family fun - august 2009

Picks of the Month

This month we’re featuring two family attractions that are easy drives from Milwaukee, but well worth the trips. Dancing Horses Theatre just southeast of Delavan is a real delight for every family member. Twice-daily shows are Disney quality, as are all other aspects from a petting area to an exotic bird show. If you travel north, the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc is another exceptional attraction, complete with a fully refurbished submarine. Our Side Trips feature this month describes both attractions. Be sure to use our coupon if you decide to take in the Dancing Horses Theatre.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO

10001 W. Bluemound Road. Just 10 minutes from downtown Milwaukee at Highway 45 and Interstate 94. Open 365 days a year. Ph. (414) 256-5412 or www.milwaukeezoo.org.

It’s always a good time to visit the Milwaukee County Zoo, one of the premier zoological parks in the country.

Zoo a la Carte means music, food and fun from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Aug. 20-22 and 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Aug. 23.

The Great Lakes Bat Festival Aug. 28-29 includes live bat programs, bat house and bat detector workshops, bat merchandise and an evening barbecue. The program is coordinated in part by the Organization for Bat Conservation. 256-5412.

More than 1,000 birds from the Australian outback are at the Zoo this summer in the “Wings from Down Under” special exhibit, sponsored by Lowe’s. Visitors can go go “face to feather” with the birds and even feed them in exhibit, which will be at the zoo until Sept. 7.

BETTY BRINN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

929 E. Wisconsin Ave. Ph. 414-291-0888 Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. www.bbcmkids.org

Programs include:

• Tot Time, ages 1 to 3 with parent or caregiver, 10:30 a.m. Tuedays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays. Toddlers will enjoy sing-alongs, finger-play, stories, and art experiences. Adults learn how these experiences impact early childhood development.
  
  
  
• Pre-School Pop-in, ages 3-5, 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Pre-schoolers participate in music, movement and visual art activities that encourage early reading and introduce beginning math concepts. Adults learn about age-appropriate activities that stimulate a child's development.

Special events:

Neighborhood Night Aug. 20 means free admission from 5-8 p.m.

“Solar in the City,” a new exhibit developed by the museum in partnership with We Energies, teaches children about the ways solar energy is being used in Milwaukee.

THE MUSEUM CENTER
800 W. Wells St.

Includes Milwaukee Public Museum, one of the world's best natural history museums (Ph. 278-2700); and the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater 414-319-IMAX. www.mpm.edu

Special exhibits:

The Puelicher Butterfly Wing allows visitors to stroll through a lush, tropical garden filled with butterflies, some willing to pause on fingers.

“Cabinets of Curiosity,” themed in honor of the museum’s 125th anniversary, illustrates the vast scope of museum holdings.

“Scheutzenfest Von Milwaukee” takes a historical look at Milwaukee’s shooting festivals of the late 19tth century.

The Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater in the Museum Center, the only IMAX theater in the state, doubles as a state-of-the-art digital planetarium.

Starting this month is the IMAX Film Festival, featuring five classic films shown here in the past. The Museum is offering a five-film punch card for $20 after the films open June 12. For the deeply discounted price, visitors can see five of the six available films or one film five times, but they must see five by Sept. 30.

Current and upcoming IMAX shows:

"Ghosts of the Abyss" (through Oct. 1); Academy Award winning director and storyteller James Cameron journeys back to the wreck of the Titanic.

"Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure” (through Oct. 1); Extraordinary marine reptiles of the dinosaur age are brought to life in a remarkable journey into the relatively unexplored world of “other” dinosaurs, those reptiles that lived beneath the water.

“Ring of Fire” (through Oct. 1); Feel the earth tremble and witness nature’s fireworks -- the magnificent eruption of volcanoes. This film puts you on the crater’s edge, ducking ash and dodging hot magma.

“The Living Sea,” (through Oct. 1); Celebrate the beauty and power of the ocean in an exploration of our relationship with this complex and fragile environment. The film uses beautiful images of unspoiled waters.

“Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon” (through Oct. 1); Between 1969 and 1972, seven spacecraft traveled nearly a quarter-million miles through space, providing a select group of highly trained individuals the chance to step out and explore the Earth’s closest neighbor in the solar system.

"Everest" (through Oct. 1); The account of the 1996 Everest Film Expedition, a dramatic true story of a team of climbers who found hope, strength and triumph in the wake of tragedy, The film takes audiences across creaking icefalls and gaping chasms on the way to the top of Mount Everest.

