My granddaughter's visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum

When our plans for outdoor activities with our four-year-old granddaughter melted in the mid-90s sun on a recent Saturday, my wife (Barrie) and I turned to each other for ideas for indoor fun.

We immediately thought of a visit to a local museum, particularly one on the lakefront where it might be a little cooler. The most obvious options were the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum or Discovery World given their emphasis on kids, but our little Rozzie had recently been to both. So, we said at the same time, what about the Milwaukee Art Museum?

We knew MAM offered the Kohl’s Art Studio for kids to do their own art projects, but we wondered if there would be enough additional offerings to satisfy a four-year-old. We decided to take our chances, and were we ever glad we did so.

Rozzie was captivated from the moment she stepped into the museum (for free – there’s no charge for kids!), marveling at all of the glass and the great views of the lakefront. While we admittedly skipped some of the collection (a preschooler doesn’t get real excited about 14^th century European paintings or decorative arts), we homed in on the artwork that featured animals and nature. The colorful Haitian art collection and videos, museum café, gift shop, and art studio also were big hits.