Seven Affordable Things To Do in Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve
If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to finalize your plans for New Year’s Eve! Here are some options and advice we’ve compiled for affordable New Year’s Eve events in Milwaukee.
Dining Out - A number of restaurants have special menus and require reservations for New Year’s Eve. If you’re looking to dine out, we suggest you call the restaurant of your choice and inquire about their menu and reservation options. If you’re looking to use a coupon, be aware that the Entertainment Book coupon policy states the coupons aren’t valid on major holidays such as New Year’s Eve. However, if you have a coupon you’d like to use, we suggest contacting the restaurant to see if they will accept the coupon. Chances are some businesses will still accept the coupons on a holiday as they won’t want to turn away business.
New Year’s Eve Family Celebration at the Mitchell Park Domes - The popular annual New Year’s Eve celebration is loaded with entertainment including children’s entertainers, crafts, balloons, and live music. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for kids (children 5 and under are free). The event takes place from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information and to make reservations, visit the Friends of the Domes website.
Winter Fest Family Fun New Year’s Eve Celebration - A new celebration this year, Winter Fest offers many different family friendly activities. Starting at 6:30 p.m., there will be live entertainment, games and activities from Radio Disney, and Winter Fest activities including free ice skating and skate rental. At 8:30 p.m. and midnight, there will be a New Year’s countdown and ball drop. Admission is $15 at the door or $12 in advance from Ticketmaster. Children under three are free.
Free Ice Skating - Due to the warmer weather so far this winter, skating will not be available at any Milwaukee County ponds. The skating rink at Red Arrow Park is open, and free ice skating is available until 1:00 a.m. on New Years Eve/Day. Skate rentals are available.
As an alternative, the Pettit National Ice Center has open skate from noon to 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for kids. In Waukesha County, Eble Ice Arena is open from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. A buy one, get one free admission coupon for Eble is available in the Entertainment Book.
Watch a movie at home - Watching movies is a popular choice with people who like to stay at home on New Year’s Eve. If you reserve a movie in advance on Redbox.com, you’ll pay only $1 (if you rent directly at a Redbox machine, the price is $1.20). Reserving in advance online is a good idea since the selection on New Year’s Eve may be limited.
Harlem Globetrotters at the Bradley Center - The Globetrotters are back for their annual New Year’s Eve appearance. Games are at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the Bradley Center, and tickets start at $19 plus fees. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster and the Bradley Center box office. We recommend visiting the box office to avoid Ticketmaster fees.
The Polar Express at the IMAX - See the popular holiday movie, The Polar Express, at the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater located at Milwaukee Public Museum. Show times are 4:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults ($8 for seniors/students/teens and $7 for children), and can be purchased online at the Milwaukee Public Museum website.
Do you know of any other fun and affordable options for New Year’s? If so, please leave a comment! Also, if you’re willing to spend a little more cash out on the town and are looking for a party, this list of from Between the Bars Milwaukee is a great resource.
Miller Lite Free New Year’s Eve Bus Rides
Miller Lite has partnerd again with the Milwaukee County Transit System and Waukesha Metro Transit to provide free bus rides on New Year’s Eve.
The free rides on Milwaukee County buses start at 8:00 p.m., and run until the end of regular service on all routes. In addition, 13 main routes will stay in service until 4:00 a.m. offering pick-ups every 30 minutes. A route map is available on the Milwaukee County Transit System website
In Waukesha, free rides start at 7:00 p.m. and run until 3:30 a.m. If you live in Waukesha and want to celebrate in Milwaukee, you can ride a Metro Transit bus to Brookfield Square which is also served by Milwaukee County Transit. For specific route information, visit the Waukesha’s Metro Transit web page.
Full details on the program can be found on the Miller Lite Free Rides website. If you need help planning your route, call 1-800-FREE-RIDES (1-800-373-3743).
Free New Year’s Eve Bus Rides
Miller Lite has teamed up again with the Milwaukee County Transit System and Waukesha Metro Transit to provide free bus rides on New Year’s Eve.
The free rides on Milwaukee County buses start at 8:00 p.m., and run until the end of regular service on all routes. In addition, 13 main routes will stay in service until 4:00 a.m. offering pick-ups every 30 minutes. A route map is available on the Milwaukee County Transit System website
In Waukesha, free rides start at 7:00 p.m. and run until 3:30 a.m. If you live in Waukesha and want to celebrate in Milwaukee, you can ride a Metro Transit bus to Brookfield Square which is also served by Milwaukee County Transit. For specific route information, visit the Waukesha’s Metro Transit web page.
Full details on the program can be found on the Miller Lite Free Rides website. If you need help planning your route, call 1-800-FREE-RIDES (1-800-373-3743). Customer service reps will be available from 6:15 a.m. to 1 a.m. on December 31, 2010 and January 1, 2011.
If you’re still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, check out our post Nine Affordable Things to do in Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve.
