Museum general admission tickets can be purchased in person or online.
Review our hours of operation before your next visit.
Throughout 2026—the Museum's last year open in the current building—we're honoring our iconic exhibits with five different month-long celebrations!Upcoming Events
Education Stations: Hispanic Heritage
Weekdays (MPM closed Tuesdays), September 15 - October 9, 2026
Museum Educators will be at interactive stations during the week talking about Hispanic heritage - from Latin music to the science and cultural significance behind chocolate to the history of Latinos in Milwaukee.
Programming based on daily availability; times may vary.
Halloween in the Streets
September 26-November 1, 2026
Enjoy old time frights and festive fall sights in the Streets of Old Milwaukee, where replica turn-of-the-century Halloween decorations, vintage Museum collections items, and seasonal props have been added to several of the businesses and homes.
Guided Exhibit Tour: Beyond Binaries
Thursdays, October 1 & 8, 2026
5:30 p.m. & 6:45 p.m.
Explore our exhibits from a different lens during this 50-minute guided tour! Learn about ways people have lived beyond the binary throughout history and across different cultures. For ages 15+
These tours are sold out.
Celebración Latina
Saturday, October 10, 2026
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
¡Celebremos juntos! Join us as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Afro-Latin and Caribbean dance performances (plus salsa lessons!) and a mercadito (little market) on the Museum's First Floor, where local artisans will be sharing their craft and cultural knowledge with visitors. Plus, learn about the Museum's diverse collection of items from Latin America at interactive stations throughout the exhibit floors.
Ofrenda display for Día de los Muertos
October 12-November 23, 2026
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is an annual celebration each November that honors loved ones who have departed. Visit us to view an authentic display of a traditional ofrenda (a temporary altar people build for Dia de los Muertos) and learn more about this pre-Hispanic tradition.
Indigenous Peoples' Day
Monday, October 12, 2026
Visit us to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with special performances from local drum and dance groups, hands-on education stations, and chats with MPM curators.
MPM Exposed Tour: Decline, Decay, & Death
Thursday, October 15, 2026
5:30 p.m. & 6:45 p.m.
Go on a guided one-hour tour through the exhibit halls to learn about the causes, practices, beliefs, and unexpected stories of death from different cultures around the world and throughout history.
This is an 18+ event.
These tours are sold out.
Streets Alive!
Saturday, October 17, 2026
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Back by popular demand, this fan-favorite event returns one FINAL time! History will come to life in Streets of Old Milwaukee as Museum docents dressed in period attire share fascinating insights about life and work in Milwaukee more than a century ago.
Streets Alive! at NIGHT: Halloween Edition
Thursday, October 22, and Thursday, October 29, 2026
6 - 8 p.m.
Experience a hauntingly delightful adults-only social hour in the Streets of Old Milwaukee and European Village exhibits. The evening will include turn-of-the-century Halloween decorations, scary stories told by Museum docents dressed in period attire, a flashlight tour of the dark exhibit halls, a cash bar, and more frightful fun.
These events are sold out.
Halloween Hauntings
Friday, October 23, 2026, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 2 - 5 p.m.
Get in the spooky spirit and join us for one more Halloween Hauntings in our current home! Trick-or-treat through all three exhibit floors and more. You won't want to miss this FREE members-only event.
Isabel Bader Community Free Day
Sunday, November 1, 2026
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Celebrate the first day of Native American Heritage month with FREE admission for all in honor of late Milwaukee philanthropist Isabel Bader's 100th birthday. Attend drum performances, storytimes and activities for children, and hands-on education stations.
Planetarium Palooza
November 1, 2026 — January 3, 2027
We're paying tribute to the past 20 years of Planetarium programs and giant films at the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium and Dome Theater with a nine-week rotating lineup of the 20 greatest hits! Each Monday, the weekly schedule changes with three new Dome shows and two new Planetarium program.
Kohl’s Thank You Thursday
Thursday, November 5, 2026
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
All visitors receive FREE admission, thanks to support from Kohl's Cares. Plus, enjoy special programming about moccasins, chats with curators, and hands-on education stations for Native American Heritage Month.
Moccasin Workshop
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Noon — 4 p.m.
