Kids Activities during the winter months... (Milwaukee, Madison: hotel, houses, movies)

[carshell]

OK, might be moving to Madison area (probably Middleton) this summer. We are coming from California where it's pretty much 60 degrees +/- throughout the year. What do parents with kids do during those long winter months when it's just too cold or snowy to go play outside? We will have a 2, 5 and 8 year old

[Megan1967]

Based on my own childhood, we played outside in most weather, regardless of the cold. We just came in for breaks more often when it was hovering around zero.

We also played a lot of board games and read quite a bit in the winter. I was really into art, so I drew pictures for at least an hour every day. Sleepovers at friends houses were a big thing as well. Your parents let you stay up late, watch movies on tv, eat root beer floats, play games and sleep in sleeping bags.

Today I think a lot of parents take their kids to indoor gyms that charge by the hour. There is always the Madison Children's Museum and Kids at the Crossroads events in the Overture Center on Saturdays.

[Moving_South]

The YMCA has several kids programs, everything from basketball leagues to fingerpainting. The Madison Children's Museum is wonderful. There are also indoor soccer leagues during winter months. There is a great Sports Center called Keva Sports in Middleton (the next town over from Madison) that has soccer leagues, Lacrosse, Basketball etc and next to Keva is "Hitters" where they have indoor tennis courts and baseball batting cages/pitching machines

[carshell]

Thanks, I'm sure the kids will be just fine in the cold temps, it's me, the flip flop loving, throw on whatever is easiest kind of person who will need to adjust!

[Indyking]

We are moving out of Madison since my wife is finishing her program at UW but Madison has a lot of options for kids in the winter and we are going to miss it

The Children's museum has recently opened in a new location and is wonderful; if you kids like it definitively get the membership. Kids on Rotunda at Downtown every Saturday is free and mostly fun. There is a bounce place (indoor inflatable facility with bouncers) in the far east part of the town, which my kids love. There is an indoor water park in the Holiday Inn that sells daily passes, so you don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to take advantage of the water park. It's small but decent. Also, the dells (Wisconsin Dells) are not too far away depending on where you live in the town, less than 1-hour drive. They have all sorts of indoor water parks that offer reasonable prices outside holidays like Xmas and New Years. We love going there during winter. If your kids are into winter activities, there are also a lot of options like several places for sledding and ice skating. There are also some options for skiing within a reasonable driving distance, not mountains like those in east CA, but good hills and resorts with good slopes.

Also, Milwaukee is just 1-hour away (again, depending where you live in Madison) for more options and, off course, if you get really bored, Chicago is just 2.5-3h away, which we find suitable for a weekend trip.

Hope this helps.

[craptacular]

There is a newer place called PlayN Wisconsin on the north side of Middleton. They sell playground equipment (play structures, trampolines, basketball hoops, etc), but their showroom is a big indoor playground where you can pay to play pretty much time anytime they are open. In the Town of Windsor (along I-39/90/94 just north of Madison), Bouncy Town USA has a bunch of inflatables and is also open for play during most normal hours. A lot of the other indoor play places in Madison have limited open play, because they are centered on private parties. The two places I mentioned have party rooms as well, but they don't reserve the play areas just for those parties.

We've sent the kids to classes (mainly during the winter / spring) at The Little Gym of Middleton. I haven't been there, but my wife and friends have taken kids to Madtown Twisters, which has classes and open gym. Finally, Vitense Golfland on the southwest side of Madison has one indoor mini-golf course open year-round.

[carshell]

Thanks for the suggestions!