FOND DU LAC – After the excitement of the holidays, winter tends to drag on through January and February before we start to see spring on the horizon.
If it’s too cold to go sledding, or you’ve run out of things to do, the Fond du Lac area still has a number of ways to stay occupied, whether it involves heading to an upcoming event, trying something new at a local restaurant, or testing your skills at an indoor experience.
When long, cold days have you down, here are some ideas to make the most of winter.
Feel like there’s nothing going on? Here are a few events
Fond du Lac has several events to look forward to before spring, celebrating local businesses and organizations or complementing the upcoming sturgeon spearing season.
1836 Renegade Taproom, 103 S. Main St., will host a Crafts and Drafts Night Jan. 27, with the craft of choice being make-and-take funky necklaces for $20.
Fond du Lac Soccer Association’s Casino Night is Jan. 30 at Korneli’s on the Avenue, 603 Fond du Lac Ave., offering gaming tables, pizza and snacks while raising money for the organization. Tickets are available through the Facebook event listing.
Several downtown Fond du Lac businesses will have shopping and dining specials for the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership Galentine’s Day event Jan. 31.
This year’s Brewfest is Feb. 7 at the Fond du Lac County Expo Center, 520 Fond du Lac Ave., with the theme Red White & Brew. The beer-tasting event features more than 250 microbrews, cider, mead and wine, as well as food from Mr. & Mrs. Catering and music by D. Willy and the Souvenirs. Tickets are available at hometowntickets.com.
Sturgeon Spectacular kicks off Feb. 13 and continues through Feb. 14 with the snow sculpting and ice sculpting contests, curling, street hockey, kids’ Snow Land, live music, the downtown Street Stroll and more. The Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac and Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts will also host activities, including Wizard of Oz-themed kids’ events at the THELMA.
Fond du Lac Fishing Has No Boundaries will hold its winter bash featuring the band Cherry Pie Feb. 13 in a heated tent outside Sunset on the Water, N7364 Winnebago Drive.
The annual CELEBRATE commUNITY event is Feb. 21 at the Fond du Lac County Expo Center, featuring more than 50 booths that represent different countries, religions and community organizations, as well as family-friendly games and entertainment, and concessions by Lucia’s Cocina.
Warm up at a local restaurant or café
When looking for somewhere to stay warm and grab a meal that’s not home, the Fond du Lac area has several restaurants to get cozy in during the winter. These include Theo’s 24 for steak, Faro’s Restaurant and Cocktails for soup, or The Sweet & Salty Pig for comfort food.
Waterfront restaurants that are especially popular during the ice fishing and sturgeon spearing season are Sunset on the Water, N7364 Winnebago Drive; Schmitty’s Bar & Grill, N7044 Winnebago Drive; Wendt’s on the Lake, N9699 Lakeshore Drive in Van Dyne; and Jim & Linda’s Lakeview Supper Club, W3496 County W in Malone.
Outside of restaurants, warming up with hot drinks is a staple of getting through winter. Popular cafés for coffee, tea, baked goods and more include the following:
Visit a business with an indoor experience
Korneli’s on the Avenue, 605 Fond du Lac Ave., offers indoor roller skating, plus an arcade and a full bar area with food. Priced by duration, open skate days are scheduled Thursdays through Sundays, with weekly updates posted on Korneli’s on the Avenue Facebook page.
The Great Escape, 21 N. Portland St., Suite 1A, challenges players with three escape rooms available Thursdays through Saturdays for groups of two to eight people.
Ohana Axe, 25A N. Main St., has designated ax-throwing lanes. Walk-ins are accepted, or call 920-907-9004 for more information.
Rage room Tantrum, 44 N. Main St., also has recreation lanes, but for smashing bottles and other glass items, open Thursdays through Saturdays. An arcade in the front room has a variety of coin-operated games.
Shatter & Splatter Therapy, 650 W. Main St. in Waupun, invites customers to either smash things in the rage room or let loose with paint in the splatter room. Valentine’s Day specials are available Feb. 8 to 22.
Snow Links, 17 Fond du Lac St. in Waupun, offers indoor golf, as well as beer, soda and snacks. Tee time is required by calling 920-345-1616.
Check out an activity kit or Experience Pass at the library
In preparation for a snow day or a slow weekend, patrons can visit the Fond du Lac Public library to check out board games and activity kits in addition to books and DVDs.
They can also see which Experience Passes are available for free access to regional attractions like children’s spaces, museums and the Milwaukee County Zoo. Newer passes include the Barlow Planetarium in Menasha and the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum in Milwaukee.
Online and app-based services the library offers include ebooks through Libby, video streaming through Kanopy, comics through Comics Plus and language learning through Mango.
The winter reading program runs through Feb. 15, and upcoming events include storytime and crafting days for kids. Teens also get craft events, as well as groups for video game, writing, anime, roleplaying and chess enthusiasts.
The Idea Studio has a variety of activities and crafting opportunities, including drop-in projects like jewelry making, Legos, origami, Shrinky Dinks, friendship bracelets and adult coloring pages. Several other projects require training sessions, such as the 3D printers, a printmaking press, a recording studio and sewing, serger and embroidery machines.
Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at dlemke@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: The ultimate guide to surviving winter’s dog days in Fond du Lac
Reporting by Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter / Fond du Lac Reporter
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