From pirate ships to college tours, here are 10 things you've never done with your kids in Milwaukee

When summer vacation comes around, it's only natural to take advantage of the homework-free, flexible-bedtime, long-daylight hours to start checking things off those bucket lists.

But, after you've lived in the same place for a while, it gets difficult to think of new things to do, things you've never done before.

That's what this list is for — to give you some new ideas of things to do in and around Milwaukee with your kids. Things you've never done before for whatever reason, maybe because they're brand new experiences for the city, or maybe because you didn't know they existed, or maybe just because you've never thought of it as something to do with your kids.

Also, a slight disclaimer: it's quite possible you have done a few things on this list before, and that they're just new ideas to me. I will concede right now that you might be a more creative and imaginative parent than I am.

You've never seen the elephants at the zoo like this

If you haven't made it to the Milwaukee County Zoo yet this summer, you'll be amazed by how different it looks. At the beginning of May, the zoo's new elephant exhibit opened up. With 1.6 outdoor acres and 20,000 square feet indoors, the elephants have much more room to hang out in. They also have more to do, with barrels to exercise their trunks, enrichment walls with treats they can find and a 98,000-gallon watering hole for when the weather gets hot.

You've never seen a life-sized dinosaur that was made out of Legos and traveled here from the UK

Speaking of new things at the zoo, there are dinosaurs there this summer. But not the animatronic version you saw during your visit last year. This time, the dinos are made out of Legos. A few of them are under glass, a few of them are life-sized and all of them are inspirational. That's why it's good that there's a hands-on area at the end of the exhibit where kids can build their own.

You've never taken a college tour with your little kids

You're probably way too used to college tours if you have older kids, but you may not have thought of a college campus as a place to hang out if you have little kids. But Milwaukee's college campuses are a beautiful, fun way to spend a few hours.  

After wandering around the UW-Milwaukee campus for a while, there are a few fun places to stop inside, including the student union, where you can look at UWM merch in the bookstore.

The Gasthaus is described as the "gem of the union," and it's a great place to grab a bite to eat. The menu is very college-student-friendly, and, as such, very kid-friendly as well, with food like quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, nachos and burgers. Do be aware, though, that hours for the restaurant are erratic when classes aren't in session, so have a backup lunch plan, especially if you're visiting in the summer.

If you're in the mood to hang out downtown, you can make a stop at Marquette University, where you can see the oldest structure in Milwaukee.

The St. Joan of Arc chapel was built in France in the early 15th century and moved to Marquette's campus in the 1960s. You can schedule a tour by calling (414) 288-6873.

You've never seen more than 6,500 bobbleheads in one place

Milwaukee is a quirky, fun city, and what is quirkier or more fun than a museum devoted to bobbleheads? The National Bobblehead hall of fame and museum, on 170 S. 1st St., opened up in February.

The museum houses the world's largest collection of bobbleheads, including famous sports figures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and TV show characters. There are also exhibits related to the history and making of bobbleheads; and, of course, a gift shop.

You've never seen a baseball team named after the state's most famous (non-alcoholic) drink

Sure, the Brewers — and Miller Park — pay homage to beer. But now there are the Milwaukee Milkmen at Routine Field, a 4,000 seat stadium in Franklin. The lawn seating, where you can throw down a blanket and watch the game, is especially great for families with wiggly children.

You've never gotten lost (at least on purpose) at Discovery World

The folks at Discovery World are really excited about their summer exhibit, partly because it's something Milwaukee families specifically asked for. When Discovery World surveyed its visitors last year to see what kind of exhibit they'd like to see, mazes won in a landslide.

So, now through Labor Day, you and your kids can check out "Mazes & Brain Games" and navigate through life-sized mazes, build your own mazes and try your hand at all sorts of puzzles.

You've never seen Harry Potter, Snow White and Cleopatra all in one exhibit

Speaking of special exhibits, "The Power of Poison" is still on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum through July 7. And it's worth your family's time before it closes.

The exhibit is all about poison in the real world, in fairy tales, in history and in legend. With displays explaining the science behind the poisons found in "Snow White," "Harry Potter" and "Alice in Wonderland", as well as interactive mysteries to discover what poisons made people sick in different scenarios, the exhibit is one of those things that will fascinate adults and kids alike. 

You've never had a fancy stay at a historic Milwaukee hotel

Anna Lardinois, who hosts historic (and sometimes haunted) tours of Milwaukee, says a lot of people don't think of the Pfister as a particularly kid-friendly place to go. After all, the historic hotel is pretty fancy.

But, according to Lardinois, that's the fun of it. Kids have told her that the lobby looks like a castle. 

Plus, if you stay a night, there's a pool!

You've never taken a lion selfie

OK, probably a lot of you have done this —you know, since the lions have been at Lake Park forever — but this was new to me.

A walk through Lake Park is beautiful, and, when you find the trails that end in gorgeous lake views, it's definitely time to snap a few selfies. And then keep your phone out because you've gotta grab a few selfies with the famous stone lions at Lion Bridges.

You've never pretended to be a pirate on a real-live tall ship

The S/V Denis Sullivan at Discovery World is a re-creation of a three-masted, Great Lakes schooner.  It looks like a pirate ship, and Discovery World embraces that with family sailing excursions, including one where kids are encouraged to dress like pirates. This is a tall ship year, which means the Sullivan will be doing a lot of traveling, so check out Discovery World's website to see when sails are scheduled. 

Contact Amy Schwabe at (262) 875-9488 or amy.schwabe@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @WisFamilyJS, Instagram at @wisfamilyjs or Facebook at WisconsinFamily.