In this beginner-level workshop, each participant will learn how to make center seam-style moccasins and leave with their own pair.
$125/person
Science on Tap: Oneida Bird Monitoring Program
Thursday, November 12, 2026
6 p.m. social hour, 7 p.m. lecture
Learn about the collaborative bird-monitoring efforts of the Oneida Nation, UW-Green Bay’s Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, Northeastern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, and Audubon Great Lakes during this after-hours lecture by Tony Kuchma, Tehahukótha (Randy) Cornelius, and Erin Giese.
Introduction to Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK)
Saturday, November 14
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
The Museum's Manager of Tribal Relations, James Flores (Oneida Nation), will provide an overview of ITEK and draw on the Museum's records to show some of the ways plants are an example of this knowledge among the Menominee, Potawatomi, and Oneida Nations.
NAGPRA Virtual Lecture: Returning to the People
Wednesday, November 18
6 - 7:30 p.m.
During this free lecture by Dawn Scher Thomae, MPM’s Curator of Anthropology Collections, learn about the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), how this law impacts Native American collections, and how MPM works with Indigenous groups to bring their history home.
3 Rivers Powwow
Saturday, November 21, 2026
Noon - 7 p.m.
Celebrate Indigenous cultures through music, movement, and more! Tribal members dressed in beautiful regalia will showcase various powwow dance styles to songs shared from different Wisconsin drum groups. Native artisans will also be selling apparel, jewelry, artwork, and other cultural items, and Indigenous food will be available to purchase. This event is open to EVERYONE.
Family Mystery at MPM
December 5, 2026
6 - 8:30 p.m.
Follow a series of family-friendly clues through the Museum's exhibit halls. This is your final opportunity to take part in Family Mystery at MPM before MPM closes!
All ages welcome. Recommended for groups of 2-10. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.
Tickets $15 for members, $20 for public.
Final Year to Shop Official MPM Merchandise
Commemorate your favorite exhibits before we close in 2027 with our limited-edition Greatest Hits apparel, accessories and collectibles! New items are released every other month throughout 2026. Collect them all! Shop at the Museum or online. Members receive 10% off their purchase.
Member Mornings
Saturdays and Sundays
9-10 a.m.
Every weekend, MPM members enjoy early access to the entire Museum before it opens to the general public.
Kohl's Thank You Thursdays
First Thursday of every month
All visitors (excluding groups) receive FREE admission to MPM's exhibits on the first Thursday of every month thanks to generous support from Kohl's Cares.
Planetarium
Now Showing at the Daniel M. Soref Theater and Planetarium
Check out the Planetarium programs and giant films playing daily.
August 7, 2026 to October 31, 2026
| 10:30 a.m. | Wisconsin Stargazing |
| 11:10 a.m. | Sea Otters: A Wild Family Adventure |
| 12:10 p.m. | Up in the Air |
| 12:50 p.m. | Wild Rescue |
| 1:50 p.m. | Wisconsin Stargazing |
| 2:30 p.m. | Sea Otters: A Wild Family Adventure |
| 3:30 p.m. | Up in the Air! |
| 4:10 p.m. | Wild Rescue |
Ongoing Programs and Initiatives
Summer Connections
MPM's annual summer initiative provides free, educational programming and access to the Museum for K-8 students throughout Milwaukee in coordination with community partners.
MPM on the Move
Book a Museum educator to travel to your location to deliver hands-on programming about a variety of natural history topics. Audiences can include community groups/organizations, day programs, residential facilities, and schools.
Want to meet virtually instead? A Museum educator will host live, interactive programming using video meeting software.
Wisconsin Statewide Community Science Project
This community-based initiative seeks to make science accessible to a broader audience throughout Wisconsin, even nationally, so the public can feel trust towards science by participating directly in it. The data is then used for future research.
MPM Book Club
A volunteer-led monthly program that invites interested adults to join lively monthly discussions about nonfiction books of a scientific nature that relate to Museum exhibits, research, or programs.
360 Virtual Exhibit Tours
Experts at MPM
Native American Heritage
Black History Month
Hispanic Heritage Month
AANHPI Heritage Month
LGBTQ+ History Month