Free Summer Family Fun in Waukesha County
Are you on the hunt for free fun this summer? Summer 2024 is looking more like summers of the past as we move forward. Most of our favorite community events are coming back and new ones, too, and we are so excited! Luckily, Lake Country Family Fun is an expert at finding free fun for your family, after all that is why we started this website! As long as your family is feeling well and acting responsibly, there are loads of ways to have free fun this summer. Make sure you save and pin this guide for future reference when the dog days of summer arrive!
A few things to note about summer 2024:
- Constructions has returned, because summer in WI 🤪
- Slow down, drive safe and soon we’ll have smooth roads.
- Various parts of Highway 16 from Ixonia to Pewaukee will be under construction.
Please say thank you to the 2024 Free Summer Fun Guide Sponsor
Bridges Library System
Fill your summer with adventure with the Summer Library Programs offered by your Bridges Library System member libraries! Dive into fun for the entire family! Participate in a reading challenge and earn exciting prize coupons. Catch our fantastic performances, including magic shows, animal encounters, and science explorations! Don’t miss out on the epic quest throughout the system with the Library Treasure Adventure. Visit your local public library and join in the excitement this summer!
Sign up at your local library or visit https://bridgeslibrarysystem.org/summerlibraryprogram for
more information.
Free indoor summer fun
We love the summer reading programs! Reading is a great way to fill time on a rainy day or hot, hot afternoon inside in the air conditioning. It’s also a great way to keep up all the reading skills learned throughout the year and earn summer fun along the way! In 2021 and 2023, we scored free tickets to Little Amerikka as well as free books from the Oconomowoc Public Library. See all the information above for how to participate this year.
See our fun from years past HERE.
Every child that you register, receives 2 FREE games of bowling all summer long!! The Kids Bowl Free is a nationwide program. Its purpose is to support communities and give children a fun way to spend their time throughout the summer. Wahoo!! This is perfect for rainy days or to escape the heat.
For summer 2024, please see the details through the link below. The program is being offered, but it it is up to individual centers to open or not open. The following are open:
Sussex Bowl
Village Bowl in Menomonee Falls
Alpine Lanes in Muskego
Register HERE.
Free outdoor summer fun
Hartland Kids Day 2024 will be returning to its classic booth form with bounce houses, a rock wall, and of course the splash pad! We’ll be spread out at Nixon Park like in 2022 and 2023.
The event will be at Nixon Park on Wednesday, July 31st from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm to preview local family businesses, kids activities, and entertainment throughout the day. Lake Country Family Fun will have a fun-filled day planned for you!
See this video from Hartland Kids Day 2016
See this Instagram and this Instagram from Hartland Kids Day 2017
See this Instagram and this Instagram from Hartland Kids Day 2018
See this Instagram and this Instagram from Hartland Kids Day 2019 – our most favorite year {so far}
See this from Hartland Kids Day 2020
See this from Hartland Kids Day 2021
See this from Hartland Kids Day 2022
See this from Hartland Kids Day 2023
Come in person to see Hartland Kids Day 2024!
Free Summer Fun to Watch Outside
I don’t know about you, but I love being outside in summer (minus any bugs). I love looking forward to all the seasons, but summer is my favorite! Outdoor concerts are a great way to enjoy warm summer nights with your family and friends.
Music in Oconomowoc – From the AMERICAN LEGION BAND Wednesday night concerts to BANDS AT THE BEACH Friday night concerts you can’t beat the view while at City Beach watching music at the band shell.
WATERFRONT WEDNESDAYS IN PEWAUKEE– Lakefront Park in Pewaukee is the perfect location for a picnic dinner with the family. Grab your blankets and chairs and enjoy the scenic view and sounds every Wednesday through the summer. *Positively Pewaukee is a partner of Lake Country Family Fun.
NIXON PARK CONCERT SERIES – The Nixon Park Concert Series is held at the Fine Arts Center at Nixon Park in Hartland WI every Thursday May through August 2024!
