WISCONSIN — Winter may mean frosty air and snow-covered ground, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get outside.
There are plenty of outdoor events and activities taking place in Wisconsin this winter season.
Here are just a few of them.
Ice skating
Now that the ground is frozen, many places are offering ice skating, with skates available for rental at respective locations.
Green Bay
Ice skating is available in Hy-Vee Plaza throughout the winter. Passes and skate rentals are available at the Admissions building, which is adjacent to the side of Ariens Hill. Whether you bring your own skates or rent them, you must pay the Admission fee, which is $8 Sunday-Thursday, $10 Friday-Saturday, $4 on community nights and $15 on gameday. Packages for both ice skating and tubing are also available.
You can find more information on that here.
(Spectrum News 1/Brooke Brighton)
Milwaukee
Enjoy the sights of downtown on a pair of skates at Slice of Ice in Red Arrow Park. It’s $11 to rent skates for those 18 or older, $8 for those 17 and under and $6.25 for sharpening. In January and February, you can visit the rink Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, rentals sometimes begin later than the rink opens. Check hours and find more info here.
Madison
The Edgewater Ice Rink in Madison comes complete with surrounding firepits and a pizza restaurant. Keep an eye on the website for special skate nights. It’s open Wednesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The rink also offers “Tot Time” for those five and under on Thursday’s from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Skate trainers are available for individual employ during that time. Skate rentals are $3 each. It is recommended you buy tickets for a 60-minute time slot before going.
Tubing
Green Bay area
In addition to ice skating, Titletown also hosts tubing on Ariens Hill. It’s $8 for daily unlimited tubing on Sunday-Thursday, $10 for daily unlimited tubing on Friday-Saturday $4 for a single ride, $3 on community nights and $10 on gameday (single ride only). You can also purchase skiing and tubing combined packages as well as other tubing packages. Those prices can be found here.
Milwaukee area
The Rock Snowpark in Franklin offers tubing weeknights and weekends. During the week, tickets start at $22, while on the weekends, it starts at $27 for a two-hour experience. Glow tubing is one of the more unique features of this hill. When the lights turn off on select Saturdays in January, the hill is lit up with colored lights with music. That starts at $35.
(Getty images)
While Sunburst Ski Area is a little outside of Milwaukee, it’s got over 40 chutes, a 90-foot-drop and speeds up to 30mph. It’s open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. It’s $25 all day on Tuesday through Thursday and $25 for two hours on the weekends. Find more info here.
Madison area
Cascade Mountain in Portage is one of the bigger, closer ski hills in the area for tubing. With a snowy, 900-feet long shoot, it’s sure to be an stimulating, thrilling ride. However, to ride this hill to the bottom, you must pre-pay for a specific time slot. On non-peak days, it’s $30 for those 7 and up and $15 for those 6 and under. On peak days, it’s $40 for those 7 and up and $23 for those 6 and under. For a full list of hours, visit their website.
This season, Cascade announced that it is partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to aid in the fight against childhood cancer. For an additional $5, you can upgrade your non-peak Monday-Thursday lift ticket to the St. Jude Lift and Tube Combo. The $5 will be donated to St. Jude for cancer research. More information can be found here.
Most of these places also offer snowboarding, skiing and other fun winter activities.
(Courtesy of Wisconsin DNR)
Candlelit hikes
From Jan. 13-March 9, 2024, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is hosting several candlelit events in parks across the Badger state.
“Winter candlelight events are some of the most popular activities at Wisconsin state parks, forests and trails,” said Steve Schmelzer, DNR Parks and Recreation management director. “Many events have become a long-standing tradition at some of our properties, with hundreds or even thousands of attendees.”These hikes are free-to-low cost for attendees and begin around sunset.
Most will require a 2024 Wisconsin state park admission fee or state trail pass to get to the event.
Whether you’re walking, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, there are a variety of ways to enjoy the candlelit events. Many of the events will also include bonfires, warm chocolate, cider and other refreshments.
