Summer vacation is official here. School’s out, the air conditioner is humming, and our household is ready for action. I’m always looks for fun activities/field trips to do with the kids. I spent some time compiling a few bucket list activists for us for the summer. I hope they can give you some ideas too. If you are mid-Wisconsin local, I added a few links. If not, use it as a list of ideas to look for around you.
Let the summer fun begin!
Local Library Programs
We usually hit up the toddler story time, but you’d be surprised at all the activities that your local library has for kids of all ages!
Ruth Culver Library- Sauk Prairie
Local Swimming Pools
I love that many of the local swimming pools have a zero depth area. So perfect for little ones, even Grace! Just check the website for hours before you go. They all seem to open right around nap time as well as break times scheduled into the day.
Lodi (free)
Baraboo ($5.00)
Splash Pads
I am looking forward to trying several different splash pads this summer. I love splash pads because all three of my kiddos can play. Even Gracie girl can sit on the edge and splash around.
Local Park Tour
Most small towns and large cities have several parks. This summer the kids and I plan to explore all the parks in our town and see which may be our favorite. We tend to prefer parks with shade and fun toddler activities. Boston would prefer if there was a sand pit with a digger. (Today he dug to Mars 👽)
Baraboo Circus World Anniversary Days (Admission is only $5.50 per person)
We will be hitting up the Circus this year. There is nothing better than watching clowns and acrobats while eating a boat load of cotton candy.
MacKenzie Center
The Mackenzie Center has several Get Outdoors days planned for the summer. We will be attending one of the Story Time with the Animals sessions. Each outdoor story time will feature a nature based book and a craft activity. Sounds like so much fun!
Rec Center Tot Activities
I checked out the tot activities for Reedsburg, Baraboo, Portage, and DeForest. They all have great programs sponsored by the city’s rec. department and or Optimist clubs. If you clink on the links there is a ton of information for children and adult programs.
- Tot Lot
- Swim Lessons
- Tot Lot
- Reedsburg Triathlon
- Swim lessons
- Soccer
- T-ball
- Tiny Tot Dinosaur Camp
- Tiny Tot Little All-Stars
- Tiny Tot Splash Camp
- Tiny Tot Super Hero Camp
- Tot T-bal
- Ultimate Gym Class (Gymnastics)
DeForest Recreation Summer Guide
There are too many on this link to even list them all. But here are some that I though looked fun!
- Balloon Blast
- All About Space
- Tots: Fit and Fun
- All About Bugs
- Cooking, Baking, and Drawing Camp
Concert/Movies on the Square
I can’t wait to head out for an evening of music, snacks and relaxation. I linked the schedule for both the Madison and Baraboo Concerts as well as the DeForest concert at the rocks.
DeForest not only has their concert at the rocks, it also has a movie in the park night!
Heading to the Zoo
We will for sure be hitting up the zoo this summer. I love that there are a variety of zoos near us.
Henry Vilas Zoo– Madison
Ochner Park Zoo– Baraboo
Big Cat Rescue– Rock Springs
Toddler Triathlons
Last year Boston became an Iron Kid at the first annual Iron Kid race around the Capitol in Madison. He can’t wait to attend more races this summer!
Local Farmer’s Markets
There’s nothing better than locally grown produce and fresh flowers! We love hitting up the different farmer’s markets. Plus the kids know they usually get a sweet baked treat from a local bakery too!
Wisconsin Farmer’s Market Finder This link is awesome. Just put your county in and it will tell you all the farmer’s market locations near you!
Let’s Hit The Lake
Heading to the lake is one of our favorite activities of the summer. We are so lucky to have Devils Lake State Park in our back yard. The kids love the warm water and great sand. We even get mini little hikes in here or there. There’s nothing better than a day at the beach. ☀
There are so many activities to do in Dane County, but I’ll leave it to the Madison Mom’s Blog to list those for us.
Let summer fun begin! ☀☀☀
If you have any additional events you would like to share, please post them with a link in the comments section.
