Tailgate at a Brewers Game
If you’re heading to a Brewers game at Miller Park, you may consider getting there early with a case or two of cold beer, a couple packs of brats and a beanbag toss to experience some of the best tailgating in town. The stadium’s parking lots open three hours prior to game time—just pull up your car, bus or oversized vehicle and get hyped up for the game with fellow baseball enthusiasts. Miller Park also offers a permanent tailgate pavilion, Gantner’s Gardens, located across the river from the Klement’s Sausage Haus. For more information and pricing, contact the Brewers Sales Office at 414-902-4777 or click here.
Get Your Wheels Turning
One of the many wonderful ways to explore Wisconsin’sbeautiful landscapes and cities is by bike. Now don’t fret—we’re not expectingyou to suddenly become a fearless Milwaukee guru who expertly dodges cars(though mad props to them!). There are plenty of bike and scenic trails available throughout GreaterMilwaukee that offer leisurely, enjoyable experiences. If you’re intocross-country and gravity biking, you might look into a trip to The Rock Bike Park in Franklin, which offers 13 trails and two skills areas. Don’t own a bike? Noworries! Bike rentals are readily available at numerous locations andbusinesses, some of which are listed below in no particular order.
- Bublr/Midwest Bike Share
- Use a credit card to buy a single ride at a Bublr Station (or purchase a Bublr online), ride and return Bublr bike toany station.
- Bublr Stations are located at Discovery World, on corner of Brady and Humbolt, Red Arrow Park, the Wisconsin Center, on the corner of Wisconsin and the Riverwalk as well as 411 E. Wisconsin, Schlitz Park, the US Bank Center, the Intermodal Station and the Public Market.
- Coast in Bikes
- Same-day, two-day, three-day, four-day, one-week and two-week rentals.
- Closed on Tuesday.
- Cory the Bike Fixer
- Two- and four-hour rentals as well as Friday-through-Monday rentals.
- Sometimes offers two-for-one rental deals.
- ZuZu Pedals
- Hourly, daily and weekend bike rentals.
- Closed on Monday.
- Rainbow Jersey Bicycles
- Daily and weekly bike rentals.
- Closed Sundays between October and April.
- Vulture Space
- Daily bike rentals; all rentals include a backpack.
- Open Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6 p.m.
- South Shore Cyclery
- Hourly and daily rentals.
- Check website for hourly rental promo codes.
- Extreme Ski and Bike
- Daily and weekly bike rentals.
- Milwaukee Bike and Skate
- Bike rentals by the half-hour.
- 3rd Coast Bicycles
- Hourly, half-day, full-day and weekend bike rentals.
- Closed on Monday and Sunday.
- Dave’s Electric Bike Shop
- Electric bike rentals available upon request.
- Ben’s Cycle
- Bike rentals available upon request.
- Closed on Sunday.
- Truly Spoken Cycles
- Bike rentals available upon request.
- Emerys
- Bike rentals available upon request.
- Closed on Sunday.
- Wheel & Sprocket
- Rentals available at some locations; call for more information.
- High Roller Fun Rentals
- Half-hour and hour bike rentals.
- Opens mid-April, or when sunny and over 60 degrees.
- Wheel Fun Rentals
- Opens in May on weekends 11 a.m. to sunset.
- Starting in June, open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to sunset and on the weekends 9 a.m. to sunset.
An Afternoon on the Lagoon
What’s better than basking on the beach? Basking while out on the water! And one great water destination in Milwaukee is the Veterans Park Lagoon. Starting in May, you can rent two- or four-person pedal boats, which offer you the freedom to leisurely (or energetically) roam the serene 14-acre oasis of sparkling water surrounded by beautiful trees and abundant wildlife. Kayaks, canoes and paddle boards are also available. The park is easily accessible by car and public transit. Happy water-bound exploring!
Have a Summer Swing
What began as a social experiment by a local artist has nowbecome the wonderful HoltonBridge Swing Park. That’s right—there are a dozen swings (including awheelchair-accessible swing) made from recycled tires attached under the southend of the Holton Street Bridge on Milwaukee’s East Side. Take the kiddiesduring the day or enjoy a relaxing evening swing with your sweetheart. It’sdefinitely a spring activity for all ages! Per city ordnance, loud music,alcohol and pets are not allowed.
Explore Milwaukee’s Lakefront by Segway
You’ve seen them in “Arrested Development” and Paul Blart Mall Cop. Now you can give thisself-balancing, electric-powered transportation device a whirl on thelakefront. Milwaukee Lakefront Segway offers two guided Segway sightseeing adventures. The Milwaukee Lakefront Tour ($49; daily tours at 10a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.) takes you by Discovery World, out on WisconsinPier to view the lighthouses, through Lakeshore State Park and then to the WarMemorial for a grand view of Milwaukee’s lakefront. The Milwaukee HistoricalTour ($65; Wednesdays at noon) takes you for a cruise along the bluffs of LakePark, past the Art Museum and by the War Memorial, and includes views of NorthPoint Lighthouse, Brady Street, the 100-year-old historic Water Tower, VillaTerrace, historic Tudor homes, Bradford Beach and its Art Deco Beach House,Northpoint Snack Bar and the Milwaukee River Pumping Station. Law requires allSegway riders to be 14 years of age or older and those between 14 and 18 to beaccompanied by an adult. For more information, call 414-273-1343.
Wanna Race Kites?
