Batteries Plus

If you feel the urge to dance, hit the floor at the Mad Planet. Milwaukee's only alt-rock dance club, Mad Planet hosts a retro-themed dance night every Friday, when you can dust off your parachute pants and get down to the funky sounds of the 80s and 90s. Live music shows on Saturdays have included big-ticket national acts like Arcade Fire and Lucero.

Visit the Boerner Botanical Gardens from late April to early November. The internationally renown horticultural center offers eleven specialty outdoor gardens, including the cutting edge Trial Garden which features newly developed plant varieties not publicly available anywhere else. Take a tour and admire the beautiful arrangement integration of architecture and sculptures among the plant life.

Engage in hands-on learning about science, nature and sustainable living at the Urban Ecology Center. The center has two outdoor "laboratories," located in two urban parks, which feature 15 acres of woodland, a lagoon and riparian habitat on the east bank of the Milwaukee River. The parks also house a habitat-themed playground, as well as seasonal swimming, boating and skating.