WAUKESHA FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE– Every Friday night downtown Waukesha comes alive with 8 stages placed through the downtown business district. This is a kid friendly event; also, it can easily be used for a date night, guys night or girls night out. BACK in 2024!
TRIBUTE TUESDAY CONCERTS – Come and enjoy all your favorite songs as we pay tribute to legendary music performers of the past this summer at Tribute Tuesday Concerts in Waukesha in June, July, August, and September 2024.
CIVIC BAND CONCERTS IN WAUKESHA – Come to Cutler Park to enjoy Civic Band Concerts on Thursdays throughout the summer! June, July and August concerts are on in 2024!
TUNES ON TUESDAYS – Bring your family to Elm Grove Village Park on select Tuesdays for their Tunes on Tuesday series. TBD in 2024.
BROOKFIELD NOON CONCERTS – Don’t miss this midday concert series in Brookfield all summer long! These are happening in 2024.
BROOKFIELD EVENING CONCERTS – These only happen once a month! These are happening in 2024!
STARRY NIGHTS at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts – Select Friday nights in July and August. Back in 2024!
FALLS SUNSET CONCERT SERIES, MENOMONEE FALLS – The Village of Menomonee Falls has built the new Village Park Amphitheater in downtown. The Sunset Concert Series is the premier, FREE, family friendly, live music event held on Thursday nights during the summer. BACK in 2024!
CONCERTS AT THE BEER GARDEN, MENOMONEE FALLS – Bring your family to these free concerts at Village Park that will have food and beverages during the summer (weather permitting). 2024 concerts are happening.
RIVERSIDE RHYTHMS – Take in some musical selections every Wednesday during lunch right on the riverwalk in downtown Waukesha. 2024 concerts are BACK!
TOSA CONCERT SERIES – Bring your family out for the Tosa Tonight Concert Series! Free Family-Friendly Music starts at 6:00 pm. 2024 Concerts are BACK!
MUSIC ON THE HILL SERIES – June kicks off Music on the Hill concert series outside the Delafield Hotel. Get outside this summer to enjoy live music and great eats at Music on the Hill. Featuring food and drink options from Chef Joe at I.d. and a music lineup that’s sure to please, this al fresco concert series makes a perfect outing for the family, a date or an outing with friends. 2024 concerts are back!
Our Fun at Bands at the Beach
This is another family favorite of ours!! Watching a MOVIE OUTSIDE surrounded by friends, snacking on kettle corn, and snuggling up with my little ones, is a favorite memory of summers past! In 2024, most if not all community outdoor movie events are back+ new ones!
- MOONLIT MOVIES IN OCONOMOWOC –
**These events are returning to their home at Fowler Park in 2024 with a ski show to kick them off! This is a family favorite for Lake Country Family Fun! - MOVIES IN THE PARK IN ELM GROVE –
Join the community and your family and friends to watch a movie under the stars in Elm Grove’s Village Park. TBD in 2024.
- OUTDOOR MOVIE IN VILLAGE PARK IN SUSSEX –
Thursday, August 9, 2024Bring the whole family for a free, fun family event. Concessions will be available including free popcorn.
- FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT IN HARTLAND –
Bring your family to Nixon Park for a full summer of outdoor movies in 2023! TBD for exact dates and movie titles. - OUTDOOR MOVIES IN NEW BERLIN –
Returning the fun to Malone Park in 2023! TBD in 2024. - Monday Night at the Movies in Waukesha –
Returning the fun to Cutler Park in 2024! - OUTDOOR MOVIES IN THE PARK HARTFORD –
Check out the 2023 lineup of movies at Willowbrook Park in Hartford! TBD in 2024. - NEW in 2023: Town of Ixonia Movie in the Park! TBD in 2024!
While not “free summer fun”, outdoor movie drive-in theater experiences are popping up! These are ticketed events. You can read about them HERE.
