# Wehr Nature Center

> Place to go for families in the Milwaukee–Waukesha area (WI). Times are Central Time.

- When: Trails open dawn to dusk year-round (parking lot locked 5 p.m.–8 a.m., October to…
- Where: Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W College Ave, Franklin, WI 53132
- Ages: All ages
- Price: Parking $5 per vehicle per day ($4 veterans or people with disabilities); Friends of Wehr members park free. Some programs charge fees.
- Schedule: Trails open dawn to dusk year-round (parking lot locked 5 p.m.–8 a.m., October to January). Visitor Center open daily 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., closed on Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the day after Christmas and New Year's Day (trails stay open).
- Organizer: Milwaukee County Parks — Wehr Nature Center
- Official page: https://www.wehrnaturecenter.com/
- Last checked: Sat, Oct 24

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/wehr-nature-center--listing-fa8f8c3bf44f0b088a9285a4

## About

A Milwaukee County nature center inside 660-acre Whitnall Park, adjoining the Root River Parkway. Five miles of trails cross five actively managed habitats on a 220-acre property around Mallard Lake: the 1-mile All Abilities Loop and 1.5-mile Lake Loop are rated easy, the Grasslands Loop moderate, and there is also a Woodland Loop, a boardwalk, a waterfall, an accessible pier, an observation blind and a nature play space. Snowshoes can be rented during business hours when conditions allow, first come, first served. Wehr is pack-it-in, pack-it-out with no picnic tables; pets, bikes, foraging, boating and fishing are not allowed.

## Similar picks in Milwaukee

- [Scarecrow Lane at Retzer Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/scarecrow-lane-at-retzer-nature-center--listing-944019f65f4d2179aa514832) — Oct 24 – Oct 31 · Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. A self-guided fall hike past more than 42 creative, one-of-a-kind scarecrows set up along Retzer's trails by the Friends of Retzer Nature Center. Start near the Discovery…
- [Fall Story Hike: The Acorn and the Oak — Retzer Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/fall-story-hike-the-acorn-and-the-oak-retzer-nature-center--listing-fd4aaafb0293c15dd66d564f) — Oct 24 – Oct 31 · 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM · Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. A self-guided story walk on Retzer's roughly 0.6-mile White Trail: read Rhonda Accardo's picture book The Acorn and the Oak page by page and learn about oak trees and their…
- [Operation Recon Nature – Veterans and Families](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/operation-recon-nature-veterans-and-families--listing-bbc480158d683be8cf919ffd) — Sat, Oct 24 (+2 more dates) · 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM · Wehr Nature Center, Franklin · Free · checked Oct 24. A free monthly nature walk for veterans from every branch, including active duty, reserve and retired personnel, and their families. Participants share camaraderie on Wehr's…
- [Teen Conservation Club at Wehr Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/teen-conservation-club-at-wehr-nature-center--listing-0212b14ce69dc03cbf1b2c7a) — Monthly on the last Saturday, noon–2 p.m. Upcoming: Oct 31, Nov 28 and Dec 19, 2026. · Wehr Nature Center, Franklin · Ages 13–17 · checked Oct 24. A monthly club for teens interested in the natural world, focused on conservation, community and hands-on projects that give back. It is meant to build community among…
- [Little Wonders for Twos and Threes at Wehr Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/little-wonders-for-twos-and-threes-at-wehr-nature-center--listing-0d417578b435ae4b6f31ca4b) — Monthly on Mondays: Little Wonders for Twos 9:30–10:30 a.m.; Little Wonders for Threes… · Wehr Nature Center, Franklin · From $12 · checked Oct 24. A monthly nature class for toddlers and their favorite adult, run in two sessions by age. Each month has a theme: in Eager Beavers children make and wear beaver costumes, chew…
- [Retzer Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/activities/retzer-nature-center--listing-47e06c29b900f73292a7e81e) — Trails 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. Office/building: Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–3… · Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. A 483-acre Waukesha County nature center of prairies, woodlands, wetlands, gardens and trails, once the retirement home of John and Florence Retzer, who planted more than 26,000…

## More for families

- [This weekend in Milwaukee](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee/this-weekend.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Milwaukee](https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/milwaukee.md)
