After emerging from the gray and gloom of winter, getting outside to enjoy the sunshine, warming temperatures, and the spring flowers in bloom all over the city. Here’s our favorite places to enjoy the beautiful spring flowers in bloom in the Milwaukee area.
As always, be sure to check websites, Facebook pages, etc. for hours of operation, blooming schedules, admission prices and policies, and other relevant information.
BONUS: Art in Bloom at the Milwaukee Art Museum
While these flowers aren’t blooming out “in the wild,” you can enjoy beautiful blooms inspired by the works of art at the MAM at this annual event. Wander the museum to see your favorite artworks in the Museum’s collection interpreted through elaborate floral arrangements during this annual celebration of spring.
Happening April 18th-21st, tickets are available now at mam.org. Art in Bloom is one of the most popular events at the museum and arguably, one of the most beautiful! Tickets are sold by time slot, so be sure to get yours before they’re all booked up.
Where to See Spring Flowers in Milwaukee and the Surrounding Areas
CATEGORIES:
- Tulip Farms & Festivals
- Wildflower Hikes
- Gardens
- Road Trips
Tulip Farms & Festivals
Tulips are one of the earliest-blooming flowers each spring, and come with the bonus of there being a LOT of them. Rolling fields of these bold blooms make for gorgeous photos and a truly memorable experience.
There are several options for area Tulip Farms and Festivals and our favorites are rounded up HERE:
- Happy Day Farmhouse Tulip Festival (May 4 – 5) – Germantown
- Richardson Tulip Festival (late April – May) – Spring Grove, IL
- Midwest Tulip Festival (opens April 27) – Maple Park, IL
Wildflower Hikes
On these first beautiful spring days, the area parks and trails will likely be hopping with people ready to soak in the sun. No matter where you end up strolling, especially in wooded areas, you’re likely to see wildflowers throughout the season, but here are five great spots to be sure to check out:
- Wehr Nature Center – Franklin, WI: Explore more than five miles of nature trails + gardens with a variety of plant and flower varieties. In May, the trillium blooms will be lining trails with pops of white and yellow. There’s even a natural play space with a log cabin playhouse for kids to enjoy! Be sure to check around the Visitors Center where there are often beds of tulips and daffodils starting to pop up in April.
- Cudahy Nature Preserve – Oak Creek, WI: Tucked away on the south side of the city (501 E College Ave), this park features trails as part of Milwaukee County Parks’ Forked Aster hiking trail system. Be sure to look near the river for the bright yellow marsh marigolds that pop up in April and bloom through June. Free to visit + small parking fee.
- Kettle Moraine State Forest – Washington County: Stretching over more than 22,000 acres, the Kettle Moraine State Forest is a well known gem of southeastern Wisconsin that also boasts several prime spots for spring wildflowers. Check out the Ice Age Trails for spring blooms like trillium and hepatica in late April / early May, and marsh marigold. The Cedar Lakes segment is another great spot to see multiple varieties of wildflowers, including violets, mayapple, shooting stars, and wood anemone.
- Havenwoods State Forest – Milwaukee, WI: The state’s only urban forest really shines in the spring as the six miles of trails through grasslands and forest start to bloom with bloodroot, trillium, violets, wild geranium, and more. Be sure to check out the events calendar for guided hikes, craft projects, clean-up events, and more.
- Seven Bridges Trail in Grant Park – Milwaukee, WI: We’ve sung our praises of Seven Bridges Trail before, but if you haven’t explored this local gem in the spring, you are missing out! In late April and early May, be sure to venture off the main trail in search of mayapples, jack-in-the-pulpit, yellow trout lily, crocuses and more gorgeous Wisconsin wildflowers.
Gardens
No conversation about flowers in Milwaukee would be complete without talking about the local gardens families have come to adore year round and especially in the spring and summer!
- Boerner Botanical Gardens – Hales Corners: When it comes to beautiful blooms in the Milwaukee area, Boerner wears the crown. Enjoy thousands of colorful flowers, plants, and gorgeous displays laid out in 12 formal gardens. Plus, the new addition of Margie’s Children’s Garden, a 3 acre garden especially for children, has been particularly popular among parents of littles.
- Sanger House Gardens – Brewer’s Hill, Milwaukee: The gardens at Sanger House have been featured in magazines and other profiles numerous times over the years. The house is a restored Victorian home and Carriage House surrounded by stunning gardens featuring over 400 different plant varieties, often hosting private events. On the weekends. The gardens are normally open to the public for visiting.
- Lapham Peak Butterfly Garden – Delafield, WI: Lapham Peak always lands on the top of most lists of favorite local hiking spots, but make sure not to miss stopping by the Butterfly Garden just east of Plantation Path. With all the flowers planted specifically to attract butterflies, it is both fragrant and beautiful.
- Bookworm Gardens – Sheboygan, WI: Bookworm Gardens is set in an idyllic, wooded acreage on the UW-Sheboygan County Campus. Bookworm Gardens is designed as a botanical garden for the young to explore and the old, but still young at heart, to revel in the magic of children’s literature in a beautiful setting filled with nature and art.
Road Trip
Got a little spring fever and you’re ready to get out of the house and hit the road? Hop in the car and take a little drive to these destinations a little further outside the Milwaukee area, but worth the effort.
Wisconsin State Capitol
Take a little road trip up I-94W for a visit to Madison that will be worth it. The gardens surrounding the stunning Wisconsin State Capitol building are known far and wide as one of the most gorgeous places to see spring flowers in the state. Starting in early spring, tens of thousands of tulips burst into bloom, bringing a surge of vibrant color to the square. The peak blooms will be dependent on weather, but you’re likely to see the best of the tulips in April, into May. Throughout the summer, you can circle the Capitol and see collections of different flowers throughout the season.
More destinations worth the drive to see spring flowers:
- Happy Day Farmhouse Tulip Festival (May 4 – 5) – Germantown
- Richardson Tulip Festival (late April – May) – Spring Grove, IL
- Midwest Tulip Festival (opens April 27) – Maple Park, IL
- Olbrich Botanical Gardens – Madison, WI
Make your plan, pack the picnic basket, and get ready to get out there and enjoy the spring flowers this season!