One of our fun experiences at Moonlit Movie Night!
Watching a WATER SKI SHOW is a family favorite of ours! My little ones are amazed at all the tricks and lifts of the skiers, and by the three motors on the back of the boat 😉
- BADGERLAND SKI SHOWS –
*In summer 2024, the Badgerland Ski Team can be found on the road, mostly performing at Fowler Park/Fowler Lake and Okauchee Lake by Foolery’s. - WATERBUG SKI SHOWS –
They will be skiing every Wednesday and of course their big July 3rd event! - PEWAUKEE LAKE SKI SHOWS –
Their season kicks off on Memorial Day! Then bring your family to watch the Pewaukee Lake Water Ski Show every Thursday.
Our fun watching Badgerland on Fowler Lake HERE.
What says summer like classic cars on a warm night? Find more car shows HERE.
CLASSIC CAR CRUISE NIGHT IN SUSSEX – June 13, 2024
Cars and Coffee Waukesha – At Black Canyon Coffee in Wales, this event meets the third Sunday of the month. Happening in 2024!
Okauchee American Legion Car show – July 20, 2024!
JOE MAMA’S CRUISE NIGHTS – Happening in 2024! See why they won best local fish fry 4 years in a row!
BALD EAGLE ANNUAL CAR SHOW – In Oconomowoc. Happening on June 15, 2024!
CRUISIN’ THE GROVE – Elm Grove’s Own Classic Car and Motorcycle event. Every other Monday, starting May 20, 2024.
Farmer Markets are open! Find all the local Farmers Markets arranged by days of the week HERE. There’s a farmers market offered every day of the week!
Enjoy the Active Outdoors with your Family
Nature is OPEN!
One of our favorite walks in the Fowler Lake Walk in Oconomowoc. Take a stroll with the family around Fowler Lake in Oconomowoc. It is about a 2 mile walk to get around. We always seem to stop at the bridge at the dam between Fowler Lake and Lac La Belle and watch people fish. And now we are watching the new John and Lavinia Rockwell Park come to life. We also stop for a little bit of extra fun at Fowler Park and take full advantage of the park, tennis courts and the restrooms (if needed). We park downtown and follow Wisconsin Ave west, then north onto Main St., then right onto Lisbon Rd., then right again onto Greenland Ave, then right onto Oakwood Ave., then right again on Pleasant St. and that takes you back to downtown in the municipal parking lot by the boardwalk.
There are blue rain drops painted on the sidewalk to guide you around the lake. They are fading a bit, but still there.
Also, be sure to listen for the Clock Tower Tunes as you walk past by City Hall in summer 2023.
Our fun enjoying the Lake Walk.
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Another fun walk is the Storybook Trail at Brandt-Quirk Park in Watertown. We tried it out in early June 2020 and again in April 2021. The Watertown Public Library switches out the story seasonally, so keep going back! The trail is located in Brandt-Quirk Park. Park in the baseball diamond lot, and head straight back towards the railroad tracks.
PRO TIP – it’s buggy when you walk through the woods – so arrive well clothed or bring bug spray.
Find storybook walks at various times of the year at the Hartland library, Imagination Station in Oconomowoc, Sussex Village Park, and Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha.
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The New Berlin Public Library is excited to invite you to the launch of the new Community Storybook Trail at ProHealth Care Park. Similar to an interactive trail, the Library staff has worked with Parks, Streets and Recreation Departments to select an accessible loop at ProHealth Care Park to add signage to share a storybook with park visitors. Each sign will have pages to a story and librarians will rotate these stories seasonally (or more often) for readers to enjoy while they stroll. Special thanks to the Friends of the New Berlin Public Library for supporting our ideas and funding this new community destination.
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Hiking also really resurfaced as a family fun activity in summers since 2020 and is a great time to hit the trails as well. Some free hiking trails are:
- Ledge Park in Horicon
- Nature Hill in Oconomowoc
- Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha
- Lapham Peak in Delafield
- Find more hikes and tips in our Hiking Guide.