Here’s the full list of events:
Jan. 13
- Wildcat Mountain State Park Candlelight Hike/Snowshoe/Ski
- Rib Mountain State Park Candlelight Snowshoe Hike
Jan. 14
- Havenwoods State Forest Candlelight Hike
Jan. 20
- Point Beach State Forest Candlelight Ski and Hike
- Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit Candlelight Hike and Ski
Jan. 26
- Red Cedar State Trail Candlelight Ski, Hike and Snowshoe
Jan. 27
- Whitefish Dunes State Park Candlelight Ski and Hike
Jan. 28
- Lake Wissota Candlelight Ski, Hike and Snowshoe
Feb. 2
- MacKenzie Center Candlelight Snowshoe Hike
Feb. 3
- Peninsula State Park Candlelight Hike/Snowshoe/Ski
- Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit Candlelight Ski/Hike
- Black Rover State Forest Candlelight Ski and Hike
- Mirror Lake State Park Candlelight Ski, Hike and Snowshoe
Feb. 10
- Kettle Moraine State Forest – Pike Lake Unit Candlelight Hike
- Interstate Park Candlelight Night
- Governor Thompson State Park Candlelight Hike and Ski
Feb. 17
- Rib Mountain State Park Candlelight Snowshoe Hike
Feb. 24
- Hartman Creek State Park Candlelight Hike and Snowshoe
- Hank Aaron State Trail Urban Candlelight Hike
- Wyalusing State Park Candlelight Hike
March 9
- Big Foot Beach State Park Candlelight Hike
You can visit the DNR’s Events Calendar for more information on each event.
(Freeimages.com)
Festivals
Although it’s a frosty time of year, that doesn’t stop Wisconsin’s festival scene. There are plenty of family-friendly festivals going on throughout the season to keep residents entertained. Here’s just a glimpse at a few.
Milwaukee area
Date: Jan. 19-28
Location: Downtown Waukesha
This city-wide festival comes with fireworks, a laser airy show, beer gardens, ice sculpting, toboggan sliding and more. The week-long event happens with or without snow.
Date: Feb. 17-18
Location: Downtown Cedarburg
This indoor/outdoor event happens across the downtown area. This year’s theme is Back to the 80s. Guests are encouraged to wear 80s costumes a they explore the 80s selfie photo wall, enjoy Cedarburg’s BEST restaurant soup contest, an ice sculpting contest, barrel races and more.
Date: Jan. 21
Location: Boerner Botanical Gardens
The free event is jam-packed with indoor activities, outdoor guided walks, music from Kai Simone, free cocoa and more.
Madison area
Date: Feb. 7-10
Location: Memorial Union Terrace
The winter carnival is a long-standing tradition that includes both indoor and outdoor activities, such as an ice fishing derby, curling on the lake, a snowshoe hike to picnic point, a winter photo booth with mini horses and so much more.
Date: Jan. 26-Feb. 2
Location: Various locations in Sun Prairie
The multiple-day event has an ice carving contest, a pancake breakfast, a night at the ice rink, a snowshoe hike and more. Guests can also get a custom mug or hat at the event.
Other areas
Date: Jan. 27
Location: Downtown Wausau
From ice skating, to ice castle building and free pizza and cookies, this event has plenty for families to enjoy. It’s also just another chance for you to get outside. A day before this festival, there is also a Winter Brew Fest for those 21 and older that includes beers samples from various breweries.
Date: Feb. 2-4
Location: Fish Creek
From a Disco DoCo Night to a chilli cook-off, there is plenty to do on this weekend-long event. It’s one of Fish Creek’s longest traditions. There is also a heated tent in Clark Park for this event.
Date: Feb. 17
Location: Conover Town Park
This event includes ice bowling, slap shot hockey, horse-drawn sleigh rides, snow art, a dogsled dash and so much more. Open sledding and skating is also available all day.
