women

  • Destinations
  • Great Stays
  • Travel Gear
  • Deals
  • Disney
  • Travel Tips
  • Packing
  • Adventure
  • Luxury
  • Kid Friendly
  • Beaches
  • RVing & Camping
  • Road Trips
  • Outdoors
  • About Us +
    • Contact Us
    • About SheBuysTravel
    • Ask Us!
    • Privacy Policy
    • Website Terms and Conditions
    • Notifications
    • Write for Us

A Restaurant and a Spy Museum all in one: Milwaukee’s Safe House

Home / Vacation Ideas / Midwest Vacation Ideas / A Restaurant and a Spy Museum all in one: Milwaukee’s Safe House

Jamie Bartosch, Updated August 10, 2022

Photo by Jamie Bartosch/Suburban SheBuysTravel Kids review their mission while dining at Safe House, a spy-themed restaurant and museum in downtown Milwaukee.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, SheBuysTravel may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

To get into Milwaukee‘s most fun, family-friendly restaurant, you first have to find the door.

The entrance to Safe House (which also goes by the name International Exports, Ltd.) is an indiscreet door in a downtown alley. It opens into a small, door-less room. There’s no hostess, just a small antique speaker.
A voice from the speaker asks each of us to guess the entry password. We take turns coming up with goofy words, none of which were correct. So our group of six was instructed to play Ring-Around-the-Rosie. After we did, a secret door suddenly slid open.
Wild way to enter a restaurant, right? It’s just part of the fun at this unique spy-themed restaurant, bar, and history museum. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and had lots of hands-on activities for kids and interesting displays for adults (moms, be sure to check out the famous poster in the women’s bathroom). The above-average bar food is just a side note to the cool atmosphere and experience.
Adults as well as children were wandering around, looking at the displays, and finding all sorts of surprises in every nook and cranny.
“Everything deserves a second look,” says Owner Shauna Baldwin, who goes by the title Chief of Disinformation. She never comes out of character and shows a deep passion and knowledge of spy history. Tours are available.
Photo by Jamie Bartosch/Suburban SheBuysTravel A napkin at Safe House, a fun, family-friendly, spy-themed restaurant and museum in downtown Milwaukee.
Photo by Jamie Bartosch/Suburban SheBuysTravel
A napkin at Safe House, a fun, family-friendly, spy-themed restaurant and museum in downtown Milwaukee.
The restaurant consists of dozens of dark, tiny rooms and hallways, filled with an impressive collection of spy artifacts that Baldwin’s been collecting since 1966. There’s an actual piece of the Berlin Wall, a KGB prison door, the world’s largest mechanical puzzle (which no one has ever solved), a Libyan flag that was flown over Yasser Arafat’s Jeep, and in the bar, a massive autograph collection of  everyone from Cary Grant to local Olympian Bonnie Blair.
When we received our menus, the kids were given a scavenger hunt-type game that had them roaming all over the restaurant in search of clues to uncover the password.
I don’t want to give away all the fun little things you find in this place, but I’ll say this: the coolest part is the exit!
Photo by Jamie Bartosch/Suburban SheBuysTravel The world's largest mechanical puzzle is one of hundreds of displays at Safe House, a fun, family-friendly spy-themed museum and restaurant.
Photo by Jamie Bartosch/Suburban SheBuysTravel
The world’s largest mechanical puzzle is one of hundreds of displays at Safe House, a fun, family-friendly spy-themed museum and restaurant.
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn

Filed Under: Midwest Vacation Ideas, Restaurants Tagged With: Milwaukee, museums, restaurants, Wisconsin

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Join Women with a Spirit of Adventure!

Trending Posts

Game of Thrones location, Dubrovnik, is a fascinating city

Best Things to Do in Dubrovnik, Croatia’s Stunning Coastal Gem

Hotel Maria Cristina Review - Classic exterior of Hotel Maria Cristina in San Sebastian, Spain

Hotel Maria Cristina Review: Experience the Ultimate Luxury in San Sebastian, Spain 

Cute baby wearing a diaper looking at camera

Changing Diapers on a Plane: 14 Things to Know Before Flying

Must-Have Travel Gear

Couple snuggling in blanket on a romantic getaway.

Best Travel Blankets for Flights, Road Trips & More

two little girls chat with cinderella at a disney character meeting. they are wearing dresses that match hers.

27 Disney Essentials to Buy BEFORE Your Trip for Maximum Savings

Children dressed in full ski gear with helmets in front of snow covered mountain

Best Kids’ Ski Helmets For Comfort & Safety

best portable door locks

12 Portable Door Locks for Safer Travels

Stay Connected Anytime, Anywhere: The 12 Best Satellite Messengers

Copyright © 2023 SheBuysTravel · All Rights Reserved Secured by SiteCare

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Partner With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Terms and Conditions
  • Notifications
  • Write For Us