MKE Home | Christmas in the City
It's Christmas in the city, and there is so much to do and see! Christmas around Milwaukee (well really, anywhere) is the best time of year. There are tons of fun (and most free) activities throughout the city and surrounding areas that make the perfect date night for you and your hubby, friends, or even the family! I've rounded up a 10 of my favorite traditions that I have loved to do over the years (or have always wanted to), and hopefully can before the season is over!
1. Christmas Lights Display- This is such a fun one, and free too! There are awesome lights hung all over the city, but to see the fun light displays and decorations, you want to head over to Jackson Park or Cathedral Square. Even if you're just driving through the city, be sure to make a drive through at night when all of the lights are up! I personally love making a date night out of it for me and Josh to grab some hot coffee and walk along the river to see the light displays up-close and personal. There is so much love that go into these displays, so they're a must-see!
2. Christkindle Market- If you haven't been to this little Christmas wonderland new to Milwaukee, go now! I wrote a whole blog post talking all about my experience at the market. You can read it here.
3. Ice Skating at Red Arrow Park- This is always one of my favorite things to do here! I have always loved ice skating but there is something so much more fun about skating outside under the city's Christmas lights. (If you want to try out a couple of other awesome ice rinks, we usually always drive down to Chicago at least once during the season to skate in Rosemont, Illinois or under The Bean in Millennium Park!)
4. Candy Cane Lane - This little Christmas neighborhood was always one of my favorite things to do as a kid, but honestly I haven't been there since then. But if you have never been before, it's just a little neighborhood in West Allis on a road literally named Candy Cane Lane, where just about everyone who lives there is committed to going all out with their Christmas decorations. There are also people accepting donations from visitors on behalf of the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer).
5. Neighborhood Christmas Lights - Okay, so this is something Josh and I do on a regular basis, but it's even more fun around this time of year! We both love houses and design/architecture, so we are always making a date night over grabbing some food or coffee, singing along to our favorite songs, and driving around pretty neighborhoods, especially when they have lights up! Our personal favorite neighborhoods to look at are Wyndham Hills in Franklin or down Lake Drive in Milwaukee/Whitefish Bay! It's such an easy and fun date night. We might be lame, but we seriously do this all of the time, haha!
6. Jellystone Park Holiday Light Show - This light show is seriously so much fun and one of the best I've ever seen! You get to drive through with your car and tune your radio to the park's custom radio station to see the lights go to the music playing! The best part is the end where you drive through a huge tunnel lined with twinkling lights. Yogi Bear is one of my favorite traditions because it's seriously just such a magical experience seeing the lights dance in front of you. You can find more information here.
7. The Jingle Bus - This one is a fun little tour of the most decorated parts of the city for only $2! I have actually never done this one but my parents have a few times now and they love it. It's just a fun little cheap thing to do for the night! You can find more information here.
8. Streets of Old Milwaukee - Honestly this is such a fun visit all year round, but especially this time of year. If you have never been to the Milwaukee Public Museum's Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit, it is a must see! It is literally a life size exhibit of a bunch of old homes and shops build into a village to resemble how Milwaukee used to look back in the day. This little exhibit makes me so happy! There's something about the cobblestone streets lined with lanterns that is just so beautiful, but especially right now when the streets are decorated for the holidays.
9. The Pabst Mansion - This is another that I have yet to do, but want to go to so bad! Anyone I know that has visited this historic mansion has just been in awe of the beauty, and it's supposed to be especially beautiful when decorated for the holidays. I am such a lover of all things vintage and victorian style, which is essentially the definition of this house! Hopefully we can squeeze in a tour before the holidays are over! You can find more information here.
10. See a Christmas Play - I am such a sucker for plays! Whether it's at school, church, or broadway, I absolutely love everything about theatre! For someone who was never actually involved in the theatre program, I have such a deep appreciation for everything that goes into performing. Seriously, I actually wanted to be a theatre critic when I was younger just so I could see plays all of the time. Haha! But Christmas time is always the best time to go and see a play because there are so many, and some free! My church, Oak Creek Assembly of God, always performs an amazing Christmas play every year. You would honestly think that all of the actors and sets were professionals, but it's just lots of hard work from all of the amazing church members. My family and I actually also went to see the broadway showing of The Grinch this year which was absolutely phenomenal!
I hope that this post was helpful to you in planning a fun-filled day during this holiday season! If you know of any other awesome activities in the city that I did not mention, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message all about it. I would love to hear!
As always, thanks for reading and be sure to subscribe to keep up!
xo
