Discovery World
Kids will be in their element at Discovery World, Milwaukee, where they can do everything from piloting a flight simulator to creating their own thunderstorms. Right on the shores of Lake Michigan, this museum is a cool spot for adults, too—who doesn’t want to create their own music?—but it’s really built for younger visitors to wander, explore, and discover.
Discovery World is a fantastic destination to learn about science and nature in the most fun ways possible, with learning designed to be hands-on, interactive, and experimental. Exhibits range from Caribbean aquariums to a creative design lab, a replica ship, a model railway, and much more. You can even pet sturgeons and stingrays in the Touch Tank.
Part of Pier Wisconsin, there’s lots to see and do in the area, including the adjacent Milwaukee Art Museum. Any local tour will include a stop by the waterfront—if you have kids, add Discovery World to your itinerary and make a day of it.
- Tickets can be bought online and are good for the entire day—come early to get more bang for your buck.
- An on-site cafe is open during lunch hours for light snacks and drinks.
- Kids under 2 years old get in for free.
Most visitors will come in their own private vehicles—Discovery World has an underground parking garage (for a fee), and more parking can be found along the lakefront at metered street spots. Beyond that, the Hop L-Line runs within a few blocks of Discovery World, and rideshares and taxis are available, too.
Discovery World is typically open every day of the week, barring most major holidays, with hours roughly from 9am to 4pm. There’s no bad time to go, though most visitors spend up to three hours here, so try to arrive well before closing to explore all the exhibits at your leisure.
Being on Lake Michigan, Discovery World has an affinity with water. At the museum, kids can dip their hands into touch tanks, watch pufferfish and axolotls, learn about camouflage and bioluminescence, climb aboard a replica Great Lakes Schooner, and even find out how underwater pressure affects the human body.
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