1. Walk Through Havenwoods State Forest
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Who knew that there’s a forested oasis just within city limits? I didn’t – not until my partner and I made a Saturday morning trip there to go birding. This slice of the North Side is part woods, part grasslands and part wetlands, and its Wisconsin’s only urban state forest. Despite that designation, it’s free for anyone to visit. Our group followed the trail to spot flocks of American goldfinches, a dazzling indigo bunting and a Baltimore oriole nest! With lush trees stretching over small hills, you wouldn’t even know you’re in the city, except for some stray power lines and police sirens. At the end of our trek, I almost stepped on what I had first thought was a very long slug, until I realized it was very much not a slug, but a snake. A fox snake, so not dangerous, but not something I’d like to step on, either. It slithered back into the bushes, and likewise, I slithered back home.
2. Jam Out at Opening Weekend of Summerfest
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, ASSOCIATE DIGITAL EDITOR
Summerfest is here, and you better believe there are plenty of acts large and small for you to jam out all weekend long. If you’re feeling lost as to who to see, check out this story Evan wrote where he asked local artists to pick the acts they’re most excited to see. Or, if you’re more interested in picking for yourself, here’s the full Summerfest lineup, with the date, time and stage for each act. Summerfest opening weekend is June 20-21 (Thursday-Saturday).
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Eat at La Dama
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
I was the only diner among my group who’d eaten at La Dama before. It’s fun to experience a restaurant you’ve been to numerous times through the lens of those who haven’t. The Mexican restaurant that took over the Crazy Water space (839 S. Second St.) in 2020 was in fine form that night. We toasted with sangria and passed plates of guac, aguachile (the Mexican version of ceviche) and octopus tostada around the table. I had the main course special – mahi mahi with potatoes and zucchini and a pulpy but creamy gazpacho-ian sauce. None of us thought we’d have room for dessert but warm blueberry crostata with sweet corn ice cream was impossible to resist.
4. Let Your Thistles Grow
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
I had always thought of thistles as the most noxious of lawn and garden weeds, the kind that not just threaten to crowd out your intended plantings but also injure those who deign to remove them. Then, after a … let’s just call it a busy spring during which I did not properly tend to my yard, I was faced with a 3-foot-tall thistle in a backyard flowerbed. When the time finally came, I weeded around it and considered leaving it but ultimately put on my heaviest gloves and pulled up the stem; it gave way much more easily than I was expecting, and I almost instantly regretted ending that shaggy and prickly but stately plant. Last weekend at County Grounds park with my dog, that regret intensified as I passed thistle after thistle bursting with gorgeous, nearly eye-level magenta flowers. From here on out, I’m making like a Scot and considering thistles plants to be celebrated, not removed.
5. Watch the New Season of ‘House of the Dragon’
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I was very skeptical about “House of the Dragon” when the first season aired in 2022. The ending of “Game of Thrones” had left me jaded and skeptical. I felt like a man who’d girlfriend had cheated on him with his brother – could I ever love again? Why would I watch a prequel to a show that ended so terribly? I mean, Bran?! Are you joking?! Ok, I gotta take a breath. Anyway, during a particularly boring weekend, I gave “House of the Dragon” a shot – and it’s really good. Set 200 years before “Game of Thrones,” it brings you right back to that world of court intrigue, back-stabbing and family feuds, with all the memorable characters, complex plots and drone shots of majestic landscapes I could ever want. It’s so enjoyable, I can almost forget how much its forebear let me down. Season two premiered on Sunday, and the episode thankfully lived up to season one’s promise. If you’re a “Thrones” fan, you should definitely be watching. But even if you’re not, the story stands on its own.