“NASCAR” (through Oct. 1); A must-see for sports fans, NASCAR is a ride through America’s most popular auto racing circuit, complete with the sights, sounds and thrills of NASCAR.

Current and upcoming shows at the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium in the IMAX :

"Astronaut” (through Oct. 1) answers the question of what it takes to become an astronaut and gives a first-hand look at the lives of the men and women who travel through space.

“Ice Worlds” (through Dec. 12) travels to the Arctic and Antarctic to examine the ecosystems that live and thrive in those regions. It also travels beyond Earth to see how ice shapes the landscapes and the natural systems on other planets and moons. The film finishes with “The Pluto Story,” a look at the popular ex-planet produced by the Milwaukee Public Museum.

Call 414-319-4629 for IMAX planetarium show times and reservations.

DISCOVERY WORLD at PIER WISCONSIN

500 N. Harbor Dr. 765-9966. The newest addition to Milwaukee’s world-class lineup of museums and visitor attractions is the home of the 19th century re-creation of a Great Lakes sailing vessel, the Denis Sullivan. Until the ship is returns for the summer season, the Discovery World Museum offers saltwater and fresh water aquariums, interactive exhibits created by several of the city’s leading corporations and the HIVE, a virtual-reality chamber that puts visitors into 30 simulated environments.. Open to the public from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun. www.discoveryworld.org.

When in port, the Denis Sullivan is available for deck tours and day sails.

A special program, "Tesla Lives," provides electrifying performances that look into the genius of Nicola Tesla, on weekends.

Continuing exhibits at Discovery World:

"City of Freshwater" focuses on Milwaukeeís leadership role in use of its water resources.

"Les Paul's House of Sound," a tribute to the famed Wisconsin guitarist Les Paul.

Briggs & Stratton's "Milwaukee Muscle" exhibit, which allows visitors to design a vehicle of the future.

"Energy & Ingenuity: Harnessing the Power of You" developed by the Wisconsin Energy Foundation

MISCELLANEOUS FUN

PLAY BALL! See KeyMilwaukee.com sports for theMilwaukee Brewer schedule and take the whole family to a game.

COMEDYSPORTZ at 420 S. 1st St. continues to provide improvisational comedy suitable for the whole family. Shows every week 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday.  Also 10 p.m. Friday amateur (18+) stand up session. Call 272-8888 for show times and reservations or visit www.comedysportz.com. Be sure to use our KeyMilwaukee.com coupon for extra savings.

OZAUKEE COUNTY FAIR, through Aug. 2; W67 N866 Washington Ave., Cedarburg. Free fair, with live music, tractor pulls and demolition derbies, 4-H exhibits and judging, horse pulling and Midway. Noon-midnight Wed., 8 a.m.-midnight Thurs.-Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun. 262-375-6185, 262-377-3030.

KIDZ Days, Tues.-Thurs. through Aug. 11; Local, regional and national acts perform outdoors at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St. Various times. 273-7121.

STORYTIME IN THE GALLERIES, Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Special family programs presented at the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr. 10:30 a.m. 224-3200.

WISCONSIN STATE FAIR, Aug. 6-16; The annual “Grand Champion of Summer” has it all– agriculture, food, shopping, national headliners, free stages of entertainment, and much more. Building Hours at the fairgrounds, 640 S. 84th St.: daily 9 a.m. -10 p.m., 8/16 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fair hours: 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-midnight Fri. & Sat., 8/16 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Adults/$9, Seniors 60 years and older and disabled persons/$6, Youth 7-11/$4, Children 6 and under/FREE. 800-884-3247 or www.WiStateFair.com.

ARAB WORLD FEST, Aug. 7-9; Fun includes camel rides at the Summerfest Grounds, cultural exhibits, food and shopping.

MILWAUKEE IRISH FEST, Aug. 13-16; Plenty of activities for every member of the family at this internationally known celebration of Irish culture. See our cover feature.

MARITIME HERITAGE FESTIVAL, Aug. 14-16; Take a trip into Great Lakes maritime history, visit four tall ships, enjoy maritime music and perhaps sail on one of the ships. 262-268-1132. See KeyMilwaukee.com feature.

MEXICAN FIESTA, Aug. 21-23; Henry Maier Festival Park (Summerfest grounds), 383-7066. Plenty of music, dancing and fun. See KeyMilwaukee.com feature.