Stop waiting for spring! Find the best indoor gardens, trivia spots, and pickleball clubs to help you beat the winter blues right here in Wisconsin.
Once the winter holidays end and the excitement of the new year fades, many Wisconsinites start to feel restless, faced with a seemingly endless wait until spring. Whether you know it as a case of cabin fever or the winter blues, it hits almost all of us in some way eventually. Despite the biting wind chill and long nights, there are still ways to find joy in the season. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, check out this list of ways to combat cabin fever during a Wisconsin winter.
A note on SAD: It’s normal to feel down on occasion, especially in the middle of winter. That said, if you find yourself feeling low for days at a time or losing interest in the activities that you usually enjoy, it might be a good idea to see your healthcare provider. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is more than a passing mood; it is a form of depression that impacts thousands of people in the U.S. each year. If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone, and there are professionals who can help you feel like yourself again.
1. Find your winter oasis
There are many indoor escapes to visit in Wisconsin during the cold months. From quaint museums to cozy coffee shops, find your haven and become a regular if you can. Changing up your surroundings is important, especially in winter when it’s easy to find yourself at home most of the time.
If you are looking for a tropical escape, try visiting one of Wisconsin’s botanical gardens.
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory: Known for its iconic glass domes, this Milwaukee conservatory is home to several different indoor garden environments, including a flower-filled paradise and an arid desert landscape.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens: This Madison icon features a waterfall, hundreds of tropical plants, and even some free-flying birds, all contained within a balmy 50-foot-tall glass pyramid conservatory.
2. Refresh your home
If finding a winter haven outside the home isn’t practical or possible, you can still shake things up by changing up your living space. Set aside a weekend to rearrange your furniture or take on a small DIY project. If a full room makeover feels like too much right now, it’s okay to start small. Even a quick 5-minute cleaning session or switching out a few lightbulbs for added warmth can make a huge difference for your mood, and may give you the momentum you need to go further.
3. Team up for trivia
While fun any part of the year, winter is a particularly good time for trivia nights and other team challenges at local bars, breweries, and coffee houses. Organize a team of friends for a few hours of mental stimulation and some healthy competition.
Ope! Brewing Co. – Located in West Allis, this brewery hosts a variety of events, including themed weekly trivia and special music bingo nights.
Working Draft Beer – This Madison Taproom features weekly events, including trivia, bingo, and even a LEGO building competition.
4. Learn something new
What do baking bread, throwing pots, and doing yoga all have in common? They are hobbies you can try this winter to get your mind off the cold for a bit. While starting a new hobby alone is great, for an added social bonus, find a friend who is interested in learning a new skill or sign up for a group class at a local community center.
Olio Arts & Music Center: Wisconsin is home to many art centers like this one, located in Wisconsin Rapids, which hosts classes in pottery, jewelry making, mosaics, and more.
Fox Valley Technical College: With multiple locations across central Wisconsin, there are plenty of opportunities to take personal enrichment classes and workshops on topics ranging from photography and painting to sewing and cooking.
5. Try an indoor sport
You may be tired of hearing this by now, but it’s worth repeating. Exercise is really good at boosting your mood. This winter, there are plenty of ways to exercise indoors if you want to stay out of the cold. Apart from joining a gym or working out at home, there are a bunch of indoor sports options across the state that can get your heart pumping.
Pickleball: Move over baseball, and make way for America’s new favorite pastime, pickleball. Looking to join the fun? Places like Picklr in Green Bay and Pickleball Kingdom in Appleton offer plenty of clinics, classes, and tournaments to keep new and experienced players busy all winter long.
Curling: If you are looking for a more wintry sport, then look no further than curling. Dozens of cities across Wisconsin have their own curling clubs with “Learn to Curl” events, perfect for beginners.
6. Do some daydreaming
You can probably agree that it’s nice to have things to look forward to. Now, that’s not to say it’s good to always be living for tomorrow, but sometimes one of the best ways to brush off winter blues is to spend some time dreaming about the warmer weather ahead.
For example, winter is the perfect season to plan an epic camping trip. Popular spots like Devil’s Lake State Park fill up quickly, so booking your campsite in the cold months when people aren’t thinking about it yet is a smart idea that will help get you ahead of the crowd.
Speaking of which, winter is also a great time to get a head start on your spring planting. It may be too cold to do yard work, but it’s the ideal window to start planning your planting. So go ahead—order your seed catalogs, sketch out your optimal garden layout, or start some plants indoors.
7. Embrace the cold
As the saying goes, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” And with that in mind, sometimes the best cure for winter blues is to get outside and enjoy winter, even if it’s just for a little bit. Luckily for you, Wisconsin is filled with places and opportunities to do just this.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Start small and take a short walk around the block.
- Go ice fishing on Lake Winnebago.
- Hike to a frozen waterfall.
- Try snowboarding, skiing, or tubing at Cascade Mountain.
- Snowshoe through a state park.
Wisconsin winters, at times, can feel never-ending, and it’s easy to get a little stuck waiting for the world to warm up again. Whether you strap on some snowshoes or take a brief trip to a tropical garden, there are plenty of ways to make the most of the season. Spring will be here before you know it, but in the meantime, there’s plenty of joy to be had right here during a Wisconsin winter.
