Things to Do in Sussex

Hillside Farm sprawls across 22 acres of the hilly Kettle Moraine region and is home to a talented training staff with a combined 80 years of experience in English riding, dressage, and hunter and jumper. When leading lessons, they pair students with compatible horses choosing from a fleet of 20 lesson horses and 14 polo steeds. While every rider dreams of galloping into the sunset, the trainers first instill the vocabulary and basic skills necessary for riders to feel confident and natural when on horseback. The school also specializes in polo, teaching students fundamental skills before players can advance to strategic lessons. The farm even hosts a polo league.

Hillside Farm’s onsite boarding facilities rehabilitate local horses or board leased horses for regular riders. The staff takes pride in its treatment of animals, using nutritionally rich Nutrena SafeChoice feed and practicing nonviolent training methods that avoid physical or emotional abuse.

Located inside a brick-hewn building reminiscent of a grand castle, the Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery recounts the history of the company’s former brewery, which dates back to 1844. Visitors tour Pabst’s corporate offices, take photos with a statue of Captain Frederick Pabst, and drink tall pints of the brewery’s concoctions. The gift shop stocks vintage Pabst memorabilia, including steins, shirts, artwork, and figurines of Pabst’s short-lived mascot, King Barley. Best Place’s halls and courtyards can also be rented for banquets, weddings, and other events.

Equal parts running, pedaling, and paddling, The Tribal Challenge sends teams of two or more huffing and puffing across a 15-mile gauntlet rife with mental and physical challenges. Designed to replicate the tribulations of pre-industrial tribesmen, the route intersects three 5-mile legs with hunting and gathering missions. The fibers of endurance and camaraderie stretch to their limits as partners demonstrate specific survival skills that were essential before humans could simply buy meat from a butcher or trade dusty VHS tapes with monkeys in exchange for fruit. After completing the course, tribes can bask in the euphoria of accomplishment at a post-challenge powwow, where complimentary beers squelch thirst and live music from the Fire Water Festival helps cast a celebratory tone across the finish line.

In 1977, a group of Milwaukee’s sailors responded to its city’s lack of a public sailing institution by banding together with county officials to create a not-for-profit organization accessible to everyone. The Milwaukee Community Sailing Center has continued to uphold this original vision of granting everyone—regardless of age, physical ability, or financial means—a chance to develop sailing skills while exploring Lake Michigan’s aqueous expanses. Since its founding, it has imparted its knowledge upon upwards of 100,000 student via hands-on classes and private lessons.

Throughout the summer’s balmy months, Milwaukee Community Sailing Center’s experienced and certified staff can be found reviewing boat safety with students during on-shore lessons or calling out instructions to their trainees from within a sailboat cruising around the lake. As winter’s frigid winds rage across the city, a host of off-season winter sessions enables skippers to keep their sea legs toned until spring returns. Bobbing cheerfully in the onsite marina, the center’s seaworthy fleet is comprised of more than 80 meticulously maintained vessels, including sturdy dinghies, cruisers, and saddled-up krakens. The center’s dedication to bringing the community together on the water is further evidenced in its outreach programs, including one designed to help Milwaukee’s at-risk youth turn a new leaf by helping them uncover hidden talents, develop leadership skills, and conquer their fears.

Throughout the summer, the paved paths of Frame Park welcome outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and interests, including riders seated on High Roller Fun Rentals's unique bikes and pedal carts. Two-, three-, and four-wheel vehicles transport groups down the 1.7-mile river walk—a path flanked by playground equipment, picnic areas, gardens, and volleyball courts that double as suitable retirement homes for pet hermit crabs.

For those looking to make a splash, High Roller Fun Rentals also maintains a [floating fleet]](http://gr.pn/n5R22r) of swan boats, canoes, and kayaks. These inventive vessels allow groups of two, three, or four to navigate the Fox River with ease. And for added convenience, the rental center hands out maps to encourage exploration and discourage people from leaning off the edge of the world.

For the past 29 years, John and Loie Laimon have proudly contributed to the tight-knit fishing community that surrounds them by running their own fishing-and-bait business. Whether they are selling U.S.-made, handcrafted baits or other handpicked products, renting pontoons for small groups, or winterizing boat motors by fastening Santa hats to them, the Laimons approach each service personably and attentively. This approach has helped them grow to two locations on Pewaukee Lake.