No more I’m bored or winter blues! Here are more than 100 things to do during winter in Northeast Wisconsin including the Fox Cities, Oshkosh, and Green Bay. These ideas will help you get out of the house and have fun!
Explore Nature
- Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve, Appleton
www.bubolzpreserve.org/ - Heckrodt Nature Preserve, Menasha
Read more about our visit here or visit www.heckrodtnaturecenter.org for more info. - 1000 Islands Nature Preserve, Kaukauna
Visit 1000islandsenvironmentalcenter.org for more info. - Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, Green Bay
We LOVE feeding the ducks, check out our visit here or visit baybeachwildlife.com for more info. - NEW Zoo, Suamico
Did you know the NEW zoo is open in year round? Visit newzoo.org for more info. - Milwaukee Zoo
Visit the winter-loving animals, stroll through our warm indoor exhibits and see the new tiger cubs! Open from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm weekdays and from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm on weekends. Enjoy FREE admission on Family Free Days throughout the winter. - Barlow Planetarium
Check out the moon, stars and more! Visit uwfox.uwc.edu/barlow for more info. - Pony Playdate at Pony Playce, Appleton
Who doesn’t love cute ponies! Weren’t able to grant that pony gift for Christmas? Schedule a pony playdate! Read more here. - Petsmart, 923 N Westhill Blvd, Grand Chute and Just Pets, 2009 N Richmond St in Appleton.
When we need to get out of the house for a little bit sometimes we head to the pet store to check out the animals!
Swim
- Open Swim at Appleton West
Appleton West High School has Open Swim on December 26-29, 2017 from 1 – 3 pm. They are also hosting a Water Carnival on December 27, 2018 from 1 – 3 pm for ages 6 – 13 and includes fun aquatic activities & games! - Go Valley Kid’s Indoor Pool Roundup
Check out our roundup of the best swimming spots around here.
Bowl
- Super Bowl, Appleton
superbowlsluggers.com - Sabre Lanes, Menasha
sabrelanes.com - 10th Frame, Appleton
the10thframeappleton.com - Classic Lanes, Neenah
classicfoxvalley.com
Run Around, Jump, Climb & Play
- FREE open gym at Ferber Elementary School & McKinley Elementary School, Appleton
December 8 and December 29th- March 2nd, 2019 from 1 – 4 pm, Kindergarten thru 8th grade. More info here. Special holiday break open gym from 1 – 4pm on December 26-29, 2018! - Go Valley Kid’s Indoor Playground Guide
Includes free restaurant playgrounds and more. - Luv 2 Play
Appleton’s newest and largest indoor playground! Enjoy three stories of climbing, crawling, sliding, and zipping! Cafe and grill available and fun games available to pay!
govalleykids.com/luv-2-play - Rainbow Play Systems of Northeast Wisconsin
Open play Tuesdays – Fridays. Find hours and more info at rainbownew.com. - Badger Sports Park
Inflatables, laser tag, mini bowling, games and more at badgersportspark.com - Funset Boulevard
Laser tag, playground, train, carousel, bumper cars, games, and more at www.funset.com - Extreme Air
xtremeairfun.com - Sky Zone
skyzone.com/appleton - Monkey Joe’s
monkeyjoes.com - Chuck E Cheese
chuckecheese.com - Sir Bounce-A-Lot, Green Bay
sirbouncealots.com - Tri-County Gymnastics & Cheer
Visit website for Open Gym hours tcgymnastics.com
- Oshkosh Gymnastics & Cheer
Visit website for Open Gym hours ogcgym.com - Heart of the Valley YMCA Gymnastics Center
Day passes available for Monday – Friday. More info at ymcafoxcities.org - Downtown Appleton YMCA Treehouse (Family Fun Center Play Area)
Day passes available. More info here ymcafoxcities.org - The Kroc Center, Green Bay
Day passes available. More info here gbkroccenter.org - Yoga for Kids
Check out Empower Yoga.
Sports
- Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/visit.html - Green Bay Gamblers
gamblershockey.com - Wisconsin Herd, Oshkosh
The official NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. - UW-Green Bay Phoenix
greenbayphoenix.com - UW-Oshkosh Titans
uwoshkoshtitans.com
Ice Skating & Roller Skating
Enjoy a free holiday break open skate at Appleton Family Ice Center on Wednesday, December 26, 2018!
- Oshkosh YMCA Open Skate
oshkoshymca.org/programs/ice/open-skate.html - Appleton Ice
appletonice.org - Skate City, Kimberly
skatecityusa.com - Skaters Edge, Grand Chute
skatersedgerr.com - Roundup of where to ice skate
- Roundup of where to roller skate
Outdoor Snow Activities!
- Go Sledding
Check out our favorite spots here. - Go Tubing
Find tips and where to go here. - Snowshoeing
Here are some places to try. - Go Ice Skating
Find tips and where to skate here. - Cross Country Skiing
- Hit the Slopes
Where and how here.
