Brookfield, WI Outdoor Activities

The longest running professional soccer franchise in the United States, the Milwaukee Wave debuted in 1984 as one of the six charter members of the American Indoor Soccer Association. Now, nearly three decades later, and as part of the Major Indoor Soccer League, the club builds upon a history that already includes six league championships–most notably, back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

Off the field, the Wave's positive impact ripples into the community through an educational program, Making Waves, which sends players to more than 70 schools annually to discuss why healthy habits are good and why mistaking a referee for a zebra could be bad. The club maintains those community-inspired good vibes during its home games at U.S. Cellular Arena, where frequent promotions and mascot Brad Beach keep fans of all ages entertained.

Hosted by Shaker's Ghost Tours, Dahmer Tours grants a spine-chilling glimpse into the life of Jeffrey Dahmer from within his hunting grounds. The guides, who are neither insensitive to the victims’ families nor approbating of Dahmer’s monstrous acts, narrate thoroughly researched information about the crimes and their historical impact over the course of a one-mile walk. The company crosschecks all their material with former members of Milwaukee's legal community and several unturned stones to ensure that every fact and trail is credible. As guests’ feet cover the very tracks that Dahmer stalked upon, guides dissect his mad world to grant access into the mind of a serial killer.

Originally founded as the Seattle Pilots in 1969, the Milwaukee Brewers have brought Major League Baseball to Wisconsin since 1970. The team played its first 30 seasons at Milwaukee County Stadium; Miller Park opened its gates in 2001, featuring field dimensions mapped out by legendary Brewer Robin Yount. Today, up to 41,900 fans pack into Miller Park to cheer on their home team as well as The Famous Racing Sausages and Bernie the Brewer, who soars down his iconic slide to celebrate home runs or cheer himself up after burning popcorn inside his elevated left-field clubhouse.

Elite Sports Clubs' encyclopedic menu of group classes injects novelty into stale workout routines with more than 200 classes each week. Choose from pound-pummeling programs in five categories: cardio, strength, aquatics, mind/body, and fusion. Zumba shimmies off unwanted pounds and boot camp drop-kicks calories through intense cardio and agility training. Let supple limbs flow smoothly between strength-building postures during a graceful session of Vinyasa yoga or mesmerize muscles with Trouble Zone Tone, a speedy weight training and cardio routine. Joint-friendly classes such as H20 Blast provide aquatic-based fitness that’s far more enjoyable than pumping iron while chasing the neighbor's sprinkler. Body benders can drop off their child or tofu-based child substitute at Elite Sports Club’s daycare before their class, and retire to the locker rooms afterward to towel off accumulated sweat and war paint. Check out Elite Sports Clubs’ schedule for a list of classes offered at each location.

One of 12 indoor 400-meter ovals in the world and the only sea-level oval in the United States accessible to athletes, the nonprofit Pettit National Ice Center has become an essential destination for speed skaters training for the 2014 Olympic Games. Practicing skaters join the ranks of Apolo Anton Ohno, Chad Hedrick, and Shani Davis, all of whom have competed or trained at Pettit, participated in the last five Winter Olympics, and beaten an avalanche into submission. With its 155,000-square-foot arena and 97,000 square feet of ice, the Olympic training site has hosted the 2005 U.S. National Short Track Championship and eight international speed-skating competitions.

In addition to Olympic-caliber sportspersons, Pettit accommodates nearly 400,000 annual visitors for public-skating sessions and lessons in skating, figure skating, and speed skating. Skating clubs, hockey leagues, curling, and wheelchair- and special-needs-skating classes commence on two 100'x200' rinks. Meanwhile, spectators and Olympic torches on their day off can sidestep the ice by contemplating infinity while resting in a lounge overlooking the arena, or jogging around the 443-meter track circling the ice oval.

Inspired by the German Turnverein associations of the early 19th century, the Milwaukee Turners first came together in the mid 1800s, gaining their charter from the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1855. In 1882, the group constructed Turner Hall, and the building has housed the organization and its stockpiles of sweatbands ever since. Over the decades, the hall has welcomed in visitors with a mission to help them create sound bodies and minds.

Though they derive their name from “Turnen,” the German word for gymnastics, the Milwaukee Turners teach visitors much more than just how to lasso a pommel horse. In addition to the gymnastic school, the organization schedules classes for fencing and yoga. Their rock-climbing wall's top ropes take climbers up 26 feet as they practice belaying techniques. To strengthen minds, the Turners lead meetings such as the 4th Street Forum, which discusses issues crucial to the community, and host concerts within the Turner Hall Ballroom.

Now a national landmark, Turner Hall echoes the organization's rich history. Sprung from the mind of famed architect Henry H. Koch, the building's design includes an Italianate façade crafted with Cream City brick and panoramic paintings that make visitors think they're trapped inside a cartoon. The hall boasts a full restaurant, beer hall, and two-story ballroom, making it an ideal locale for special occasions.