We should all fly a kite at least once in our life and a great place to do so is at ;Gift of Wings kite store on Milwaukee’s lakefront, now open (weather permitting) 11 a.m. to dusk on weekends. While you can’t rent kites, the great little place in Veterans Park sells kites of all shapes and sizes, and flying lessons are always free. Gift of Wings is also a fun place to refuel, offering snacks, soft drinks and ice cream that can be enjoyed at picnic tables surrounded by colorful windsocks and garden spinners. Flying events are held frequently during the summer.
Find Milwaukee’s Little-known Park
Have you heard of Kaszube’s Park? If not, you should grab afriend or two and find Milwaukee’s smallest historic landmark on Jones Island.While it doesn’t offer swings or slides, it commemorates the Polishimmigrants—referred to as Kaszubes—who created afishing village on the peninsula and flourished during the late-19th and 20thcenturies. This petite green space is just inland of the Kinnickinnic River andit is truly a neat spot to have a picnic and throw the Frisbee. You may evensee a tug boat up close!
Enjoy Lake Michigan by Schooner
Do youknow about Discovery World’s SailingVessel Denis Sullivan, the world’s only three-mastedrecreation of a 19th-century Great Lakes cargo schooner? Well, great wind in mysails—let me tell you about this incredible tall ship! Discovery World kicks off spring (and summer) with free ship deck tours and festival games onSaturday, May 23 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Discovery World’s Lake Lecture Seriesbegins May 30, which includes a two-hour sail followed by an hour lecture witha guest lecturer. Starting May 24, you can climb aboard the Denis Sullivan fora two-hour Day Sail and can help set the sails and take a turn at the helm, orsit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan. Two-hourSunset Sails start May 23 and Fireworks Sails will be held June 24, July 3 andJuly 24. For more information, call 414-765-8625.
Fiberglass Art at Cass Street Park
In the Brady Street Neighborhood on the corner of Pleasantand Cass streets is a playground (more aptly, an art park) filled withwhimsical fiberglass structures created in 2008 by Wisconsin artist Marina Lee. Stepunder the cat-shaped gateway arch, stand nose-to-nose with Mimi the friendlydragon and meet the rare 12-foot-high Izzy Bird, a mystical bird created fromall colors of the rainbow. After admiring the delightful sculptures, parentscan relax at a picnic table and kids can enjoy a swing set and slides. Makingthe park that much cooler is its buried time capsule, set to be unearthed in2098.
Wisconsin’s Last Original Covered Bridge
Love wandering through charming towns full of quaint shops,picturesque natural surroundings and history that you can reach out and touch?Then a day trip to Cedarburg in Ozaukee County is a great place for yourspringtime adventuring. In addition to businesses such as Cedar Creek Winery, Amy’sCandy Kitchen, TheGem Shop, RivoliTheatre and CedarCreek Pottery is Covered Bridge Park, home to Wisconsin’s lastoriginal covered bridge. The historic centerpiece, built in 1876 and originallycalled “Red Bridge,” is a lattice truss bridge constructed of beautiful oak andpine that was milled near Baraboo, Wis. After it was retired from wagon andvehicle traffic in 1962, Cedar Creek Bridge was moved 50 feet east of itsoriginal location and designated for pedestrian use only. You can find thebridge at 1728 Covered Bridge Road, Cedarburg, Wis. For more information, call262-284-8257.
Port Washington’s All-Abilities Playground
In September 2008, nearly 3,000 volunteers came together tobuild an extraordinary playground on Port Washington’s bluff: Possibility Playground. Thiscommunity play park was created with children of all physical abilities inmind. Possibility features a soft, latex-free surface and double-wide rampingthat allows children and their caregivers with mobility challenges to movearound easily. Kids can play side by side on the specially built monkey bars,run across bridges, drum on the musical alligator and enjoy a pirate shipcomplete with rain wheel and motion platform. Additional equipment includeshanging pods, an alpine thunder slide, tire swing, climbing net, therapeuticswing, sand scooper, elephant rocker, a number/color/shapes game and more.Upper Lake Park (the bluff) in and of itself is a beautiful place to visit,boasting a magnificent view of the lake and offering great pavilion areas forgrill-outs and parties. To reserve a pavilion, call 262-284-5881.
Airborne Adventures in Ripon
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a passenger in ahot air balloon? If you seek thisthrill of high flying, then an “aerial nature walk” at Majestic Balloons inRipon may be the right spring destination for you. While it is a bit of aninvestment ($199 per passenger; $179 for each ticket if you buy four at thesame time), viewing scenic GreenLake County from above with a sunset-emblazoned sky is an experiencehard to beat. Majestic Balloons (just an hour and 40 minutes north ofMilwaukee) is open for flights most weekends year round, with flights scheduleddaily between mid-May and early September. For more information, call920-748-3464. If you’d rather watch fantastical hot air balloons take to thesky, mark your calendar for the WaterfordBalloonfest and Wausau Balloon Rally & Glowfestivals, held in July.
A Zippy Day Trip
Want to check zip lining off your spring to-do list? LakeGeneva Canopy Tours may be your answer. Traverse eight ziplines, five sky bridges, four spiral stairways and a one-of-a-kind 40-footdouble-helix stairway, all built into the trees of a 100-acre forest. The dualracing zip line can reach up to 45 miles per hour. The longest zip line, called“The Beast,” is 841 feet—you work up to this one! Tours last about two and ahalf hours and double as educational sightseeing adventures, usually includinginformation about ecology, geology, biology, wildlife and the history of thearea. Another cool perk: You can have your adventure photographed by yourguide(s)! For more information, call 262-248-9271. A few additional Wisconsinzip line destinations include GravityTrails, Aerial Adventures, Bigfoot Zipline Tours, the MilwaukeeCounty Zoo, Wilderness Canyon Zip Line Canopy Tour and Vertical Illusions.
