MANITOWOC – Most of us look forward to summer days, full of sunshine and time building sandcastles at Neshotah Beach or riding bikes along Mariners Trail.
But what to do on a rainy day — or when it’s too hot to be at the playground or sunning beside a pool?
Here’s our guide to some family fun indoors this summer in the Manitowoc and Two Rivers area.
Strand Adventures
Strand Adventures was started by four local families who believed Manitowoc needed indoor space to keep families active.
Once an old theater on Eighth Street, Strand (315 N. Eighth St.) is now a family entertainment complex.
The three-story facility includes a 30-plus-foot-tall rock-climbing wall, a state-of-the-art ninja gym, a room of bounce houses, a custom-designed laser tag area, a jungle gym and toddler area, as well as an arcade full of games.
Rahr-West Art Museum
Inside the historic Vilas-Rahr Mansion, the Rahr-West Art Museum (610 N. Eighth St.) houses a collection of works by Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and more. It’s a stop on the Wisconsin Art Destinations trail and features annual exhibits with many exhibits in rotation.
And the price is right — because the city owns the museum, admission is free (or a $5 suggested donation for adults or $2 suggested donation for children).
Wisconsin Maritime Museum
What a fun, interactive and family-friendly way to learn about a part of Wisconsin’s history that maybe isn’t covered much in textbooks — the way water, and particularly the Great Lakes, have shaped the state’s history. Not to mention Manitowoc’s impressive ties to shipbuilding.
In 2022, Manitowoc was designated an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service because of the contributions made by Manitowoc’s businesses and citizens during the war.
Visitors to Wisconsin Maritime Museum (75 Maritime Drive) can easily spend hours learning about the USS Cobia submarine, and even walking through the submarine, set up to look just like it did when sailors were aboard during wartime.
There’s also an extensive and interesting Wisconsin Shipwrecks exhibit with many pieces collected from shipwrecks. And a large exhibit on the history of Clipper City. Well worth the price of admission!
Pinecrest Village
For history buffs, a visit to the Manitowoc County Historical Society’s Pinecrest Historical Village (924 Pinecrest Road) is great, even if you’ll need to dodge a few raindrops on a rainy day moving among buildings.
More than 25 historic buildings are on this 60-acre site. This includes the newly restored Meeme House. After serving as a stagecoach inn, host to a Civil War rally, a voting poll place and a long-time tavern, the Meeme House was painstakingly taken apart in 2017 and moved to its current location at Pinecrest and restoration was completed in recent years.
Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center
The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center (7001 Gass Lake Road) is a state-of-the-art, interactive agricultural education center. It features 10,000-square feet of hands-on learning opportunities and a birthing barn where visitors can watch calves being born daily.
Hands-on exhibits include a cow-milking station and a chance to churn butter the old-fashioned way. The center highlights how technology has revolutionized dairy farming and the science of agriculture. Kids can take a seat in a tractor simulator and experience what fur of different animals feels like.
There are interactive displays and firsthand stories from farmers.
And if you work up an appetite while doing all that learning, the Wisconsin Café offers farm-to-table breakfast and lunch made with local, fresh ingredients. Ice Cream Acres serves up premium, small-batch ice cream in an array of flavors
Heroes Venture Arcade
This Two Rivers arcade, 2022 Washington St., offers more than 120 vintage games, including Atari Rush Rock, Tetris, Terminator video games, air hockey and pool.
Glaze & Paint
Get your creative juices flowing with a stop at Glaze & Paint, 814 S. Eighth St. This fun studio has walls full of blank ceramic pottery painting, wood projects and canvases waiting for your creative touch. Such a fun and colorful way to spend a gloomy day! There are plenty of tables and chairs, making the space perfect for both a few friends painting together to large groups.
Local Libraries
We’d be remiss if we didn’t include your local library on this list. And this area is fortunate to have two great options.
Lester Public Library, 1001 Adams St., Two Rivers, and Manitowoc Public Library, 707 Quay St., Manitowoc, offer a variety of activities throughout the summer months … and are filled with books! Enough to keep you well-occupied on a rainy day.
Contact reporter Patti Zarling at pzarling@usatodayco.com or call 920-606-2575.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc-area indoor spots for kids, history and arcade fun
Reporting by Patti Zarling, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Patti Zarling, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter | USA TODAY Network
