7 family-friendly things to do in northeastern Wisconsin this summer
Summer is littered with federal holidays — Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Fourth of July — meaning there's plenty of time to enjoy all the state has to offer.
We’ve compiled seven activities to engage the whole family for these glorious breaks. Explore Northeastern Wisconsin with this list!
Note hours are subject to change, and they may be closed on holidays.
Green Bay Botanical Garden (and its Children's Garden)
The Green Bay Botanical Garden, 2600 Larsen Road, Green Bay, boasts more than 98,000 plants from Wisconsin and around the world. Plus, much of the garden has paved walkways, making it a more accessible space for people using mobility devices.
There’s also the Carol and Bruce Bell Children’s Garden, which really solidified the Botanical Garden’s spot on this list. Treehouses, slides, sculptures, interactive educational signs and — perhaps most notably — the Fischer Family Lily Pad Splash Play Area all make this an ideal place to visit with little ones.
Access to the Children’s Garden is included with admission.
The Green Bay Botanical Garden is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, May through August. Members and ages 2 and younger get in free. Admission prices are $15 for adults, and $5 for ages 3-17. Seniors (age 62 and older), military and college students get in for $13. Reduced admission is available for those receiving food benefits; $1 per person for up to four people for a family.
For more information, visit gbbg.org.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers games
The Timber Rattlers prove you don’t need to be a baseball fan to enjoy a night at the ballpark, 2400 N. Casaloma Drive, Appleton.
This is, in part, due to the team's variety of theme nights and giveaways. After some games, there are fireworks; sometimes the park offers 10-cent hotdog days. The list goes on and on.
Among the popular theme days are Bark in the Park days. During these select dates, furry friends can watch the game with you for free. And, for every dog in attendance, Tito’s Handmade Vodka will donate $1 to The Hope Highway Dog Rescue.
Ticket prices vary. Visit milb.com/wisconsin to learn more about the Timber Rattlers and to buy tickets, bit.ly/TRthemenights for theme nights and giveaways and bit.ly/TRspecialdates to view daily specials and Bark at the Park dates.
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve and its unique play area
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, 1305 Plank Road, Menasha, is the perfect place for nature-lovers, big and small.
Just being out in nature at the reserve is entertaining enough. You’re bound to see wildlife if you spend enough time there.
Fox Valley parents and kids love “The Wild Space,” a nature-inspired playground of sorts. It’s different from the playgrounds you typically see at parks;' you’ll notice natural colors, educational opportunities, treehouses, a zipline, tunnels, a faux fox den and the “mud kitchen.”
Be sure the kids wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
There’s also the Discovery Den inside the nature center that has a slew of activities of its own, including puzzles, books and a “reading tree,” which looks exactly like a real one.
Heckrodt Nature Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and Mondays. The trails are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The trails and general admission are free.
For more information, visit heckrodtnaturecenter.org.
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
At Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary you can see tons of animals — including wolves — that you don’t see every day, but these animals cannot be released back into the wild for a variety of reasons.
You can also purchase corn to feed geese and ducks.
In addition to viewing animals you might not see on everyday nature excursions, there are also hiking trails.
Summer hours at the sanctuary, 1660 East Shore Drive, Green Bay, begin Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and run through Labor Day. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily. Fall and winter hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm.
Admission is free.
For more details, visit baybeachwildlife.com.
Bay Beach Amusement Park
Whether you’re there for thrills or Ferris wheels are more your style, Bay Beach Amusement Park has something for everyone.
A comprehensive list of rides is available at greenbaywi.gov/456/Rides, divided into three categories: kiddie rides (for younger children), family rides and thrill rides. Perhaps the most notable is the Zippin Pippin, the roller coaster Elvis Presley made famous when it was in Tennessee.
Why not stop by and see what the hubbub is all about?
Its hours vary throughout the season, visit bit.ly/BayBeachhours. There is no admission or parking fee; however, tickets must be purchased to access rides. Tickets cost 25 cents each; each ride ranges from one to four tickets.
Bay Beach Amusement Park is at 1313 Bay Beach Road, Green Bay.
More: Bay Beach Amusement Park hopes to get an inclusive playground. Here's what to know.
National Railroad Museum
The National Railroad Museum, 2285 S. Broadway, Ashwaubenon, is a train lover's dream, but can be neat to see even for the non-train obsessed.
It’s one of the few locations across the U.S. that houses a Union Pacific “Big Boy” locomotive. And it lives up to its name, as it weighs over a million pounds and is almost a half a football field long, the museum’s website says.
Patrons can also take a ride on an actual train, as the museum restores rolling stock which are added to the museum’s collection as they are fully refurbished.
There’s also the Children’s Discovery Depot, designed specifically to explain the wonders of trains to children.
Members get in free, while admission prices for others are as follows:
Ages 13 and older: $13
Ages 62 and older and college students: $11
Ages 2-12: $9
Younger than age 2: free
Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. The Polar Express Train Ride in the winter may affect these hours.
For more information, visit nationalrrmusuem.org.
History Museum at the Castle
Learn all about the Fox Valley, and perhaps its largest claim to fame, Harry Houdini, at the History Museum at the Castle in Appleton.
As of mid-May, there’s an exhibit dedicated to the famous magician who called Appleton home for four years. There’s also the “You Are Here” exhibit, that seeks to present a “comprehensive history” of the Valley, and “Perspectives, a Fox Valley Visual Anthology,” where you can see the community from various vantage points, the museum’s website says.
The exhibits are subject to change, so if you’re interested in a particular subject, call the museum at 920-735-9370.
The museum is open daily, except for Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed holidays. Members and children younger than 3 get in for free, ages 3-7 for $7.50 and adults for $10. Those using food assistance can get in for $3.
At 330 E. College Ave., the museum is conveniently located in downtown Appleton, within easy walking distance of many great stores and restaurants. If your visitors are looking for something Wisconsin or Fox Valley specific to take home, Blue Moon Emporium, 227 E. College Ave., Appleton, is the place to go.
For more information, visit myhistorymuseum.org.
Madison Lammert covers child care and early education across Wisconsin as a Report for America corps member based at The Appleton Post-Crescent. To contact her, email mlammert@gannett.com or call 920-993-7108. Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to Report for America by visiting postcrescent.com/RFA
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: 7 things to do with your family in northeastern Wisconsin this summer