Play & Explore
- Titletown District, Green Bay
Ice skating, sledding, playground, and field for running and playing open daily from 7 am – 10 pm.
titletown.com - Old World Wisconsin
govalleykids.com/old-world-wisconsin - Building for Kids Children’s Museum, Appleton
buildingforkids.org - Children’s Museum of Green Bay
gbchildrensmuseum.org - Kidz Town, Green Bay
kidztowngb.com - Paper Discover Center, Appleton
Learn more about our visit here. - Neville Public Museum, Green Bay
nevillepublicmuseum.org - EAA Museum
eaa.org/eaa-museum - Oshkosh Public Museum
oshkoshmuseum.org - History Museum at the Castle
myhistorymuseum.org - Weis Earth Science Museum
weismuseum.org - Play on a train table
Barnes & Noble, Caramel Crisp Kids and The Learning Shop have neat train tables and lots of neat toys and books to check out when you are there! - See Trains in Kaukauna
Watch the model trains at Paper Valley Model Railroad Club. More info here.
- See Trains in Neenah-Menasha
Visit the Neenah-Menasha Railroad Club. More info here. - Watch the Milk Bottling Process
Lamer’s Dairy Country Store Monday – Friday mornings until about 11 am. - Ride an Escalator
Another one of our tricks if we need to get out of the house on a winter day! Check out the escalator at the City Center Downtown Appleton or at Macy’s in the Fox River Mall. - Mall Walk
Mall walk at the Fox River Mall. Bring your quarters and let the kids ride the machines (or avoid the Target wing). If the weather is mild check out one of our favorite family-friendly trails here.
Worth the Drive Children’s Museums
- Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac
cmfdl.org - Madison Children’s Museum
madisonchildrensmuseum.org - Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Milwaukee
bbcmkids.org - Above & Beyond Children’s Museum, Sheboygan
abkids.org - Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum, Stevens Point
cwchildrensmuseum.org - Wisconsin Children’s Museums
How many of these have you been to?
Get Crafty, Creative & Artsy
- The Fire, Appleton
thefireartstudio.com - The Fire Escape Art, Oshkosh
fireescapeart.com - Rooster Dreams, Neenah
roosterdreams.com - Painting Pottery or Bead it, De Pere
potteryorbeadit.com - Make Lip Gloss or Bath Gel
For more information or schedule an appointment visit kingdomkutswi.com. - Make a Stuffed Animal
Head to the Build-A-Bear at the Fox River Mall to make a new friend. - Nutcraker at the Castle, Paine Art Center and Gardens, Oshkosh
November 16, 2018 to January 7, 2019
thepaine.org - Trout Museum of Art / Fox Cities Building of the Arts
www.troutmuseum.org - Day Trip to Milwaukee Museum of Art
Kids are FREE! More information here.
Fun Pampering
- Plan a Fun Manicure or Pedicure
Find our list of kid-friendly nail salons here. - Get a Hair Do
Need a haircut? Braids? Special or fun updo? Check out Go Valley Kids’ recommendations here.
Take a Road Trip or a Day Trip
- Milwaukee
Go Valley Kids Day Trip ideas here. - Wisconsin Dells
Weekend Getaway in the Dells at the Wilderness. - Madison
Our favorite spots in Madison here. - Sheboygan
Check out some great recommendations here. - Reader Recommendations
Check out these suggestions from readers on Facebook.
Eat
- Kids Eat FREE Guide
Skip making dinner one night. Check it out here. - Edible Cookie Dough!
Discover your favorite flavor and stay to play at Doughlicious in Appleton! - Build Your Own Chocolate Bar at Wilmar Chocolates, Appleton
Make your own treat from 11 am – 5 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Find out more at wilmarchocolates.com - Eat Ice Cream
Some of our favorite places are open year round. Find them here. - Get Dessert
Some of our favorites: Happy Bellies, Manderfields, Cake Guru, Rebecca’s Sweet Boutique and Caramel Crisp & Cafe are some of our favorites. - Find the Best Soup in Town
Here are our reader recommendations.
Movies
- Check out a Movie at Marcus Theatres on Tuesdays for $5
marcustheatres.com
Volunteer!
- Check out the Volunteer Center for lots of great options
volunteercenter.net
Things to do for FREE in the Fox Cities, Oshkosh & Green Bay
- Check with the libraries for FREE programs
Many of these events our on our calendar or check out the individual library calendars.
Appleton Public Library
Brown County Library
Kimberly – Little Chute Library
Kaukauna Public Library
Menasha City Library
Neenah Public Library
Oshkosh Public Library - Home Depot Kid’s Workshop
First Saturday of the month at the Darboy, Grand Chute, West Green Bay and Bellevue locations. Find more information on our calendar. - Storytime at Half Price Books
Storytime & Crafts on the first Wednesday of the month at 11 am and on the third Sunday at 2 pm. Each child receives a pre-selected book home for free. Children of all ages are welcome. Light refreshments provided. More info at hpb.com - Storytime at Barnes & Noble
More information at barnesandnoble.com.
[…] north during the winter, don’t worry there is still tons to do! Check out their list of 75 things to do this winter in Northeast Wisconsin. Don’t forget the Henry Vilas Zoo, Jessica gave us the lowdown on this adventure in […]