101+ Things to Do During Winter

By
Amanda Chavez
-
Family Snowshoeing

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

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

 Ice Skating & Roller Skating

Enjoy a free holiday break open skate at Appleton Family Ice Center on Wednesday, December 26, 2018!

Outdoor Snow Activities!

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

Get Crafty, Creative & Artsy

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

Eat

Movies

Volunteer!

Things to do for FREE in the Fox Cities, Oshkosh & Green Bay

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Amanda Chavez
As the owner and publisher of Go Valley Kids Amanda is passionate about connecting families with resources and businesses in our community. Born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, Amanda Chavez has a love for her community. As a busy mom of 2 little girls, she and her husband are always on the lookout for fun things to do and share with others. Go Valley Kids combines all of her passions –motherhood, design and community. Some of her other interests also peak through on GVK including baking, photography and sewing!

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