By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Jun 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM

Fight the FOMO with our guide to the Great Milwaukee Summer. We've got the hottest places to eat, drink, hang out, and all the things you love to do. Brought to you by Geis Garage Doors and UPAF (United Performing Arts Fund)! 

Looking for fun stuff to do in and around Milwaukee for kids of all ages? From smelling the roses at Boerner Botanical Gardens to visiting Old World Wisconsin, this list is chock full of suggestions, both popular and lesser-known, to keep you and your little ones entertained all year long.

Read on – and have a blast this Great Milwaukee Summer!

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Partner Pick

Order in the Court! Scalia/Ginsburg is a comic opera by lawyer Derrick Wang, following Justices Scalia and Ginsburg's unlikely friendship. When Scalia lands in a cosmic prison for his fiery dissents, Ginsburg joins him, sparring and singing their way to common ground Buy now Florentine Opera · 205 W Highland Ave #201, Milwaukee
  1. Visit the Domes
  2. Make friends with the animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo
  3. See a big movie or sit under the stars at the Daniel M. Soref National Geographic Dome Theater & Planetarium
  4. Make the second rattlesnake rattle at Milwaukee Public Museum 
  5. Discover art at the Milwaukee Art Museum
  6. Smell the roses at the Boerner Botanical Gardens
  7. Pedal a swan paddleboat on the Veterans Park lagoon
  8. Make a splash at one of Milwaukee County Parks pools or splash pads
  9. Explore the Betty Brinn Children's Museum
  10. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to have a family-friendly lunch at the Safe House (Make sure you know the password!)
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A very unusual store with very unusual gifts Buy and fly a kite from Milwaukee’s full service kite & aviation store. Gift of Wings produces many kite festivals and free movie nights around the greater Milwaukee area, all throughout the year. Find out more
  1. Enjoy a play for all ages at First Stage Milwaukee
  2. Discover something unusual at American Science and Surplus
  3. Get the perfect yo-yo at Art Smart's Dart Mart & Juggling Emporium
  4. Watch the roasters at Colectivo Coffee on Humboldt
  5. Go fly a kite at the lakefront with the help of Gift of Wings
Gift of Wings
PHOTO: Gift of Wings Facebook
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  1. Play laser tag at Kids In Motion
  2. Cool off, strap on skates and take to the ice at the Pettit National Ice Center
  3. Crawl through the play tubes during a ballgame at American Family Insurance Field
  4. Slide into the Springs Water Park inside the Ingleside Hotel
  5. Drive your parents crazy by taking them to Chuck E. Cheese's
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Discover free family fun & fresh air all summer at Davidson Park Tucked in the heart of Milwaukee's Near West Side, Davidson Park is a vibrant new gathering space on Harley-Davidson's historic campus. Alongside free family-friendly summer events—like outdoor movie nights—the park features a modern playground, lush green spaces, a serene garden, free off-street parking, and “The Hub,” a walkable and bike-friendly amphitheater. Learn more Davidson Park · 3725 W Juneau Ave, Milwaukee
  1. Feed fish and other aquarium life at the Urban Ecology Center 
  2. Eat a slice of apple pie – a fall favorite, delicious in any season! – at the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago
  3. Get airborne at the Wauwatosa Skate Park
  4. Enjoy story time at one of the Milwaukee Public Libraries
  5. Roller skate at Skateland
  6. Rock out at The Lil Gig, featuring kid-friendly fun at the Northwestern Mutual Community Park during Summerfest 
Northwestern Mutual Community Park
PHOTO: Dan Garcia
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  1. Take a walk on the Milwaukee River Trails
  2. Ride the East Troy Electric Railroad
  3. Step back in time at Trimborn Farm & Curtin House
  4. See a family-friendly flick at one of Milwaukee's movie theaters
  5. Watch the planes take off at Timmerman Field
  6. Cruise Lake Michigan on the Denis Sullivan, the world's only recreation of a 19th century sailing vessel
  7. Skip rocks on Pewaukee Lake
  8. See how the other half lived at The Pabst Mansion
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Get active and stay fit with Bayshore Head to The Yard at Bayshore and join a free pop-up fitness camp with Burn Boot Camp, an opening and welcoming community that supports and motivates. Each 45-minute workout focuses on different types of training for different areas of the body, so you'll never do the same workout twice. Bayshore offers tons of other way to have fun and active, too, from Goldfish Swim Studio to the Kids Empire indoor playground or Hawaii Fluid Art and more fun pop-up appearances like Arthur Murray Dance Studio (on July 10). Discover more The Yard at Bayshore · W Fountainview Dr, Glendale
  1. Visit Villa Terrace and pretend you're in Italy
