Things to Do in Muskego

Following a mission to educate guests on preservation and environmental responsibility, Bear Den Zoo provides a safe, caring home for a wide range of farm animals and exotic species. Black bears, ring-tailed lemurs, giant tortoises, and exotic pheasants play and preen inside constructed habitats as guests look on from a safe distance, observing their mannerisms and learning to convincingly imitate them. In addition to providing guests with information on each animal, the zookeepers coordinate hands-on demonstrations that allow guests to interact with more social animals.

During the fall, the zoo opens its surrounding trails for evening hayrides and late-night adventures in the haunted woods. Tiki torches guide the way, and various ghosts and goblins spook guests amid the roars of nocturnal wildcats lamenting the lack of a reliable Internet connection in their cages.

Skydive Milwaukee's tandem jump eschews lengthy ground tutorials by condensing them into an instructional video and a briefing from an experienced instructor—allowing adrenaline junkies to quickly get their weekend fix after five straight days of working customer service at the bunk-bed factory. Once the subtle complexities of jumping out of a plane into 14,500 feet of vertiginous void have been dispensed with, you'll be ready for your dual-person dive into glory. After an initial burst of terror, you'll find yourself hovering in what Wilbur Wright called a "perfect peace mingled with an excitement that strains every nerve to the utmost" for about 50 seconds of freefall. It feels like you're moving down a cushion of air. And since you're in front of the instructor with your own altimeter and ripcord, it feels like you're skydiving on your own. After the plunge awakens the sleeping lion deep in your heart and gets it roaring through your mouth, you'll have five minutes of gentle parachute-assisted descent to take in the majesty and beauty of the skies—or, if you'd rather, crack snarky jokes about the nearby flock of pudgy seagulls.

At Underwater Connection, southeast Wisconsin’s only PADI five-star instructor-training center, an award-winning course director and a team of skilled instructors educate both undersea novices and emergency-service professionals in the art of scuba diving. Following safe, low-stress basic diving courses in the classroom pool, teachers and students move to the open water to cover techniques that include rebreathing, underwater videography, and recovering toy-boat wrecks from flooded bathtubs. Underwater Connection provides all equipment for classes, relying on its factory-trained equipment mechanics and Aqualung Master Technician, who refill tanks and do in-house repairs on gear from brands such as Dive Rite, Poseidon, Oceanic, Aqua Lung, and Scubapro.

Eight enormous inflatables tower above the sock-clad youngsters visiting Jump Zone's indoor park. Decorated with kid-friendly themes such as Batman, fire trucks, and the rainforest, inflatables accommodate kids ages 2–12 as they hop in bounce houses, slip down slides, navigate obstacle courses, and hatch plans to open up 401(k) accounts. Meanwhile, a toddler play area entices children ages 2 and younger with a pirate-themed inflatable. Along with its inflatable fun, Jump Zone enthralls guests with an arcade and offers to host parties complete with an inflatable throne for guests of honor. Parents enjoy free admission when they enter with a child, at which point they can watch their youngsters play, surf the facility's free WiFi, or join their kids for a bite in the café.

Framed by dense wooded tracts and thickets of knee-high grass, Deer Haven’s 18-hole executive course spans 3,473 yards on a par 60 track comprised entirely of par-3s and par-4s. Though the course favors precision off of the tee over power, the 15th hole—the longest on the course at 363 yards—invites players to unsheathe their driver or conveniently holstered war hammer to drive the ball deep into the fairway.

At the driving range, golfers can prepare swings for wrapping high fades or power draws around the course’s multiple curving fairways and occasional water hazards. Inside the rustic, wood-paneled exterior of Deer Haven’s clubhouse, golfers can raise a glass from the full-service bar to toast the retirement of their 3-wood’s loyal head cover, which will be replaced by the sweaty embrace of a fresh-off-the-foot tube sock.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 60 course

• Length of 3,473 yards from the farthest tees

• Two tee options