Even though Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin are no longer in the NCAA tournament, downtown Milwaukee hasnt missed a beat.Local businesses say this has been one of the best weekends of the year so far thanks to March Madness.Visitors like Elliott Rushing and Kelsey Richleff from Kentucky bought Sunday game tickets with hopes their home team would make it to the second round in Milwaukee on Sunday.Theyre one of the expected 19,000 visitors to pass through over the weekend.Wisconsin and Kentucky have similar attributes, said Rushing. Its a little rainy, but Milwaukee is a cool downtown. The businesses and locals downtown take pride in showing off Wisconsin in the national spotlight.Check out: Milwaukee business cash in on March Madness weekend Businesses get surge from games at Fiserv ForumThey come here for the beer and the brats, Ryan Pellinger, bar manager at the Brat House, a popular spot steps away from Fiserv Forum, smiled.Pellinger and bartender Christian Bradley said theyve seen waves of fans pouring in since the tournament began from near and far.Games on Friday were great we had so many people in town, Pellinger said. Its been a steady weekend, and weve all made good money. According to VISIT Milwaukee, the influx of fans is expected to generate an estimated $3.4 million in economic impact for the city.That momentum was felt down the street at Docs Commerce Smokehouse, where general manager Jimmy Hall said its been busier than he expected.Three 18-hour days in a row is not that bad, Hall laughed.It was much more than we expected and much more than the Bucks have done for us in the past. The economic impact, even for just a two- to three-day burst like this, is amazing. Despite both the Golden Eagles and the Badgers exiting the tournament early, business owners hope the excitement and memories created by fans from across the country will stick around long after the final buzzer.Were in Wisconsin, I know that much, Richleff smiled.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less