No more I’m bored! Here are nearly 100 ideas to get out of the house and have fun.
Last Chance Holiday Themed Activities
Nutcracker in the Castle
Ends January 4, 2016. Self guided tours and the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cupcake Café do NOT require reservations. Visit website for days and hours.
Garden of Lights at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens
Ends December 30, 2015. Visit gbbg.org for more info.
Oshkosh Celebration of Lights
Ends December 31, 2015. Visit oshkoshcelebrationoflights.org for more info.
Festival of Trees at the National Railroad Museum
Ends January 3, 2016. Visit nationalrrmuseum.org for more info.
Holiday Christmas Lights
Check out our great list with a scavenger hunt here.
The North Pole, Kaukauna
Ends January 3, 2016. FREE. Find out more here.
Explore Nature
Heckrodt Nature Preserve, Menasha
Read more about our visit here or visit heckrodtwetland.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
Enjoy free admission and parking for all visitors, December 26-31, 2015, courtesy of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation. More info here.
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
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 – 30, 2015 from 1 pm – 4:30 pm. They are also hosting a Water Carnival on December 30, 1 pm – 3 pm for ages 6 – 13 and includes fun aquatic activities & games! More info here.
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
Run Around, Jump, Climb & Play
FREE open gym at Ferber Elementary, Appleton
December 28-31 and January 1 from 1-4 pm, Kindergarten thru 8th grade. More info here.
Go Valley Kid’s Indoor Playground Guide
Includes free restaurant playgrounds and more.
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 ad more at www.funset.com
Extreme Air
www.xtremeairfun.com
Monkey Joe’s
monkeyjoes.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
Play a Latte, De Pere
playalattegb.com
The Kroc Center, Green Bay
Day passes available. More info here gbkroccenter.org
Yoga for Kids
Check out Inspirations Dance and Fitness for lots of fun Parent and Child classes or Empower Yoga.
Sports
Green Bay Gamblers
gamblershockey.com
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
packers.com/lambeau-field/hall-of-fame/visit.html
Ice Skating and Roller Skating
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
If we ever get any snow!
Go Sledding
Check out our favorite spots here.
Head to Nordic Mountain
Nordic Mountain in Wild Rose is open and making their own snow. They also have tubing for bigger kids and adults. There is currently a groupon coupon but it isn’t valid December 24, 2015 through January 3, 2016. More info here on the discount.
Snowshoeing
Here are some reader recommendations on facebook.
Outdoor Ice Skating
Has anyone checked out the skating downtown Green Bay at the City Deck? More info here.
Cross Country Skiing
Downhill Skiing
Play & Explore
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
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 escallator 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
Get Crafty, Creative & Artsy
The Fire, Appleton
thefireartstudio.com
The Fire Escape Art, Oshkosh
fireescapeart.com
Rooster Dreams, Neenah
roosterdreams.com
Hello Lemon Studio, De Pere
hellolemonstudio.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.
Fun Pampering
Plan a Fun Manicure, Pedicure or Spa Time
Check out Doolittlez in Darboy and De Pere or Kingdom Kuts in Appleton by the Fox River Mall.
Get a Hair Do
Need a haircut? Braids? Special and fun up do? 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.
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, Fat Girlz Bakin, Rebecca’s Sweet Boutique and Caramel Crisp & Cafe are some of our favorites.
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 Library 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.
What are your plans for Winter Break? Have any other ideas? Please share!