The Hartland Splash Pad is a great option when the weather is so hot it’s unbearable. This is a zero depth water feature, so even the littlest ones can play.
*Our tip is to make sure your kids have water shoes on as the concrete does get slippery as the kids run around.
Other Lake Country communities with Splash Pads planning in motion:
Sussex – OPEN!
Elm Grove – OPEN! {Not free}
Oconomowoc – coming summer 2024!
Pewaukee – coming soon!
Eagle – coming soon!
More details on the splash pads HERE.
What is your favorite local park? Normally, we like to travel around and visit them all. Find the 45 BEST LOCAL PARKS in our handy guide with so many pictures and more!
See our fun at Madeline Park in Sussex!
Searching for painted rocks in outdoor public places has been renewed in spring and summer 2020 and still in 2024. You can also paint your own rocks and put them out for others to find.
Free Summer Fun Just Outside Waukesha County
- The North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee is an awesome historic landmark and kids 4 and under are FREE.
- Visit Bookworm Gardens in Sheboygan, a book themed fairyland for kids. (Free if you are a Sheboygan County resident or a Bookworm Member, also children under 2. No longer free adult admission for outside residents with a suggested donation; tickets range from $8 pending when ticket is purchased.) Open May 2024.
- Check out Cedar Creek Park in Cedarburg Friday nights during the summer for Summer Sounds, their free summer concert series.
- Enjoy summer sounds with Music in the Glen, which is free and open to everyone located in Glendale (schedule here).
- A little road trip, but the Madison Zoo is FREE.
- Hit up a Beach – Milwaukee County beaches are FREE!!!
- Top FREE Splash pads outside of Waukesha County include:
- Kinderberg Park in Germantown
- Hickory Park in Jackson
- Bayshore Town Center’s Splash Pad
- Hart Park Splash Pad in Wauwatosa
- Oak Creek Splash Pad
- Riverside Park Splash Pad in Janesville
- Milwaukee County Splash Pads and Wading Pool list
Explore MILWAUKEE WITH KIDS
Don't miss out on the Free Summer fun!
Related Summer Fun Posts
77 Things to Do this Summer
Our Ultimate Summer Bucket List of 77 things to do in and around Lake Country in conjunction with our Free Summer Fun Guide. Sponsored by Positively Pewaukee.
Lake Country Beaches
Find 12 lake country beaches that we love to sit by and swim in right her in Waukesha County! Sponsored by Team Trimble Real Estate.
Need some inspiration for keeping the kiddos on task this summer? Look here for ideas on a summer schedule.
I am really impressed with this. I grew up in Pewaukee, and I am a few months shy of 50 and this web site is just wonderful. Whoever started it and the input is excellent. Family means everything, and enjoying life with our loved ones. We live in a beautiful area and I know we all want to keep it that way, as well as safe. Keep up the good work and thank you for your wisdom.
Anne-
I am so smitten with your comment, it warms my heart. I started on this website adventure in 2011 and it has been a joy. I am a mom of 4 kids loving life here in Lake Country and every second that I can with them while they are still little 🙂
So many good ideas!
I love LCFF! Great resource for families, and full of helpful tips. I’m excited to visit this Madeline Park—my son loves trains.
Trains are so fun!! He’s going to love Madeline Park!!
So many amazing things to do for free in the summer in our area! We love the Retzer Nature Center, Imagination Station, Pewaukee Beach, Frame Park, Friday Night Live (Waukesha), visits to the library (including visiting ones outside of our own city library), workshops at Home Depot and walking/biking the glacial drumlin trail – to name a few!
Yes!! Love those! We haven’t tried out a Home Depot workshop yet, but they look so fun!
I love the free summer fun guide. There are so many hidden gems and this list is a great place to start checking off places that are new for us to explore.
I love the free summer fun guide and the local beach guide!