Milwaukee County is blessed with a wonderful park system, thanks to the foresight of the German fathers of the area. The City of Milwaukee formed the Milwaukee Parks Commission in 1889 to purchase and develop land for public parks. The commission hired the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted to develop Lake, River and West parks, creating a 'necklace' of large parks connected via the rivers and waterways of the county. 

Whitnall Park, just kitty-corner across from Sacred Heart, is accessible from both Rawson Ave. and Highway 100. The largest park in the County system,it has miles of walking and bike trails, a golf course, the Wehr Nature Center, and Boerner Botanical Gardens. Many of park's structures, were constructed during the 1930s and much of the park labor was provided by the Civilian Conservation Corps program. The gardens feature collection of perennials, annuals, herbs, and more than 550 varieties of roses. The crabapple collection is one of the largest in the nation.

Milwaukee County Parks operates the Traveling Beer Garden, which visits eight Milwaukee County parks during the beer-gardening season, plus four permanent beer gardens in Humboldt, Juneau, South Shore, and Whitnall parks. 

The Pettit National Ice Center is named for Jane Bradley Pettit, whose generous early contributions provided the primary private funding for the construction and initial operation of the Pettit Center.

As an Official Training Site for US Speedskating the Pettit Center with its speed skating oval and two international-size hockey rinks has been instrumental in the development of U.S. speed skaters to compete for and win Olympic medals and has been host to regional, national and international competitions, as well as AAA hockey showcases and annual indoor running marathon, both attracting teams and runners from across the nation.

The Pettit National Ice Center is conveniently located just 10 minutes west of downtown Milwaukee at I-94 & 84th Street

Pettit National Ice Center
500 South 84th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53214

Email: info@thepettit.com
Phone: 414.266.0100