Experience the serenity of the nighttime forest in the heart of the city, spend some time in the outdoors with us.

Candlelight Walk and Candlelight Walk for Kids are yearly traditions of honoring the longest night of the year. Take a guided stroll down the luminary-lit paths of the Milwaukee Centennial Rotary Arboretum and enjoy stops along the way for readings of seasonal poetry and prose. Back at the Center warm yourself by the fire as you enjoy music, snacks and hot cider.

Saturday, December 15 | Riverside Park
Walks begin at 7pm and continue every fifteen minutes (last walk leaves at 8:30pm)
Pick Your Price: Program Cost - $14 | Member Discount - $10 | Price Break - $7

Registration for specific walk times is required.

Register for your Candlelight Walk start time below

If you are unable to register for a selected walk time, that means that the walk is full. We apologize that our website is unable to update walk availability in real time.

The Candlelight Walk for Kids features offers earlier start times, kid-friendly readings and stories, shorter routes for littler legs, crafts, games and, of course, hot chocolate and snacks back at the Center! 

Saturday, December 15 | Riverside Park
Walks begin at 4:30pm and continue every fifteen minutes (last walk leaves at 5:45pm)
Pick Your Price: Program Cost - $14 | Member Discount - $10 | Price Break - $7

Registration for specific walk times is required. (Free for kids 3 and under)

Register for your Candlelight Walk for Kids start time below

Our Candlelight Walk and Candlelight Walk for Kids on Saturday, December 17th, are dedicated to enjoying the quiet solace of a winter’s evening on one of the longest nights of the year.

Take a guided stroll down the luminary-lit paths of the Milwaukee Centennial Rotary Arboretum and enjoy stops along the way for readings of seasonal poetry and prose as you experience the serenity of the nighttime forest in the heart of the city. Back at the Center warm yourself by the fire as you enjoy snacks and hot cider.

Price: $5 ($10 for nonmembers)

Walks begin at 7 and continue every fifteen minutes through 9 o'clock. Registration for specific walk times is required.

Click here to register for your preferred time.

Our Candlelight Walk for Kids offers earlier start times, kid-friendly readings and stories, shorter routes for littler legs, and of course hot chocolate and snacks back at the Center!

Walks begin at 4:30 and leave every fifteen minutes, with the last kids' walk leaving at 6. Registration for walk times is required.

This special evening is an Urban Ecology Center tradition. Spend it with us as we enjoy the gentleness of our longest nights and celebrate the increasing daylight still to come.

Price: Adults: $5 ($7 for nonmembers) Children: $3 ($5 for nonmembers)

 Click here to register for your preferred start time!

Our Candlelight Walk and Candlelight Walk for Kids on Saturday, December 19th, are dedicated to enjoying the quiet solace of a winter’s evening on one of the longest nights of the year.

Take a guided stroll down the luminary-lit paths of the Milwaukee Centennial Rotary Arboretum and enjoy stops along the way for readings of seasonal poetry and prose as you experience the serenity of the nighttime forest in the heart of the city. Back at the Center warm yourself by the fire as you enjoy snacks and hot cider as well as live music from Toco Rio, playing a mix of jazz, Brazilian, and seasonal tunes.

Price: $5 ($10 for nonmembers)

Walks begin at 7 and continue every fifteen minutes through 9 o'clock, with no registration necessary.

Our Candlelight Walk for Kids offers earlier start times, kid-friendly readings and stories, shorter routes for littler legs, and of course hot chocolate and snacks back at the Center!

Walks begin at 4:30 and leave every fifteen minutes, with the last kids' walk leaving at 6. New this year, participants can register below to reserve a spot on the walk time of their choice.

This special evening is an Urban Ecology Center tradition. Spend it with us as we enjoy the gentleness of our longest nights and celebrate the increasing daylight still to come.

Price: Adults: $5 ($7 for nonmembers) Children: $3 ($5 for nonmembers)

Candlelight Walk for Kids - Register for your preferred start time!

The alarm goes off at 6:35 a.m. It is morning, but it sure seems like it is still night.  I lay in bed a few minutes longer convincing myself that my alarm clock is correct and that the time registering on the clock was not magically changed by wily elves while I was sleeping.  It is not this hard to get up in summer. Sun, where are you!? When the internal dialog finally concludes, I roll out of bed to face the day…and my dog who is ready for a run.