As the end of the semester draws near, Milwaukee is lighting up with holiday festivities to help release that finals week look of panic and ease you into a month-long break full of seasonal cookies, lights and no exams. We’ve picked some of the city’s most promising events to usher you into the spirit of the holidays.
Outdoor Activities
Candy Cane Lane Neighborhood
These West Allis residents know how to do holiday lights right. Every December, more than 300 homes decorate for Candy Cane Lane, a spectacle of lights, inflatable snowmen and other lawn ornaments that would put the Griswold house to shame. Visitors are invited to walk or drive through this winter wonderland and meet Santa himself. The participating neighborhood is located on Oklahoma Avenue. Though there is no entrance fee, any donations will be given to the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Christmas Fund.
Slice of Ice
Itching to get out your skates? Slice of Ice at Red Arrow Park is now open for the season. Located on Water Street across from the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, this park offers skaters a quality outdoor rink in the middle of downtown Milwaukee. Rent a pair of skates for $8 or bring your own and skate for free. Starbucks is conveniently located inside the warming house for anyone looking for a much-needed cup of coffee or cocoa. For those staying in town over break, Slice of Ice opens at 11 a.m. daily, even with limited hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so you can start your own ice-skating holiday traditions.
Carriage Rides
Imagine riding through Milwaukee in a white horse-drawn carriage, looking at the Christmas lights as snow gently falls from a dark December sky. Reserving a carriage ride through the streets of Milwaukee may make that storybook vision come to life. The drivers even wear old-timey top hats to complete the scene. Their wagons can hold up to 12 people, so you can bring the whole gang for a ride through downtown or keep it to two for that grand romantic gesture. Half-hour rides are $50, while an hour costs $90. The carriages can pick up passengers at the Pfister, Hyatt or Intercontinental hotels, departing at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends. Reservations are recommended closer to Christmas.
The Best of Milwaukee Sledding
Admit it – you love sledding now as much as you did when you were eight. Luckily, Milwaukee has enough slopes so you don’t have to resort to the old Marquette standby of sliding down snowy stairs on a cafeteria tray. Whitnall Park in Hales Corners is highly recommended by locals, mostly for its massive 400-to 500-foot long sledding hill. The park also has an additional toboggan run and a club house for warming up and drying off. Wauwatosa’s Currie Park Golf Course’s hill is not terribly steep, but runs a long way without any fear of obstacles. The most intense sledders, however, will want to test out St. Mary’s Hill. Located on Lake Drive near Colectivo, this hill is an impressive 400-to 500-feet long tilted at a 40-degree angle toward the bottom. As long as you mind the parking lot located at the end of the run, you can spend countless hours racing friends and putting off that dreaded studying.
Classic Christmas Shows
A Christmas Carol
No holiday season is complete without a healthy dose of Charles Dickens. The Milwaukee Repertory Theater is currently showing its 38th edition of “A Christmas Carol,” which will run until Dec. 24 at the Pabst Theater. The show, directed by Aaron Posner, is the second longest running rendition in the country. Posner joined the production team last season with his own vision for the performance, one that focuses on the message of love and redemption. His Scrooge, played by the returning Christopher Donahue and the rest of the gifted cast make this presentation of a classic tale all the more heartwarming. Tickets start at $20, but discounts are available to students.
The Nutcracker
The Milwaukee Ballet Company invites you to enter a world of dancing snowflakes and sugarplum fairies with its annual performance of Tchaikovsky’s most popular ballet from Dec. 14-27 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Spectators will watch the classic story unfold on stage as young Clara’s precious Christmas nutcracker comes to life to fight the Mouse King and take Clara on a journey through the land of sweets. With Tchaikovsky’s unmistakable score and impeccable choreography by Milwaukee Ballet Artistic Director Michael Pink, this production is a holiday spectacle that is surely worth staying an extra day in Milwaukee after finals. Tickets start at $40.
Carols at Colectivo
Caroling is an essential part of the holiday season, but you’ve never gone caroling like this.Saturday, Florentine Opera Studio Artists will perform fan-favorite holiday tunes and classic seasonal selections at local Colectivo locations. At 11 a.m., carolers will be at Colectivo Bay View on Kinnickinnic Ave., followed by a later performance at Colectivo Humbolt at 1:30 p.m. You know you’re going to need to haul up somewhere for a study session, so why not spend it with a cup of hot cocoa or famous Colectivo coffee and sing along with these renowned artists? Both performances are free and only a bus-ride away from campus.