Year Round Fun on the Lakefront

To Do

Milwaukee can thank its former socialist mayors for our beautiful, green lakefront. They believed that the presence of nature provides a positive influence on your personal life and pushed to keep the lakefront a non-commercialized park for citizens to enjoy. Today, that remains true, with beaches, parks, and trails for everyone to enjoy. But you don’t have to wait until summer to get outside; there are activities to enjoy all year long on beautiful Milwaukee’s lakefront.

Spring

Fly a kite at Veterans Park. Gift of Wings, located right in the park, has an extensive selection of kites for purchase.
Check out Art in Bloom, the Milwaukee Art Museum’s fully floral art festival including a fashion show of gowns created completely of flowers.
Take a bike ride on the Oak Leaf Trail, right along the lakefront and into Lakeshore State Park. Don’t have a bike? Rent a Bublr Bike for the afternoon!
Watch the sky light up with colorful kites of every shape and size at the Milwaukee Family Kite Festival.
Observe what the next generation of technical minds has created at Robotics Week at Discovery World.
Shake the winter blues and grab an outdoor workout at the multi-gym stations along the lakefront.

Summer

Learn how to sail with lessons from the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center.
Marvel at the high-flying stunt teams at the Milwaukee Air and Water Show.
Challenge your friends to a game of volleyball at Bradford Beach. Join a summer league or take advantage of the 35 courts along the beach on a non-league night.
Rent a paddleboat and cruise the lagoon in Veterans Park or off the dock of Discovery World.
Catch free outdoor movies on the lakefront throughout the summer months.
View and purchase art at one of the top twenty art festivals in the country: the Lakefront Festival of Art.
Camp out in Veterans Park on July 2^nd to ensure a perfect spot to view the Independence Day fireworks on July 3^rd. The fireworks will be back in 2022!
Attend the monthly beach bonfire at Lakeshore State Park
Take a turn at the helm of the S/V Denis Sullivan and learn about Milwaukee’s maritime past.

Autumn

Head to the top of North Point Lighthouse to take in an aerial view of the fall colors.
Go for a walk or run in the crisp autumn air along the Oak Leaf Trail.
Go for a longer run and conquer the Lakefront Marathon.
Pack a picnic and take the family down to Veterans Park for a picturesque meal.
See the salmon run. Starting around Labor Day, head down to the harbor gaps at the lakefront to see the fish gather before heading upstream.

Winter

Go surfing! Really! Avid surfers of Lake Michigan say that winter provides the best surfing conditions.
Quickly hop in and out of the lake at the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day.
Fly a kite or check out the ice sculptures at the free Cool Fool Kite Festival, also taking place on New Year’s Day.
Build a snowman at Bradford Beach.
Go sledding down Lafayette Hill or North Point Hill.
Try ice fishing on the inlet at Lake Shore State Park.
Head over to the Milwaukee Art Museum to warm up. Winter is the perfect time to take in some art or grab a warm cup of coffee at Café Calatrava.