Things to Do in Menasha

The instructors at Bricks 4 Kidz translate a curriculum molded around science, technology, engineering, and math into kid-friendly language using Legos. They encourage creativity at hands-on classes and parties, where they oversee youngsters in designing and erecting machines, catapults, buildings, and other colorful formations with architecture and physics in mind. By giving their labs whimsical themes, including outer space and roller coasters, they put the kids in an environment where they can work together to master tricky concepts such as friction and scale. Central theories and activities are tailored to groups based on age, ability, and which side of the “Does gravity exist?” debate they support.

Snugly situated on a historic 1881 farm once known as the Schwabenlander Homestead, Mulberry Lane Farm takes its name from an ancient mulberry tree that once served as a favorite playplace for the Schwabenlander children. In those days, the 100-year-old tree was so esteemed that the children were not allowed to climb it while wearing shoes. Because of this rule, it wasn’t uncommon to find Lawrence, Harry, Norbert, and their nine other brothers and sisters swinging from its boughs, their shoes respectfully lined around its base.

Today, children still play in the shadow of that mulberry tree thanks to the founders of Green Meadows Farm, the Keyes family. Close friends of the last of the Schwabenlander boys, the Keyes adopted the farmstead and its original brick farmhouse into their petting farm empire in 2005 but gave it its own identity to honor the legacy of the original owners. Guided tours lead groups around the farm on foot and by hayride, where kids and adults are encouraged to interact and swap salad recipes with the goats, chickens, sheep, and rabbits that call the farm home. Along the way, visitors can learn how to milk cows and ride ponies or practice catching a chicken, then swing by the barn to snuggle kittens and Otis, the 900-pound boar. Before departing, visitors each receive a free souvenir in the spring and summer, and those who come in the fall have the chance to pick their own pumpkins from the 6-acre pumpkin patch.

Communities tend to like places that have good roots. That's one reason why Green Bay Press-Gazette readers voted the locally owned and operated Ashwaubenon Bowling Alley the 2012 Best of the Bay's Best Bowling Alley. For more than three decades, guests have flocked to the facility's 60 lanes to test their ball-rolling and pin-eating skills alongside friends and family. Each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, DJ Rusty Lee's tracks work with black lights and fog machines to create a nightclub-like cosmic bowling experience.

More than three decades spent trolling the fish-filled waters of the Great Lakes have allowed USCG-licensed captain Kevin Williams to master the art of freshwater and ice fishing. While leading expeditions for intrepid participants both young and old, Kevin leverages his unparalleled knowledge of marine speakeasies to catch fish by surprise—and when that happens, the fisherfolk in his boat are ready and waiting with the proper angling gear, be it their own or Kevin's. The captain sets out on warm-weather trips in a 19-foot Weldcraft Maverick equipped with GPS, a trolling motor, and a fish finder, and hosts winter fishing in a heated icehouse accessible by ATV or speed-skater piggyback rides. Fishermen can keep whatever they catch, and may head home after the excursion with buckets full of whitefish, perch, and walleye.

Barefooted tykes aged 2 and older gambol through Badger Bouncers Playland's rainbow-hued inflatable obstacle course and pause from defying gravity to sprint to the top of a fire-truck-themed slide. While kids busy themselves perfecting impersonations of Neil Armstrong’s famed triple Axel on the moon, parents can take advantage of Badger Bouncers' free WiFi, knowing that kids bound through a safe space. All bouncers are fully enclosed, and mesh safety nets gird all entrances. At parties, staffers oversee guests who have exclusive use of the facility, and rentals such as mini golf courses and dunk tanks spice up events at any location.:m]]

Carved out of 640 acres of Wisconsin farmland, the 4.048-mile, 14-turn racetrack at Road America allows roadsters of all size and stripe to careen the original track design throughout the raceway’s full season of stock-car, motorcycle, and vintage-car collecting events. The iconic raceway, one of the fastest permanent road-racing tracks in the world, nurtures aspiring Andrettis through its driving school and accommodates gatherings with group outings, such as go-karting, snowshoeing, or geocaching adventures. On race day, guests can take advantage of golf-cart rentals to enjoy the action and fill up on snacks at some of Road America’s 13 concession stands.