We were recently gifted with a membership to the Discovery World Museum (DWM) in Milwaukee. We immediately started making plans for a visit. We’d been to this museum before, so we knew it would be a great trip. In fact, our kids had been asking when we’d get to go back!
Tip1: DWM has very steep admission prices. If you don’t have a membership, you’ll need to plan ahead for the expense.
We started our exploration of the DWM at the science and biology end of the building- a three story wing that faces Lake Michigan and offers amazing views along with great interactive displays. We particularly love the Great Lakes map exhibit where you can actually make rain fall from the ceiling. And our Bluey greatly enjoys scrambling around on the full sized boat on the 2nd floor.
In the basement level, a top-notch aquarium can keep you mesmerized for quite some time. There are jellyfish to watch, and sting rays and sturgeon fish that you can touch! They feel like… well, that would be telling. You’ll have to find out on your own. 😉
Tip2: A snack before romping through the DWM’s 2nd wing is a great idea. There is only one small, overpriced cafe at the museum. We recommend you enjoy your own snacks from home!
At the other side of the building, you’ll find the technology in Wisconsin wing. It holds fabulous displays on various machines that have been developed and built in Wisconsin- from Evinrude engines to Les Paul guitars. There are countless devices to manipulate and learn the science and technology that went into making them.
Also within this wing, The Kohls Design Center allows you to take a break from the museum exhibits and create various arts and crafts projects – for FREE. A team of assistants will help you find all the materials you need to make a unique craft that you can take home from the museum.
Exploring the entire DWM will easily take all day, if you can last that long. If possible, we recommend you break your enjoyment of the DWM into several separate day trips.