  2. Commune with nature at the Riveredge Nature Center
  3. Venture around a free open-air art gallery scattered all around Downtown with Sculpture Milwaukee
  4. Get a taste of farm life at Green Meadows Farm in East Troy
  5. Kick it at a soccer game with the Milwaukee Torrent 
  6. Check out how Wisconsin residents lived in the 1800s at Pioneer Village
  7. See how root beer is made at Sprecher Brewery
  8. Cheer on the pig races and all the other animals at the Wisconsin State Fair
  9. Volunteer at the Wisconsin Humane Society or simply visit to check out the cute, fluffy, four-legged creatures
  10. Feed the geese at the Veterans Park lagoon (but no bread, please)
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Step right up and enjoy Holidays! at Circus World Enter a world of wonder with wow-inducing exhibits and live performances under the Big Top. Don’t miss the amazing spectacle, plan your Big Top Summer and get your tickets today! Plan your visit Old World Wisconsin · W372 S9727 Hwy 67, Eagle, WI
  1. Hike on the wooded paths at Lake Park
  2. Learn about nature at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
  3. See what frontier life was like at Old World Wisconsinin Eagle 
  4. Take a tour of the city with The Hop
  5. Bike the Hank Aaron State Trail
  6. Hit the links with a few holes on Milwaukee's golf courses
  7. Bowl a few games at Bay View Bowl or Koz's Mini Bowl
  8. Jump in the lake and play on the cool equipment at Atwater Beach
  9. Grab a bucket and go fishing with dad
  10. Explore the city's landmarks big and small, famous and hidden, during Doors Open Milwaukee
  11. Rock out at one of the city's glorious free summer music series
Bayshore Sounds of Summer
PHOTO: Bayshore
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  1. Enjoy Pete's Pops on a hot day (but quickly before it melts!) 
  2. Stroll along the Riverwalk and see the big neon fish
  3. Try out Adventure Rock and their impressive climbing wall
  4. Savor the flavor of the day at Kopp's or one of the city's many tasty custard options
  1. A regular golf course too big for the kiddos? Go miniature golfing instead!
  2. Enjoy an outdoor movie right by the lake with Gift of Wings summer family movie series
  3. Picnic among the art at Lynden Sculpture Garden
  4. Plant a garden
  5. Take a bite of history with a stop at the Old World sausage shop at Usinger's
  6. Share Milwaukee history at the Forest Home Cemetery
  7. Shop and savor the Downtown atmosphere at one of the city's Night Markets
Night Market
PHOTO: Visit Milwaukee
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  1. Chase butterflies at the Wehr Nature Center
  2. Connect with a curveball at a batting cage
  3. Drive up to Leon's for a burger and fries, '50s style!
  4. Take a one-tank getaway somewhere close to Milwaukee – but far enough to still feel like an adventure
  5. Look to the sky to see the Air & Water Show above the lake this July
  6. Sample step dancing at the Irish Cultural & Heritage Center
  7. Cheer on the Brewers (and the racing sausages) at American Family Field
  8. Find a treasure at the Mars Cheese Castle
  9. Experience major-league-level fun at a Lakeshore Chinooks baseball game
  10. Learn something new at Discovery World
  11. Have fun and a feast with the games and eateries inside 3rd Street Market Hall
  12. Cool off in style at Bear Paw Adventure Park with a water park, adventure activities and more
Bear Paw Beach Park
PHOTO: Bear Paw Beach Facebook
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  1. Brush up on Milwaukee's story at the Milwaukee County Historical Society
  2. Take a class at Danceworks
  3. Explore an island at Lakeshore State Park
  4. Celebrate a Rainbow Summer with the Marcus Center with art, music, vendors and more running July 14-20
  5. Request your favorite song (with a tasty slice) at Organ Piper Pizza
  6. Take in a movie under the stars at a drive-in theater
  7. Take a scuba lesson at Port Deco Diversin Port Washington
  8. Join the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
  9. Marvel at the falls in Menomonee Falls
  10. Go horseback riding in Ozaukee County
  11. If you can't catch Giannis for a selfie at Fiserv Forum or Barnacle Bud's, snap one in front of his giant Downtown mural 
Giannis mural
PHOTO: Dan Garcia
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  1. Have fun both young and old at one of Milwaukee's friendly beer gardens
  2. Learn about maritime history at the Port Exploreum in Port Washington
  3. "Ride" a Harley and more at the Harley-Davidson Museum 
  4. Head back to the past with a visit during Renaissance Faire, beginning July 6
  5. Take a tour of the post office
  6. See a family-friendly concert or performance at one of the city's many stages
  7. Take music lessons at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
  8. Climb to the top of the steeple (and earn a slice of their famous pie) at Holy Hill
  9. Figure out your favorite food-on-a-stick at the Wisconsin State Fair
  10. Go back in time at Old Falls Village Museum
  11. Mooooooo-ve it on over to a Milwaukee Milkmen baseball game