'Not for the faint of heart': Netflix's Jeffrey Dahmer show boosts true crime tourism in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: A sudden rise in interest in Netflix's Jeffrey Dahmer show is boosting tourism in Milwaukee, New York Post reported. Fans of true crime are itching to follow the murderer's eerie trail in the city thanks to Ryan Murphy's wildly successful show for the streamer, 'Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.'
Bob Weiss, who runs Milwaukee's 'Cream City Cannibal' walking tour, which takes visitors to the locations where Dahmer "poached seven of his 17 victims," is very appreciative of their presence. The Netflix story is based on the real-life serial killer Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the 'Milwaukee Cannibal' or the 'Milwaukee Monster.'
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The owner of Hangman Tours, Weiss, said, "It is incredibly popular now." He added that while he faced significant backlash when he first introduced the questionable offering more than ten years ago, the only issue he's been having recently is how to manage an excessive amount of new bookings. Since the show's premiere, Weiss has increased the typical four tours per weekend to a whopping 16 walks, which are enthusiastically promoted by some nearby hotels.
People reserve their time slots at Marriott.com. Details given on the website say "The Cream City Cannibal tour takes you through cannibalistic serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's "hunting grounds," the Historic Walkers Point Neighborhood of Milwaukee. Walk along the exact blocks where he poached 7 of his 17 victims. Stops along the walking tour include areas wherein he picked up his victims, as well as establishments where he both frequented and scoped out his victims at the time." The website also states, "The Cream City Cannibal is not for the faint of heart." Weiss told New York Post, "We have brought a lot of people [into town]. The tourist industry is very happy."
Weiss continued, "We have people that fly in from Barcelona, Frankfurt, [to] take our tour. Nearly 90% of our customers are female, typically between the ages of mid-20s and early-40s." Nearly everyone has been polite and curious, Weiss said, adding any "buffoon"-like behavior is not tolerated.
Weiss stated, "We don't glorify anything that Dahmer did, we don't make light of anything, there are some significant lessons that I think society needs to be reminded of." He also mentioned that FBI agents and other law enforcement personnel had participated in the tour as part of their research on serial killers.
However, some business owners in Milwaukee don't want to be linked to the city's more sinister past. Charese Gardner, the owner of the Wall Street Stock Bar, the former location of the infamous Club 219 where Dahmer picked up many of his victims, can't bear hearing his name or thinking about what he did to her hometown. Despite the influx of true crime tourists at her bar, she has no interest in promoting them. She told Fox 6, "We’re not doing a drink, we’re not doing a mural. I redid every single thing. It doesn’t even look like the place anymore." She added, "I have face marks on my [windows] outside because people are like, trying to look in. I don’t really understand the obsession."