MILWAUKEE — Despite coronavirus closing bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues all around Milwaukee, there are many safe fun things to do this weekend.
Visit Milwaukee has several creative ideas for making quarantines more bearable.
"The first thing that hit me personally was when I realized I can't get my daily Stone Creek Coffee," Claire Koenig with Visit Milwaukee said.
From the comfort of your couch, you can check out live webcams of the animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Koenig says her favorite is the penguins.
"You can check on some of your favorite animals," Koenig said. "They've got one for polar bears, penguins, one of the tigers, a lion and one in the aquarium."
Or, feel free to watch turtles at Discovery World on their livestream.
You can browse the collections at the Milwaukee Art Museum like you never have before.
"If you feel like going down the rabbit hole of art, that's a cool place to start," Koenig said. "On any given day, the museum only has 2,000 to 3,000 on display. If you go to their website, you can browse thousands of permanent collection. It's about 30,000 pieces. They'll have more virtual experiences and activities soon."
Or, get a preview of the masterworks at the Grohmann Museum. They provide a 360-degree tour where you can virtually walk through their entire collection.
"It's the only museum dedicated to art about human labor," Koenig said. "It's really niche but some really cool pieces."
Call Cranky Al's and order for no-contact pickup a quarantine box.It's a box of 6 doughnuts with supplies for the kids to decorate them.
For the kid at heart, Splash Studios is providing a take and make the kit so you or you and a partner can make a painting at home. For $10 to $49, they can provide everything you need to make a Bob Ross-worthy masterpiece.
"I think it's a great way to escape," Gabrielle Berrier, Marketing Manager, said. "Painting is a great way to focus on something else. Spend a little time getting those creative juices flowing. This is a really good way to spend an hour or two having some fun and creating something you can keep forever as well."
Berrier says they also have options to include a bottle of wine to help get those creative juices flowing. She also hopes everyone can continue supporting the businesses that have been forced to close their doors and keep some people from working.
"Really support local," Berrier said. "We'd appreciate it completely because all of the proceeds to directly to Bars & Rec and our hardworking team to keep afloat. It's a really nice creative activity to try."
Here are some more ideas to check out from Visit Milwaukee:
Explore the exhibits of the Harley-Davidson Museum.
Print out this activity book for your child from Visit Milwaukee.
Visit the virtual galleries of America’s Black Holocaust Museum. ABHM also has lesson plans for kids organized by different ages, so there's plenty of information to keep the kids busy and learning about a critically important part of American history.
Watch "A Song a Day" on YouTube with your family! This was created by Wisconsin Conservatory of Music teacher Meaghan Heinrich, who releases a song every day that your family can sing along to.
As far as outdoor activities, you can always find an empty path along the 100-mile Oak Leaf Trail, but please be sure to practice safe social distancing.
In addition to Visit Milwaukee's tips, here are some other fun and safe things to do this weekend.
A local Prince cover artists is conducting an online concert series to raise money for fellow artists. Find more information at Facebook.com/gabrielsanchezofficial/.
Several places are offering food specials as well. Hamburger Mary's says their delivery service, Divas A Go-Go, will have a drag queen deliver food to your door.
Plus, Tandem will be giving food away "until the wheels fall off" according to Shepherd Express.