Every week, Milwaukee With Kids answers a simple question for families across the area: What are we going to do this weekend? From indoor activities to outdoor adventures, we’ve got you covered. For the full weekend list, make sure to visit the Milwaukee With Kids website.
Exploration and adventure
Family Free Day
Milwaukee County Zoo
March 7 | 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
March to the zoo for a memorable day out, when everyone receives free admission (parking and regular attraction fees still apply). Visit all of the animals and attractions, including two of the zoo’s most popular residents: red pandas Dash and Dr. Erin, who you’re likely to find climbing high in their habitat and sleeping soundly with their fluffy tails wrapped around.
Early Adventurers: Spectacular Spring
Urban Ecology Center | Riverside Park
March 7 | 10-11:30 a.m.
You and your young explorer can discover the natural world together, expand your curiosity, grow your appreciation and make a deeper connection with the natural world. Learn what lives in the park through hiking, stories, games and songs. This program is designed for children 2-5 years old accompanied by an adult. Please, no more than two children per adult. Advance registration required.
Raptor Saturday
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center | Bayside
March 7 | 1-2 p.m.
Have you ever wondered what a year in the life of a raptor looks like? Wonder no more, as live birds fly you through each season — from surviving freezing winters to spring nest building to the perilous and long migration journeys many embark on. Free with membership or admission.
Irish Family Day: Passport to Ireland
Celtic MKE Center | Wauwatosa
March 8 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
With the help of friendly volunteer pilots and flight attendants, families will travel to different counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland for an activity that celebrates Irish culture, history and traditions. From arts and crafts to storytelling and more, families are sure to have fun and learn something along the way. Irish dancers will perform on the main terminal stage, and the lower terminal will feature the Celtic Café, which serves lunch, beverages and snacks.
Sticky and sweet
Youth and Scout Maple Sugarin’ Day
Riveredge Nature Center | Saukville
March 7 | 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H groups and youth organizations of all kinds are invited to a sweet adventure that delves into the fascinating world of maple-syrup production. Participants will witness the enchanting process from tapping maple trees to the final amber product during a naturalist-guided hiking tour of the Riveredge sugarbush. Engage in hands-on activities such as identifying maples, tapping trees, and experiencing the magic of sap turning to syrup.
Maple Sugar Days
Wehr Nature Center | Franklin
March 7-8 | Noon-4 p.m.
Join the 46th annual event to hear the surprising stories behind your favorite sticky treat through a guided hike that ends with a tasty treat. Travel back in time to an old-fashioned sugar camp and hear tales of how hardworking folks (including kids) created syrup in the early days of Wisconsin. Then taste maple sugar and enjoy a warm pancake topped with Wisconsin maple syrup.
Make Maple Syrup
Hawthorn Glen
March 7 | 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Discover your new favorite pancake topping! Put on your best outdoor hiking clothes, and experience the excitement of traditional and modern maple-syrup making in Milwaukee Recreation's Maple Sugaring class at Hawthorn Glen. Ages 5 and up can join, and children must be accompanied by a registered adult.
Shows and shopping
Just Between Friends Sale
Wisconsin State Fair Park
March 5-8
Are you tired of paying too much for clothes that your kids quickly outgrow? When you shop at Just Between Friends, you'll save hundreds of dollars on clothes, shoes, books, toys and all the baby gear you need for the next season of your child's life. You feel good when your kids look great — all at huge savings.
SpongeBob the Musical Youth Edition
Sharon Lynne Wilson Center | Brookfield
March 6-7
When the citizens of Bikini Bottom discover that a volcano will soon erupt and destroy their humble home, SpongeBob and friends must come together to save the fate of their undersea world. With lives hanging in the balance and all hope lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and proves the power of optimism really can save the world.