Walking backward while talking is useful for leading a tour, demonstrating a moonwalk, or retreating from a room full of ominously staring toddlers. See the reverse saunter put to good use with today's Groupon: for $25, you get two tickets to the Spaces & Traces tour of the Riverwest neighborhood from Historic Milwaukee (up to a $50 advanced value, up to a $60 value at the door). The annual open-house event occurs Saturday, May 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Today’s Groupon also gets you access to the Historic Taverns of Riverwest Crawl on Saturday, May 14 from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Groupons may be redeemed at any one of these bars along the crawl: Falcon Bowl, Uptowner, Tracks, Stonefly Brewery, Nessun Dorma, Linneman's, Gee Willickers, or Riverwest Public House.

Historic Milwaukee leads loyal Wisconsinites and curious cross-country travelers through layers of living history and traversable tales of Milwaukee’s slightly more mustachioed past. Today’s deal gets you a day-long guided adventure through the timeless architecture and multicultural past of the Riverwest neighborhood, an area that the native Menominee originally called To the Left of the Water—No, Sorry, My Left. Along the way, tour takers will examine diverse architectural styles, from 1920s bungalows to mid-century-modern dwellings, and have access to the interiors of 10 private homes. Tour guides will explain the historical significance of each abode, with added factoids available in a detailed, complimentary information booklet. John Gurda, a Milwaukee-born writer and historian, and Tom Hubka, a professor of architecture at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, will regale attendees with lectures on Riverwest.

Along with the Spaces & Traces admission, Groupon holders gain access to the Historic Taverns of Riverwest Crawl, an eight-bar celebration of the neighborhood’s most welcoming taverns. Sample brews and take in live music courtesy of local acts who have all had their Freebird vaccinations. At 7 p.m., there will be an honorary ceremony at the Stonefly Brewery on East Center to celebrate Spaces & Traces’ 30th anniversary; be one of the first 300 guests to receive a free commemorative pint glass that’s great for cold beer or expensive wine-flavored wine coolers.

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