family fun - september 2010

Picks of the Month

The last of the ethnic festivals at the Summerfest grounds always is the most family friendly. Indian Summer Festival Sept. 10-12 is fun and educational for every age. Our KeyMilwaukee.com cover feature has all the details.

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.

Adventure Dinosaur, this summer’s special event ends Sept. 6. With the support of Lowe’s, more than 25 realistic dinosaurs are presented in an outdoor habitat.

Family Farm Weekend Sept. 11-12 means kids’ tractor pull, folk music and other special activities.

Elephant Appreciation Day Sept. 18 from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. provides behind the scenes tours of the elephant barns, elephant talks and presentations.

Watch two of the most enjoyable residents of the zoo, Amur (Siberian) tiger cubs Tula and Nuri who were born last July. Check out this video.

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.
  
  
  
• The renovated “a trading place” now includes an animal hospital; Brady Corporation Jr., a pretend manufacturing environment, and Under Construction-Go Green, where kids can pretend to build an ecology center with eco-friendly materials.
  

Special events:

Grandparents’ Day Sep. 12 means free admission for grandparents while kids create special cards or magnets.

Neighborhood Night Sept. 16: free admission from 5-8 p.m.

Be sure to visit Kohl’s Healthy Kids: It’s Your Move, the newest exhibit area of the Museum, and learn vital health information.

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

Special exhibits:

The Puelicher Butterfly Wing allows visitors to stroll through a lush, tropical garden filled with butterflies, some willing to pause on fingers.

“Cabinets of Curiosity,” themed in honor of the museum’s 125th anniversary, illustrates the vast scope of museum holdings.

“Frogs: A Chorus of Color” opens Oct. 1. See 17 species of frogs in self-contained, custom habitats.

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 and upcoming IMAX shows:

“DINOSAURS ALIVE!,” through Sept. 30; Paleontologists uncover evidence that dinosaur descendants are still among us. Realistic and scientifically accurate computer generated animation brings dinosaurs back to life.

“UNDER THE SEA,” through Sept. 30; Encounter some of the most mysterious and stunning creatures of the sea.

“THE DARK KNIGHT,” through Sept. 26; full-length feature film.

Current and upcoming shows at the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium in the IMAX :

“BLACK HOLES: THE OTHER SIDE OF INFINITY,” through Sept. 30: There's a place from which nothing escapes, not even light, where time and space literally come to end. It's at this point, inside this fantastic riddle, that black holes exert their sway over the cosmos…and our imaginations.

“GALILEO: THE POWER OF THE TELESCOPE,” through Sept. 30: Two eyes and two pieces of glass revolutionized human understanding 400 years ago. The eyes belonged to Galileo Galilei, and the curved pieces of glass were the lenses of his telescope. In Galileo: The Power of the Telescope – a Daniel M. Soref Planetarium original production – you'll learn Galileo's personal and powerful story, and explore how his discoveries displaced long-held views about the universe.

“INVADERS OF MARS,” through Jan. 2, 2011: Explore the Martian surface as seen by Earth's "invaders" – various spacecraft that have visited the red planet since Viking 1 first landed there in 1976.

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.

Special September programs:

The Denis Sullivan will be available this year for autumn sails from Sept. 4-Oct. 18. Experience what it was like for crews and passengers on a 19th-century Great Lakes schooner.

“Point Fish Fry and a Flick” continues on Fridays through Sept. 24.

Continuing exhibits free with general admission:

"City of Freshwater" focuses on Milwaukee’s leadership role in use of its water resources.

"Les Paul's House of Sound" is a tribute to the famed Wisconsin guitarist Les Paul.

Briggs & Stratton's "Milwaukee Muscle" exhibit 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.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR ENCAMPMENT AND REENACTMENT, Sept. 4-5; Ozaukee County Pioneer Village. Saukville. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 262-377-4510, 262-377-8432.

32nd FRANK MOTS INTERNATIONAL KITE FESTIVAL, Sept. 11-12; Veterans Park on Milwaukee’s Lakefront north of the Milwaukee Art Museum. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. Grand launch of 500 kites at noon.

RIVERBOAT TALES: A CELEBRATION OF MARK TWAIN, through Sept. 12; Mitchell Park Horticultural Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd. Scenes from Twain's classics.

MILWAUKEE RIVER CHALLENGE, Sept. 18; Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers, downtown Milwaukee. See KeyMilwaukee.com feature.

BAYVIEW BASH, Sept. 18; Kinnickinnic Avenue between Potter Street and Clement Avenue. Three live music stages; children’s area; young adult area with art projects, music and entertainment; vendors; strongman competition; fashion show, and demonstrations. www.bayviewbash.org

HARVEST FAIR, Sept. 24-26; Wisconsin State Fair Park.. 5-11 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun.

HAUNTFEST, Sept. 24-26; Oct. 1-2, 8-9, 14-17; 21-24; 27-30; Wisconsin State Fair Park, Gate 4, 1200 S. 84th St. Two floors, 13,000 square feet, the largest and only heated haunt in Wisconsin. www.hauntfest.com.

AMERICAN GHOST STORIES, Sept. 25-Nov. 7; Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (The Domes), 524 S. Layton Blvd. Tales of ghosts, including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, set amid the fall colors of the annual chrysanthemum show. 649-9800.

SPRECHER BREWERY 25TH ANNIVERSARY, Sept. 25; Sprecher Brewing Company, 701 W. Glendale Ave. in Glendale. Milwaukee’s first microbrewery celebrates with special tours; Dachshund races, costume contests (most German and Randy Sprecher look-alike), and ping pong tourney. Live entertainment 6-10 p.m. 964-2739. www.sprecherbrewery.com