attractions

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
700 N. Art Museum Dr. Ph. 224-3200. The museum's $100-million renovation adn expansion project, completed in 2001, includes the Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, Burke Brise Soleil and the Cudahy Gardens. The internationally acclaimed Calatrava project was named by Time Magazine as the No. 1 architectural achievement in the country for 2001. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, with extended hours to 8 p.m. on Thursday.

POTAWATOMI BINGO CASINO
1721 W. Canal St. Located minutes from downtown, two-story entertainment complex offers high-stakes bingo; blackjack, craps and roulette table games, and video and reel slot machines. 500-seat cabaret-style theater and 1,800-seat concert hall host some of the nation's top performers. Dining options include international buffet, sports bar & grill, fine dining restaurant and snack bars. Open 24 hours a day. Call toll-free, 1-800-PAYS-BIG or visit website at www.paysbig.com

CAPTAIN FREDERICK PABST MANSION
2000 W. Wisconsin Avenue. Ph. 931-0808. This Flemish Renaissance home of Captain Frederick Pabst, built in 1893, features unique Victorian craftsmanship and design. Open 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon-3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Admission.

THE MUSEUM CENTER
Corner of 7th and Wells Sts. The Museum Center includes the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater. The museum and IMAX share a common entrance but feature their own unique educational and entertaining offerings, two gift shops and food court. The Milwaukee Public Museum, among the world's best natural history museums, boasts award-wining, walk-through exhibits and outstanding lifelike dioramas. Ph. 278-2700. The Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater's six-story, domed screen is the first of its kind in Wisconsin. The IMAX is now home to the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium, a digital state-of-the-art planetarium which began operations on Nov. 10, 2006. Ph. (414) 319-IMAX for showtimes or visit the website.

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MARKET
400 N. Water St. 336-1111. Opened in 2005, this year-round, indoor marketplace for specialty food vendors is surrounded by outdoor seasonal stalls on Saturdays during the growing season. The Public Market is located at downtown’s entrance to the Historic Third Ward, once headquarters for the area’s produce brokers. The market also hosts cooking classes and other special events. Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays. The market’s coffee shop, Cedarburg Coffee Roastery, opens weekdays at 7:00AM.  (Enter at the SW Market entrance on the corner of Water and St. Paul streets. Free parking for one hour in adjacent lot, entered from Water St.

MITCHELL GALLERY OF FLIGHT
Located the main concourse of Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, this aviation museum is named after Gen. “Billy” Mitchell, who grew up in Milwaukee and is widely regarded as the “Father of the U.S. Air Force." Permanent and changing exhibits on display.

DISCOVERY WORLD at PIER WISCONSIN
500 N. Harbor Dr. 765-9966. Home of the S/V Denis Sullivan, Milwaukee’s own Great Lakes tall ship, Pier Wisconsin also houses Discovery World Museum, with unique interactive science attractions sponsored by some of Milwaukee's leading corporations, freshwater and saltwater aquariums and the HIVE, a virtual-reality chamber that puts visitors into 30 simulated environments. Discovery World is open to the public from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun.

WISCONSIN MARITIME MUSEUM
75 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc, Wis. 920-684-0218 Visit the Wisconsin Maritime Museum where you can tour a fully restored World War II submarine, operate a steam engine, visit a 19th century shipbuilding town and sail a boat in the Children’s Waterways room – all at the region’s only Smithsonian affiliate and the largest maritime museum on the Great Lakes. Through interactive exhibits, learn about the schooners, sailors, shipbuilders and submariners of the region. Open 7 days a week, year-round. 79 miles north of Milwaukee on I-43.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY HISTORICAL CENTER
910 N. 3rd Street. Ph. 273-8288. Architectural landmark building with two floors of exhibits on Milwaukee County history. Open 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Free.

IRISH CULTURAL AND HERITAGE CENTER OF WISCONSIN
2133 W. Wisconsin Ave. Ph. 345-8800
Located in the landmark Grand Avenue Congregational Church building just west of downtown, the center is the home of a wide range of cultural and educational programs and the site for concerts, lectures, art exhibits, dances, Irish music classes and a center for genealogical research.

MITCHELL PARK CONSERVATORY, THE DOMES
524 S. Layton Blvd. 649-9800. Only horticultural structure of its kind in the world, the geodesic domes let visitors experience nature from different regions of the world. In the Arid Dome, find one of the world’s finest collections of cacti, succulents and shrubs. The jungle-like trails of the Tropical Dome focus on plants from the rainforests of five continents. A multitude of orchids and bromeliads, plus a rushing waterfall, greet visitors. (Colorful birds also call the Tropical Dome their home.) The Floral Show Dome features five seasonal displays each year. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

BOERNER BOTANICAL GARDENS
5879 S. 92nd St. Ph. 425-1130. Located in Whitnall Park, this 40-acre formal garden is surrounded by a 1,000-acre arboretum. Garden house and gift shop open until 7 p.m. Garden hours 8 a.m. -sunset. Limited tours available.

MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO
10001 W. Bluemound Road. Ph. 771-3040. Located just 10 minutes from downtown, the Milwaukee County Zoo is home to 2,500 rare and wild animals. The animals roam in naturalistic exhibits located on 194 acres. Considered to be among the finest zoos in the country, the Milwaukee County Zoo is open year round. Other special features include an authentic carousel and scheduled winter events. The Milwaukee County Zoo is completely handicapped accessible. Open daily from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Open 365 days a year. Restaurant. Admission.

