Explore Passes
Your library card is a truly fantastic thing. Sure, you can use it to check out books or log in to a computer, but you can get so many other things with your library card, like free admission to several local attractions with our Explore Passes.
Find the passes on the Lucky Day shelf in our lobby. Explore Passes check out for three days, but you cannot hold them or reserve them for a specific date. Passes must be checked out and returned to the main desk in our lobby. You will be charged $50/day for passes that are not returned on time.
Betty Brinn Children’s Museum
Betty Brinn Children’s Museum is a non-profit children’s museum located in Milwaukee. It is a place for hands-on play and interactive learning for kids 10 and younger and their grown-ups!
The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Explore Pass is good for free admission for up to six persons and discounted parking in the adjacent Museum Center Park garage.
Bookworm Gardens
Bookworm Gardens is a vibrant and playful botanic garden inspired by children’s literature and located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Their mission is to inspire the love of books and nature in the young and young at heart. Over 75 books are represented in the Gardens, each with a corresponding laminated book to read and enjoy.
The Bookworm Gardens Explore Pass is good for free admission for up to two adults and an unlimited number of children under 18 living in their household. The pass also includes a discount on gift shop purchases.
Open to general visitors May 1 – October 31
Discovery World
Discovery World’s unique, hands-on exhibits and programs focus on two areas – technology and freshwater sciences. Enjoy eight learning labs that comprise more than 10,000 sq. ft. of space!
The Discovery World Explore Pass is good for free admission for up to six persons (limit up to 2 adults, and up to 4 kids), and $10 discount on purchase of own membership.
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee Art Museum is one of the largest museums in the United States. With a history dating back to 1888, its collection includes over 31,000 works from antiquity to the present, encompassing painting, drawing, sculpture, decorative arts, prints, video art, and installations, and textiles.
The Milwaukee Art Museum Explore Pass is good for admission for up to four people with discounted museum shopping and dining.
Mitchell Park Domes
Experience a desert oasis, a tropical jungle, and floral gardens…all in one destination. The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, also known as “The Domes,” houses thousands of plant species. The unique dome shape allows a better angle for solar heating and more height for tall trees.
The Mitchell Park Domes Explore Pass is good for free admission for two adults and four children under 17, plus a 10% discount at the Gifts Under Glass Gift Shop.
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Once a farm for Schlitz Brewery draft horses, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is Milwaukee’s comprehensive nature center. It offers six miles of trails and boardwalks that wind through 185 acres of forests, wetlands, prairies, and a beautiful stretch of Lake Michigan beach in one of the most diverse ecosystems in our region.
The trail system includes one mile of wheelchair-accessible paths, with new accessible segments to come. The Visitor’s Center offers restrooms, a Nature Store, tactile nature exhibits as well as animal exhibits throughout the Great Hall.
The Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Explore Pass is good for free admission for two adults, plus all children or grandchildren 17 and under. Parking is free and pass holders receive a discount in the Nature Store.
Wisconsin Historic Sites
Get free admission to the following 12 Wisconsin historic sites & museums: Wisconsin Historical Museum, Old World Wisconsin, Black Point Estate and Gardens, Wade House, Circus World, Villa Louis, Stonefield, H.H. Bennett Museum, Reed School, First Capitol, Pendarvis, and Madeline Island Museum.
This pass is generously sponsored by the Menomonee Falls Historical Society.
The Wisconsin Historic Sites Explore Pass is good for free admission to any of the 12 historic sites & museums for two adults and children under 18 living in their household. The pass does not cover the price of the boat ride to Black Point Estate.
Secret Explore Pass
There’s one more pass, but we’re not allowed to talk about it here. Stop by the Lucky Day Shelf in our lobby to see if it’s available. We guarantee you’ll have a wild time.