Visitor and Education Center

Join Us In Creating A Legacy For Future Generations

Nestled in the prairie that surrounds it, the Visitor and Education Center will be a 2,500 sq ft gathering space with accessible and family restrooms, seating for 50 at tables, DNR office, and two outdoor patios for use year-round by park visitors. It will also include a learning center providing a unique educational opportunity about Milwaukee’s environmental infrastructure and the city’s history in the urbanization and productive use of land and water and the consequences of their overuse.

The growing popularity of the park, Milwaukee’s increasingly activated and pedestrian-friendly downtown shoreline, and the access the park provides to Lake Michigan demands an investment in basic visitor amenities. These services will ensure this special urban greenspace lives up to its full potential as a destination for hands-on education, community gatherings, recreation, and relaxing in nature.

How to Get Involved

download visitor and education center brochure

How Lakeshore State Park Is Nurturing Milwaukee’s Next Generation of Environmental Stewards

Students from across Milwaukee recently gathered at Lakeshore State Park for hands-on environmental education, participating in an experiential learning opportunity. Students moved between interactive, water-focused learning stations, their curiosity sparked by local scientists and environmental educators who brought Lake Michigan’s story to life through the Milwaukee Water Investigation Project. The success of the program highlights how impactful a dedicated Visitor and Education Center will be for the children, families and educators that use the park to host transformative experiences like this.

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Milwaukee students learn about local waterways at Lakeshore State Park
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An Education Platform

Less well known, but even more significant, Lakeshore has grown into a local center for Great Lakes and freshwater education. Providing easy access to Lake Michigan, Lakeshore State Park now conducts over 100 education programs each year in collaboration with Milwaukee schools, regional colleges and universities, and local community centers.

The Friends of Lakeshore State Park are working with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to construct a Visitor and Education Center. A hub for Great Lakes and freshwater education, with easy access to Lake Michigan and freshwater habitats, more than 450,000 people visit the park each year. The Visitor and Education Center is an investment in basic amenities — bathrooms, shelter from the elements, an interpretive display, classroom and meeting space, and active DNR presence which will make possible:

  • Hundreds of school groups and youth programs that can participate in year-round DNR environmental education programming or use the building to expand their own programming.
  • Expanded accessibility for families, disabled visitors, and those who travel by bus, bike, or car and don’t have access to facilities nearby.
  • Enhanced services provided at the trailhead of the Hank Aaron State Trail, benefitting hikers and bikers.
  • Expanded programming for more than 100 community organizations such as Rooted and Rising, Urban Ecology Center, Girl Scouts, Milwaukee Public Schools, Reflo, Discovery World, Fishing Has No Boundaries, 100 Black Men of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Chinese Community Center, Running Rebels, COA, and Neighborhood House.
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Fulfilling the Park Legacy

An oasis in an urban setting, Lakeshore State Park offers boaters, tourists, and local residents the chance to experience nature in the heart of Wisconsin’s largest city. As the Park comes of age and the prairie matures, the views from Lakeshore have become some of the iconic images of the city. Each year, more events – benefit runs and walks, festivals, and social events – look to the Park as their venue of choice.