family fun - december 2008

Picks of the Month

From the many holiday theater productions to the annual New Year's Eve performances of the Harlem Globetrotters at the Bradley Center, December offers a wide range of activities for families. And best of all, you don't have to spend big bucks to have a lot of fun. The Downtown Holiday Lights program is an annual treat, as are the weekend "Holiday Lites" tours at Miller Brewing.

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.

- Family free day is Dec. 6 with free admission from9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

- Breakfasts and Lunches with Santa are Dec. 6 &7, 13 & 14 and 20 & 21. Call 414-256-5466 for details.

- The Zoo will be open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Christmas Eve and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Christmas Day.

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 Dec. 18 means free admission from 5-8 p.m.

For Winter Break, the Museum is open Monday, Dec., 22, and Monday, Dec. 29. The Museum is closed Dec. 24 & 25.

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

TITANIC: THE ARTIFACT EXHIBITION continues through May 25, 2009. Authentic artifacts and room-recreations tell the story of the 2,228 passengers aboard the Titanic during her ill-fated maiden voyage. Learn haunting tales of lives abruptly ended or forever altered when the Titanic collided with an iceberg on April 14, 1912.

THE HEBIOR Mammoth, a specimen with great significance to the state of Wisconsin, is now on display. Found less than 30 miles from Milwaukee in Kenosha County, the mammoth is among a group of important findes that help date the early presence of humans in North America.

Special events:

The Museum's European Village is fully decked for the holidays and will be alive with activity from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 5 & 6. Costumed docents will revive Old-World traditions and celebrate through music, artifacts and crafts. Learn how the holidays were celebrated in centuries past and uncover the origins of some modern traditions.

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.

Current IMAX shows:

• "Mysteries of the Great Lakes," which takes viewers through the greatest freshwater system in the world (through March 19, 2009)
  
  
• "Ghosts of the Abyss" in which Academy Award winning director and storyteller James Cameron journeys back to the legendary wreck of the Titanic (through June 11, 2009)
  
  
• "Santa vs. the Snowman, an animated IMAX holiday favorite (through Jan. 4).

The Daniel M. Soref Planetarium in the IMAX currently is offering three shows:

• "Rock Stars 2," a thrill ride for music lovers of all ages, showing through June 11, 2009
  
  
• "Night of the Titanic," a tale of how human error and natural disaster sank the "unsinkable" ship, showing through June 11.
  
  
• "Mystery of the Christmas Star," which seeks to discover which ancient star was involved in the Christmas story, showing through Jan. 4.

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.

Milwaukee’s popular Segway tours have moved to Discovery World. See KeyMilwaukee.com tours for all the details.

New exhibits at Discovery World:

• "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

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.

THE HAPPY ELF, through Dec. 4: First Stage Children's Theater presents a heart-arming holiday musical from Harry Connick, Jr. See it in the Todd Wehr Theater of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Most appreciated by children three and up, teens and adults. 273-7206.

SATURDAYS WITH SANTA, through Dec. 20: At the Shops of Grand Avenue, W. Wisconsin Ave. at Old World 3rd St. in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, join Santa on the third floor of the atrium from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, through Dec. 28: The Milwaukee Repertory Theater again presents Dickens' timeless classic in the gilded elegance of the Pabst Theater.

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS, through Dec. 31: The Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center in Waukesha annually stages the largest drive-through Christmas Light Display. 5-10 p.m. opening night, Fridays, Saturdays and holidays and 5-9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. $15 per carload, with special pricing for limos and small buses.

MILWAUKEE HOLIDAY LIGHTS FESTIVAL, through Jan. 4; Downtown Milwaukee. Cathedral Square Park, N. Jefferson and E. Wells St.; Pere Marquette Park, W. State and Old World 3rd St.; Zeidler Union Square, W. Michigan St. between 3rd and 4th St. Jingle Bus to displays operates Thurs.-Sun., 6-9 p.m. The last Jingle Bus departs at approximately 8:20 p.m. Catch the Jingle Bus for $1 at the NEW location at the Plankinton Arcade in the Shops of Grand Avenue. 220-4700.

MILLER VALLEY HOLIDAY LITES SHOW, Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20; MillerCoors Tour Center, 42nd and W. State Sts. Enjoy brewery tours, gift shop discounts, giveaways and free beer sampling. 5-8 p.m. See pg. 6 for all the details.

WAUWATOSA VILLAGE TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY, Dec. 6; Root Common Park, corner of Wauwatosa and Harwood Avenues, Wauwatosa. Caroling, arrival of Santa on a fire engine, photos with Santa and holiday stories read to kids at One Way Cafe. 5 p.m. 297-9285

CHRISTMAS ON THE CORNER, Dec. 6; Franklin Street, Port Washington. Carriage and hayrides, live nativity scene, live music, shopping promotions, 6:15 p.m. holiday parade, fireworks display. 3-8 p.m. 262-305-4220, 800-719-4881.

DISNEY LIVE! WINNIE THE POOH, Dec. 7; The Milwaukee Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. 1:30 & 4:30 p.m. 276-4545.

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS, Dec. 31; Bradley Center, 1001 N. 4th St. Basketball's ambassadors of good will return again to Milwaukee on New Year's Eve. 1 p.m. & 6 p.m. 276-4545.