PABST THEATER, 144 E. Wells Street. Ph. 286-3665. This National Landmark Theater, built in 1895 by Milwaukee brewing magnate Captain Frederick Pabst, was the first all-electric theater in the country. The Pabst hosts over 200 performances a year featuring the world’s great artists. Free, public tours Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. Tours at other times by arrangement.

PETTIT NATIONAL ICE CENTER
500 S. 84th St. Ph. 266-0100. Official U.S. Olympic Training Facility and home to the U.S. Speedskating Team. The Pettit National Ice Center offers world-class programming in figure skating, hockey and speed skating. Call for daily public skating, group discounts, tours, banquets and special events. Admission $5 adults; $4 children/seniors; $2.50 skate rental.

CEDAR CREEK WINERY
Corner of Bridge and Washington Sts., Cedarburg. Ph. 377-8020. With its Old World atmosphere and award-winning wines, Cedar Creek Winery appeals to connoisseur and novice alike. This working winery is located within the Cedar Creek Settlement, a 130-year-old woolen mill building that also features antique and specialty shops and a restaurant. Winery tours and tastings 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. -5 p.m. Sunday, year-round. Gift shop features wines and wine accessories.

BETTY BRINN CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
Miller Company Pavilion at O'Donnell Park, 929 E. Wisconsin Ave. Ph 291-0888. Milwaukee's "hands-on" museum designed especially for children ages one to ten. The interior and exhibits capitalize on the lakefront location. 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Tuesday- Saturday.

THE GROHMANN MUSEUM
Milwaukee School of Engineering, 1000 N. Broadway 414-277-7501.
Opened late last month as the home of the world’s most comprehensive art collection dedicated to the evolution of human work, this unique museum is entered through a landmark steel and glass-domed entrance and contains three stories of gallery space. The museum features the Eckhart G. Grohmann Collection Man at Work, containing more than 400 years of artists’ depictions of organized work, from manpower and horsepower to water, steam and electrical power. Architectural elements of the new musuem, drawing from images within the collection, were commissioned for the museum and include a Roman--style mosaic, a 700-square-foot circular mural depicting the world’s great thinkers and 12 bronze sculptures in a sculpture garden atop the museum. Open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-6 p.m. Sat. 1-4 p.m. Sun.  Monday-Saturday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students 11-18 and adults 65 and older.

EAA AIRVENTURE MUSEUM
In Oshkosh just off Highway 41 at the Highway 45 exit. Ph. (920) 426-4818 or visit www.eaa.org. One of the world's finest aviation museums, with more than 250 airplanes on display, the AirVenture Museum is open from 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

JUNEAU PARK PADDLEBOATS
Just north of the Veterans Park on the Lakefront. Paddleboats, Hydro-bikes and radio-controlled sailboats rented from 10 a.m. until sunset seven days a week, weather permitting, through October. 217-7235. Reservations not required.

WILLIAM F. EISNER MUSEUM OF ADVERTISING
208 N. Water St. in the Historic Third Ward, opened in the fall of 2000 as the first museum in the country to explore the science and art of advertising and design. A modern museum housed in a historic warehouse, the Eisner offers permanent and changing exhibits and an unusual gift shop developed as an extension of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center's ArtSpace boutique in Kohler, Wisconsin. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays; Non-5 p.m. Saturdays; 1-5 p.m. Sundays. 414-847-3290

TALIESIN
Spring Green, Wis. 608-588-7900, 1877-588-7900
Located an hour west of Madison and 2.5 hours from Milwaukee is the 600-acre estate of America's greatest architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Included on the estate is Taliesin, the architect's "work of a lifetime." The estate, which now includes an exceptional bookstore, offers a full complement of daily walking tours, house tours and four-hour estate tours. Reservations recommended.

TEN CHIMNEYS, The Tour of a Lifetime.
S43 W31575 Depot Road, Genesee Depot, Wis. 262-968-4110.
Just 40 minutes southwest of downtown Milwaukee, this National Historic Landmark was the estate of legendary 20th- century Broadway actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Amenities at the Lunt-Fontanne Program Center include free parking, restrooms, ample lobby seating, permanent interactive exhibition, temporary exhibition on the Lunts tea sets, nature trails, and a lovely museum store. Tours offered Tuesday-Saturday, April-October. Ages 12 and up. $28-$35. Reservations strongly recommended.

SKY KNIGHTS SPORT PARACHUTE CLUB
East Troy, Wis., 30 minutes southwest of Milwaukee off I-43. 800-382-4883.
Southeastern Wisconsin's skydiving opportunity. Tandem jumps and solo lessons available. Visit www.SkyDiveMilwaukee.com for details.

CHARLES ALLIS ART MUSEUM, 1801 N. Prospect Ave. 278-8295. Elegant 1911 Tudor-style mansion museum with period rooms, original furnishings and worldwide art collection spanning 2,000 years. Changing exhibits, concerts, programs; Great Hall and English Garden. Sunday guided tours or by appointment. Tudor-style Holidays. Open 1-5 p.m., Wed. through Sun.