We live on one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world. The Great Lakes make up 20% of the world's fresh water supply. In a separate series, we look at what we can do to keep the Great Lakes and our environment clean and safe for everyone. But that's there. The point of this post is to get you out and taking advantage of them!
Wisconsin has an amazing variety of things for people to get out there and do. With roughly a quarter of the state covered in woodlands, a third of which is accessible to the public, over 15,000 lakes and streams, and over 1000 miles of beachfront, not to mention numerous parks, trails, festivals, museums, theatres, etc., there is so much to do and see throughout the state, and especially in the Milwaukee area. It would be a shame to not take advantage of what we have to offer. So with that being said, let's take a look at some of the amazing things we can do around here this summer!
If you are not so interested in outside sports, or simply want to add a little culture or history into your summer, it doesn't have to cost an arm or leg either. Truth be told, Wisconsin is a hotbed of concerts, museums and folk art.
Lynden Sculpture Garden:
Okay, so there might be a little walking involved. But Lynden Sculpture Garden is a beautiful and unique experience practically in our backyard. The lush 40-acre park features over 50 sculptures collected by the original owners between the years 1962 and 1978 as well as beautifully tended grounds, woodlands, and water features. This incredible collection is still currently free to visit, though donations are appreciated. Once memberships or day passes become required again, we are looking forward to partnering with Lynden to provide checkout-able passes here at the library for their garden.
Brown Deer Library Admission Passes
Speaking of checkout-able passes, the Brown Deer Library has passes available for six different area attractions. Whether you are interested in zoo animals, fine art, children's museums, or nature, we have you covered. Due to legal concerns, I cannot list them here, but doing a brief CountyCat search for the above heading will bring you to all of them. What each pass covers changes slightly pass to pass, but All but one location are available for 5 day periods, all have free admission for a certain number of individuals and free or reduced parking, not to mention most have reduced prices on memberships for those purchasing while using the pass. Don't turn them in late though, as there are no grace periods and late fees start at $10. But even that would be a steal compared with having to pay admission every time you want to attend. We are also proud to be the pilot program for the Schlitz Audubon membership pass among that number. An excellent organization that does so much to further education and ecological awareness in the Milwaukee area. Next time you're heading our way, check and see which passes are available.
RiverSculpture! and Sculpture Milwaukee
Stroll the streets of Milwaukee or Milwaukee's 3-mile-long Riverwalk, and you will see a phenomenal number of museum-quality sculptures. These curated collections, the annual summer Sculpture Milwaukee located between 6th Street to O’Donnell Park as well as the more permanent RiverSculpture! collection containing both perennial and temporary exhibits, are free to the public and have contained such artists as the astounding Tony Cragg, the incomparable Santiago Calatrava (the same individual who designed our art museum), the mesmerizing Sol LeWitt, the iconic Deborah Butterfield (some of whom can be seen at the Lynden Sculpture Garden as well) and the inspirational Robert Indiana.
Haggerty Museum of Art
If you are down near Marquette, you might want to consider visiting the Haggerty. Housing an impressive collection of both permanent and temporary exhibitions, this powerhouse is free to the public and sure to inspire. They even have gallery talks, workshops, and free performances.
Milwaukee Mural Map
Murals can tell some amazing stories and those around the city of Milwaukee are no exception. They are as vocal as they are everywhere. Have a favorite muralist? Luckily Milwaukee Mural Map was created to help you find them and discover new ones. At the time of my writing this, the website is temporarily undergoing some reorganization but should be back up and running soon.
Free Concerts
Milwaukee County has some of the best concert series around. Here in Brown Deer, we have the annual Community Vibes and the city of Milwaukee is world famous for its Summerfest, but whether you go to see it or not, there are plenty of others to attend. Many of the county parks have concert series. Just down the road, the Granville area hosts its annual Granville Blues & Jazz Festival. Thiensville has Music in the Park and Mequon has its Summer Patio Music Series as well as their Gathering on the Green. Nearly every community in the county has some sort of free music event of nearly every type of music out there, from opera to pop, jazz to rock and roll. There are even a couple of indie concerts. If you are interested in listening to some amazing music, it's as easy as finding out what is in your community and getting out there.
Free Theater
If you are looking for more than music, there is always free theater. Simply head over to the Peck Pavilion near the Marcus Center in Downtown Milwaukee to see a performance of the annual Shakespeare in the Park. There are occasionally other theater troops performing free plays as well, some might even be performing something modern, so keep your eyes open.
Other Theater
There are plenty of other inexpensive theater options ranging from small theaters to comedy sports teams (both Milwaukee Comedy and Comedy Sportz Milwaukee are excellent companies, with some of their programs even being free, though many not being more than $10+). If cost is a concern, many companies like FirstStage offer programs like Pay What You Choose starting at $5/ticket, While others, like Acacia Theater, Renaissance Theaterworks, Sunset Playhouse, Theatre Gigante, Peck School of the Arts Theater, All In Productions, and others offer affordable tickets to everyone ranging by age and location from $4-$40 per ticket, many offering infants and toddlers free seating. It's a chance to get out there and experience something out of the ordinary.
With all the amazing things out there to do, it's time to get out there and explore!
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