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.
Featured pick
Milwaukee Oktoberfest
Henry Maier Festival Park
Oct. 2-4
Raise a stein and celebrate Bavarian tradition for the first time at Henry Maier Festival Park. This three-day festival brings the sights, sounds and flavors of Munich to Milwaukee’s lakefront. Enjoy authentic imported beers from Hofbräu and Hacker-Pschorr, traditional German dishes, and lively music from local and international bands. From polka and folk dancers to family-friendly activities, there’s something for everyone.
More Oktoberfests
Cedarburg
Community Gym Lot
Oct. 3-4
Downtown Cedarburg gets into the Oktoberfest spirit with German food and plenty of lighthearted competitions, including a pretzel toss, best lederhosen and dirndl contests, stein hoisting. Plus there’s plenty of entertainment from live bands, kids crafts and the famous live glockenspiel show!
Glendale
Bavarian Bierhaus
Oct. 2-5
Enjoy authentic German beer, food, live polka music, and family-friendly fun in Old Heidelberg Park. Admission is FREE on Sunday!
Whitefish Bay
Klode Park Beer Garden
Oct. 2-3
Celebrate the end of Klode Park’s beer garden season with an Oktoberfest weekend overlooking Lake Michigan. Hours are 4-8 p.m. Friday and 1-6 p.m. Saturday, with Torzala Brewing providing the beer.
Haunts and hollows
Halloween Village
Baird Community Commons
Through Nov. 1
Walk through a larger-than-life pumpkin and giant spider, enjoy interactive lighting displays and capture memories with seasonal photo opps. New this year: a Pumpkin Hut featuring jack-o-lanterns created by Milwaukee Night Market attendees.
The Haunted Swamp
Cedarburg Creek Farm
Oct. 2-31
Every Friday and Saturday in October from 7-10 p.m., this hayride ventures through dark and mysterious trails to create one of the best family-friendly haunted experiences around. A full kitchen is available for those who want to stay for dinner, then settle in by the fire for some ghost stories, laughs and s’mores!
The Hollows
Phantom Lake YMCA | Mukwonago
Oct. 2-25
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, this special event at the oldest YMCA camp in North America invites you to take a magical, non-scary trail hike illuminated by thousands of hand-carved pumpkins and light displays. Proceeds from the event provide financial support for camp programming like inclusion and accessibility services, residential camp, day camp and more.
Fall into some fun
Harvest Fair
State Fair Park
Oct. 2-4
Celebrate 33 years of the fair with free live entertainment on several stages, including local artists, amphitheater headliners and lumberjack shows. Activities for the whole family include pumpkin bowling and make-your-own scarecrows.
Fall Family Fest
Konkel Park | Greenfield
Oct. 3 | Noon-3 p.m.
Celebrate the season with this free family-friendly event that features fun games, food and beverages, horse-carriage rides, live music, bingo, a youth and adult costume contest, and trunk-or-treat!
Applefest
Village of Thiensville
Oct. 4 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Don’t miss one of the area’s favorite autumn celebrations! Hosted by the Thiensville-Mequon Lions Club, this family-friendly fall tradition includes live music, delicious food and drinks, kids’ activities, hay rides, a barrel train, a variety of apple-inspired treats and more.
Cider Sunday
Wehr Nature Center | Franklin
Oct. 4 | 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
This event is packed with autumnal activities like turning an apple press to make cider, a scavenger hunt in the Maple Woods, live music from the Bluegrass Allstars, face painting, crafts, apple desserts and a whole lot more. Better yet, it’s a fundraiser for Friends of Wehr Nature Center and its mission of restoration, accessibility and education.
Other fests and frenzies
Lost Arts Festival
MSOE’s Grohmann Museum
Oct. 3 | Noon-4 p.m.
Celebrate the activities and ways of work captured in the paintings and bronzes in the museum’s permanent collection. See live demonstrations and talk with skilled artisans, including shoecarvers, chair caners, spinners, stained glass artists and more.
Dance Fest
Peck Pavilion
Oct. 3 | 3-9 p.m.
This all-ages, family-friendly event will showcase dance companies from across the country, with styles ranging from salsa, contemporary, Irish step and African-inspired to traditional ballet and street dance.
Fall Food Truck Frenzy
Milton Vretenar Memorial Park | St. Francis
Oct. 4 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
The sixth annual event will once again bring a variety of food trucks to the park, everything from burgers to BBQ and Korean to cafes. Plus you can enjoy live jazz, pumpkin painting, a bounce house, face painting and more.
Animals in action
Go Dog Go! / Ve Perro ¡Ve!
Milwaukee Youth Arts Center
Through Nov. 1
P.D. Eastman’s classic comes to life on stage in a fast, funny, bilingual musical romp full of roller-skating, bicycle-riding and car-driving dogs. It’s a product that’s delightfully ridículo and wonderfully fun for all ages!
Family Free Day
Milwaukee County Zoo
Oct 3
See the zoo and all its residents in their best fall attire. Crisp autumn air and colorful leaves will paint a spectacular backdrop to the day as all guests are admitted free. Please remember that parking and regular attraction fees still apply.