1. Whitnall Park
FRANKLIN
Take a gander at the beautiful flowering crab apple trees in Whitnall Park. The red bloom against the budding scenery is picture perfect. Enjoy a delicious brew in the beer gardens and take a walk in nature. Gaze out over the Whitnall Park Pond and watch the birds land after a long migration back to Wisconsin. Or if you are more sporting, play a couple holes on their golf course.
2. Grant Park
SOUTH MILWAUKEE
Walk the Seven Bridges Trail, have a picnic at the Cliff Observatory or go “off road” to their secret beach on Lake Michigan. Watch the maple trees’ small red flowers bloom just before their leaves pop out. Keep an eye out for the honey locust tree, whose clusters of white flowers dangle in the sun. You can see American basswood, which drapes small yellow flowers in a line along its spangly branches.
Join Milwaukee Magazine and Quad for the third-annual Unity Awards Event on March 8 from 6:30-9 p.m. at GATHER in the Deer District.
3. Lake Park
MILWAUKEE
The pink flowering almond shrub is a spectacle on its own. You can see English elms display their dark pink tassels on their skinny branches. There are flowering crab apples and black cherry trees whose flowers cluster in the tall canopy.
4. Riverside Park
MILWAUKEE
This park is filled with cottonwood, maple trees, honey locust, English elm and basswood trees, so there is a lot to look at. The path runs along the Milwaukee River and for miles. You can enjoy the rushing waters and smell of nature while going for a walk or a run. At the end of the trail it turns into the Riverwalk where you can stop by your choice of a number of bars and restaurants.
5. Holy Hill
HUBERTUS
Gaze at the sprawling scape of budding maple, crabapple and elm trees. At the top of the hill peer out from the viewing platform to see a beautiful Wisconsin countryside. From the base, see the red-brick towers emerge from the canopy. If you are roman-catholic or interested in attending mass at the cathedral, you can reserve a seat to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. They also have a mass in Spanish for non-English speakers.
6. Greenfield Park
WEST ALLIS
Take a look at the callery pear trees white blossoms before they become fruit and the willow’s yellow blossoms draped over the pond. It is a great spot for a picnic or a place to get your kids’ energy out at the playground.
