Family Fun in Milwaukee

Family Fun in Milwaukee
Play in the City!

DAY ONE

Morning:

Explore the Milwaukee Public Museum (800 W. Wells St./414-278-2702), one of the country's best natural history museums. Travel the globe at exhibits from Asia, Africa, the Arctic, South and Middle America and the Costa Rican Rainforest! See the world's largest-known dinosaur skull, stroll among free-flying butterflies from around the world in the Puelicher Butterfly Wing or discover the creepy crawly secrets of the Bugs Alive! exhibit. The museum complex also houses an IMAX theater.

Afternoon:

Get up close and personal with more than 2,500 animals at The Milwaukee County Zoo (10001 W. Blue Mound Rd./414-771-3040). The zoo's 200 wooded acres include a wide variety of outdoor and indoor animal habitats where you'll find more than 300 animal species. Seasonal attractions include a children's petting zoo, a tour of the zoo grounds on the Safari Train, the Birds of Prey Theater and the Oceans of Fun Sea Lion Show.

Evening:

Cheer on the home team! Milwaukee offers year-round professional sports action, including Milwaukee Brewers baseball at Miller Park (One Brewers Way/414-902-4005), NBA stars the Milwaukee Bucks (1-800-4-NBA-TIX) and American Hockey League Milwaukee Admirals (1-414-227-0550) at The Bradley Center (1001 N. Fourth St.), and Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer atU.S. Cellular Arena (400 W. Kilbourn Ave.) and Milwaukee Wave Unitedoutdoor soccer at Uihlein Soccer Park (7101 Good Hope Rd.)

DAY TWO

Morning:

Connect with nature at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (1111 E. Brown Deer Rd./414-352-2880). Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, the center offers six miles of nature trails set among 185 acres of diverse, unspoiled, natural habitats. See Milwaukee as never before from the center's Treetop Tower, enjoy the beautiful Green Tree Garden or explore the cool environs of the Woodland Loop. The center's Dorothy K. Vallier Environmental Learning Center is a green building featuring nature-related exhibits and classes. 

Afternoon:

Get ready for hand's on fun at Milwaukee's only museum designed specifically for kids ages 10 and under and their grown-ups. The Betty Brinn Children's Museum (929 E. Wisconsin Ave./414-390-KIDS) was cited by Parentsmagazine as "one of the 10 best children's museums to visit nationwide." Family-friendly exhibits include My Body Works, where kids of all ages can crawl through a giant human heart, Raceways and On A Roll, which invite experimentation with gravity and momentum, and Let's Play Railway, a BRIO® play area designed to ignite the imagination!

Evening:

Experience the magic of live theater at First Stage Children's Theater (929 N. Water St./414-273-7206) in the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. First Stage is Wisconsin's premier family theater and is renowned nationwide for its artistic excellence. Contact First Stage directly for information on the current season and age-appropriate guidelines for individual performances.

Free Winter Fun:

Bring your skates December through February to Slice of Ice in Red Arrow Park (920 N. Water St./414-289-8791). This downtown oval holds up to 100 skaters and features a convenient warming house and rooftop overlook. Slice of Ice offers skate rentals, restroom facilities and lockers, and a Starbucks coffee shop.

Enjoy the beauty of the season with a cross-country ski excursion at one of Milwaukee's many county parks (http://www.countyparks.com/). Milwaukee has more parkland per person than any other city in the U.S.!

Free Summer Fun:

Enjoy Live at the Center - free, outdoor family entertainment offering music, dance, magic and theater at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (929 N. Water St./414-273-7121) Peck Pavilion, annually June through August.

Stroll along Milwaukee's redeveloped RiverWalk. This scenic, pedestrian pathway connects the city's Historic Third Ward to downtown and provides a riverfront view of several historic buildings, sidewalk cafes and public art.