FOND DU LAC – If you’ve thought “I’ve always wanted to go there” about regional attractions, the library has just the thing for you.
The Fond du Lac Public Library, 32 Sheboygan St., has added Experience Passes to its selection of special check-out materials, offering free admission to regional attractions. These range as close as the Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac to about an hour’s drive away at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
State park passes have been popular at the library for about two years, and with many state libraries offering similar passes, the library thought they’d “get in on the fun,” Assistant Director Lori Burgess said.
So far, 11 places are available, offering not only engaging activities out of the house, but also hands-on learning opportunities in topics such as art, history and agriculture.
“Some people are good at learning through reading, and other people learn by doing,” Burgess said. “So, this gives those folks an opportunity to see different things in the state and learn about animals or learn about flowers. It makes it so much more real.”
Ian Stepleton, public relations coordinator, added that one of the guiding principles was reducing barriers for people wanting to visit places like this, so many of them aren’t very far away in an effort to reduce transportation barriers as much as possible.
How does it work?
The passes are available at the front desk on a first-come, first-served basis, meaning holds can’t be placed on them. Patrons must be at least 18 years old to check them out.
Passes are also limited to one per adult at a time, and each has its own terms on how many people can be included in a group.
How long can they be checked out?
Most passes can be checked out for four days, while two of them — the Wisconsin Maritime Museum and Wisconsin State Park — are one-time use and don’t need to be returned.
“So, if you plan to go tomorrow, and it turns out the weather is really crummy, you have another day to go and experience the zoo or museum,” Burgess said.
The overdue fine is $5 per day because of their limited supply and popularity.
Nearby experiences include children’s museums in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan.
The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac pass is valid for the Fond du Lac museum, as well as Above & Beyond Children’s Museum, 902 N. Eighth St. in Sheboygan. Both have interactive exhibits designed to build skills while playing.
The pass is good for one household: a primary/secondary holder, up to eight children of their own, a caregiver and one additional adult guest with no accompanying children.
Bookwork Gardens in Sheboygan
Bookworm Gardens, 1415 Campus Drive in Sheboygan, has several botanical garden spaces inspired by more than 80 books and stories, such as “The Magic Treehouse,” “The Rainbow Fish” and “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.”
The pass allows general admission for up to two adults and an unlimited number of children from the same household. Special event admission is not included, such as for the Fairyfolk Festival in August.
Paine Art Center & Gardens in Oshkosh
Oshkosh’s Paine Art Center & Gardens, 1410 Algoma Blvd., contains an expansive collection of art and almost 4 acres of gardens on the historic estate that once belonged to Nathan and Jessie Kimberly Paine.
The pass allows general admission for up to two adults and up to five youth. It is not valid for guided tours of Nutcracker in the Castle or evening tours of The Nature of Light.
Oshkosh Public Museum
Oshkosh Public Museum, 1331 Algoma Blvd., holds several temporary and long-term exhibits showcasing local, regional and art history, from interactive prehistoric Lake Winnebago cultures to the 1920s era in Oshkosh, as told through photographs.
The pass allows admission for up to two adults and five children ages 4-17. Children ages 3 and younger are admitted free.
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society pass offers access to Wade House in Greenbush, as well as Circus World in Baraboo, First Capitol in Belmont, H.H. Bennett Studio in Wisconsin Dells, Madeline Island Museum in La Pointe, Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Pendarvis in Mineral Point, Reed School in Neillsville, Stonefield in Cassville, Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien and Black Point Estate & Gardens in Lake Geneva — the last of which requires purchase of a boat ticket through Lake Geneva Cruise Line.
The pass allows general admission for two adults and any children younger than 18 in their households. It also includes a 10% discount on merchandise and ticketed events.
Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center in Manitowoc
Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, 7001 Gass Lake Road in Manitowoc, gives a peek into farm life with self-guided, interactive exhibits that show the technology and work behind one of Wisconsin’s biggest industries.
The pass allows free admission for two adults and two children in the same household above the age of 2, as children age 2 and younger get in free. Additional children are $5 each.
The front desk at Farm Wisconsin will accept the pass, but guests must remember to grab the pass from the front desk before leaving and return it to the library.
Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Bluemound Road, has more than 2,200 animals from across the world, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, as well as rides and interactive activities, such as the goat yard.
The pass includes parking and is valid for free admission for up to eight people.
Mitchell Park Domes
Known as the Domes, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, 524 S. Layton Blvd. in Milwaukee, is a “living plant museum” with more than 1,800 plant species in several greenhouses.
The pass includes free admission year-round for all members of a household during public hours, including the holiday and train shows. Pass holders can check in through regular admissions, or access the member-only lane during peak hours to skip the admissions booth.
Museum of Wisconsin Art
The Museum of Wisconsin Art, 205 Veterans Ave. in West Bend, focuses on regional identity with contemporary and emerging art from artists with deep connections to Wisconsin.
The pass admits four adults and any children younger than 18.
Two attractions are one-time use passes
Two types of passes are one-time use with limited numbers available.
The Wisconsin State Parks pass allows entry for one vehicle with Wisconsin license plates into any state park for one day. Passes are limited to one per family per calendar year, and patrons need to know when they will visit a state park at the time they receive the pass.
The Wisconsin Maritime Museum, 75 Maritime Drive in Manitowoc, has passes at the library allowing admission to tour the museum and the USS Cobia submarine for two adults and up to two children younger than 17 years old. The museum has exhibits and hands-on experiences about sailors, shipbuilders and submariners, as well as their vessels.
The library has online resources useful for the day trip drives
Over time, Fond du Lac Public Library has added many materials beyond books to engage and learn with.
Some of them are online or app-based, convenient for car rides to the featured experiences in the passes. These include ebooks through Libby, video streaming through Kanopy, comics through Comics Plus and language learning through Mango.
For more information, visit fdlpl.org.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac Public Library Experience Passes can get you free access to 11 regional attractions
Reporting by Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter / Fond du Lac Reporter
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