You know those big yellow wedges of cheese that folks wear on their heads at the Packer games? Well - there’s a factory and an interesting history behind them! The Milwaukee Family Bucket List Team (me, my boys and Grandpa) investigated!
Upon first arrival you cannot help but notice the large “Cheesehead” logo painted on the garage. The factory is located in Walker’s Point Milwaukee.
The entrance leads to the gift shop.. where you realize that they make a lot more than cheeseheads!
Hats of all varieties - cheddar wedges, sombreros, top hats, visors and more. They also make coozies and magnets and ornaments… AND non-cheese foam items too. Arlo was particularly happy to see this when we arrived because he is a dir-hard Vikings fan. (Remember we only moved here a year ago from Minneapolis!)
We checked in at the front desk and entered our tour. You can sign up for a tour on their web site. The tour price feels high until you realize it includes making your own cheesehead.
This here folks is the ORIGINAL CHEESEHEAD! Kept in a vault no less. Many years ago a young man decided to make this hat using foam out of his mother’s couch. He spray painted it and wore it to County Stadium for a Brewer’s Game! That’s right - Arlo was happy to hear (he does like the Brewers) that Cheeseheads aren’t just for Packer fans!
Apparently Brewer’s fans were eventually asked to stop wearing cheeseheads because they blocked the view of fans sitting behind them. Ballparks are built differently than football stadiums (according to our guide).
Next we learned how Cheeseheads are made. A mold is created.
Then a liquid foam cocktail is poured. The mixture depends on which object you are creating.
Arlo chose a football. He poured his liquid foam cocktail into the mold.
Then we waited.
Afterwards, we pulled our creations out of their molds, trimmed the edges and called them finished!
Taaa-Daaah! Here we are with our creations! Arlo wore his lucky leprechaun socks that day. This was a really fun way to spend an hour! The MFBLT (Milwaukee Family Bucket List Team) gives it TWO THUMBS UP! They have a large space available for group rentals too! And yes- we are in Wisconsin - so you can buy beer there of course! To learn more visit www.cheesehead.com