Free Fridays
Want to support Free Fridays by paying for someone else’s Trail Fee? Donate below!
Free Fridays are back for 2026!
Thank you for joining us for the past two summers of Free Fridays at The Ridges!
Admission to The Sanctuary is FREE on Fridays in June, July, and August. Each week a different theme will be explored through activities on the front lawn and along Hidden Brook Boardwalk. Themes include mushrooms, dragonflies, carnivorous plants, and more!
Come enjoy the Ridges Sanctuary for free, learn about aspects of Sanctuary flora and fauna, and experience fun activities for all ages!
The Ridges is excited to provide accessible and inclusive experiences for our community. We are committed to being a safe space, welcoming all, and encouraging collective connection to the outdoors and with each other.
Free Fridays is part of Wisconsin’s Land Trust Days 2026! Check them out for more free events around Wisconsin.
2026 Free Fridays Schedule
Admission on Fridays in June, July, and August will be free from the Sanctuary opening at dawn to the Sanctuary closing at dusk. Activities along the boardwalk will be available from 9:00 am – noon, and a themed story hour will start at 9:30 am.
June 5: Life Inside a Tiny Forest
What makes a home for bears, breaks down dead trees, and cleans the air we breathe? Moss! Learn all about how moss supports almost all aspects of our ecosystem and what might be hiding away in this tiny forest.
June 19: Color Outside the Lines
Learn how we can use nature to inspire art and how art can help us appreciate nature. Create and customize your own nature journal, then fill it with art as you explore our themed stations.
July 3: Everybody Eats
What do the smallest bacteria and the largest black bear have in common? They are all part of a food web! Join us to discover how each member of our ecosystem relies on each other.
July 17: Flying Dragons
Are dragonflies really one of the most accurate hunters in the animal kingdom? Learn the answer to this question, and a few other fun facts, while exploring our dragonfly themed activities through the sanctuary.
July 31: Carnivorous Plants
Plants that eat meat? Learn about the three distinct carnivorous plants that live in the sanctuary, as well as how and why they eat what they do.
August 14: Do Animals Eat Plastic
Have you ever wondered how plastic end up in our waterways or what exactly it means for the animals that live there? Answer these questions and so much more while enjoying several trash themed activities along our boardwalk.
August 28: Migrating Monarchs
Follow the migration of a single monarch butterfly as you travel all the way from Wisconsin to Mexico, or from one end of our boardwalk to the other!
June 12: Fish of Lake Michigan
Join us for another year of Fish Printing with Hickey Brothers Fisheries! Learn more about what lives under the surface of Lake Michigan while using some of those critters to create one-of-a-kind printed art.
June 26: Life Below the Swales
Join us to learn more about macroinvertebrates, or some of the tiny critters that live under the swales.
July 10: The Incredible Journey of Water
Follow the journey of a single drop of water as it moves through the Water Cycle.
July 24: Sensing Nature
How do other animals experience the world? Use your 5 senses to see, smell, listen, and feel your way down our Hidden Brook boardwalk. Experience the world through the eyes, or ears, of animals that call The Ridges home.
August 7: Guess Who Lives Here
Practice your nature detective skills and help discover what kind of animals call The Ridges Sanctuary home. Learn how to identify what clues an animal might leave behind as it moves through the sanctuary.
August 21: Fantastic Fungi
Mushrooms! Late summer is the perfect time to learn about the wide variety of mushrooms that appear in Door County. Learn how to create spore prints, identify common mushrooms, and
If you have questions about Free Fridays, please call (920) 839-2802.
