Visit the Lynden Sculpture Garden for the Holidays
Angela Walters November 4, 2026
Angela Walters November 4, 2026
"A fire and treats await at the end." That line closes Lynden Sculpture Garden's description of Lynden by Night. The walk takes small groups into the back acres off Brown Deer Road after dark, and it runs once a month from now until February. The garden's summer draws close with the warm months. Its winter version runs on a short list of dates, and most of them fall on a Friday evening.
The first of those Fridays is a week from tomorrow, November 13.
Lynden has scheduled four night walks for the 2026–27 cold season. All four run from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
A walk costs $10, or $5 for Lynden members, and children under six go free. You have to register ahead of time, and Lynden may cancel a walk for weather. In a Wisconsin January, take that last condition seriously. Register early, and plan around the chance of a cancellation.
The walks are led by Lynden's land team, the staff who care for the grounds day to day. Here is how Lynden's event page describes them:
Explore "the sights and sounds of the night in Lynden's back acres" and observe "our monumental sculptures beneath the night sky," while land-team members introduce "the mysteries and unique features of outdoor life after dark."
That last part shapes the evening. The walk works as a nature program led by the people who restore the property's habitats, and the sculptures happen to be part of the terrain they cross.
Night walks carry the season because several of Lynden's warm-weather draws run on a summer schedule. The Bonsai Exhibit sits beside Big Lake and is run with the Milwaukee Bonsai Society and the Milwaukee Bonsai Foundation. It reopened May 9, 2026, and was set to stay open Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays "until early autumn." Fo Wilson's Eliza's Peculiar Cabinet of Curiosities, an outdoor installation on the grounds, opens April through October, weather permitting.
This year's MATERIALIZE series of outdoor installations started in spring. Gary John Gresl's Second Elegy for Ray Bradbury and "The Scythe" (Interregnum) went in with a program on April 25, and Matthew Vivirito's Framework was unveiled June 6. Both were listed as on view in Lynden's September events release.
The permanent collection doesn't leave. Lynden's visitor guidelines note that many of its works "have already spent nearly half a century outdoors" and are fragile from enduring "the vagaries of our harsh climate," which is why climbing on them is off limits. After the seasonal additions are gone, the big pieces and the land are what's left, and the night walks are built around both.
Inside the main house, Warren King: Homecoming is still up. King builds sculpture from corrugated cardboard, and this show is about his family's migration. Lynden's exhibition page lists the run as June 20 through December 23, 2026. Call the front desk before you plan a trip around it.
A daytime visit to Homecoming and a December night walk make a two-trip pair that shows the property two very different ways.
Lynden's winter hours are the same as its summer hours, and admission is still free. The garden is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It's closed Thursdays. Check in at the front desk in the main house when you arrive. Paper maps are available there.
Free admission began as a pandemic measure. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in May 2020 that Lynden would reopen June 1 for free, socially distanced walking. Executive Director Polly Morris said then that the garden wanted to share its resource with the community. Lynden says it kept visits free after seeing what open access did. A grant from the Herzfeld Foundation helped cover the first year. In 2011, admission was $9 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Today the visit page says: "Thanks to the generosity of our donors, admission is free at this time."
For a cold-weather visit, the same page's guidance matters more than usual. "There are no paths at the Lynden Sculpture Garden. We strongly advise suitable footwear." On a wet November lawn or in January snow, that means boots, not sneakers.
Daytime programs from mid-November through mid-December are mostly hands-on and seasonal. Here is how the calendar lays out around the closures:
Date | What's on | Details |
|---|---|---|
Fri., Nov. 13 | Lynden by Night | 5:30–7 p.m., $10; $5 members |
Sun., Nov. 15 | Make a Woolly Wish: Felting Rocks | Family drop-in, 12:30–2:30 p.m. |
Thu., Nov. 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving | |
Sat., Dec. 5 | Woodworking for the Holidays: Shrink Pots | 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m., $150; $120 members |
Fri., Dec. 11 | Lynden by Night | 5:30–7 p.m. |
Sun., Dec. 13 | Polymer Clay Creations: Craft Your Own Holiday Beads | Family drop-in, 12:30–2:30 p.m. |
Dec. 24–Jan. 4 | End-of-year closure | Reopens after Monday, Jan. 4 |
The December 5 woodworking day is a full one. Jeremy Stepien teaches it, and a Mora knife is available for an extra $35. The two Sunday family workshops are drop-in sessions with the same afternoon hours, so they're easy to fit around a walk on the grounds.
Plan around the end-of-year closure. Lynden is closed from Thursday, December 24, 2026, through Monday, January 4, 2027. Out-of-town holiday guests who were hoping for a walk there should come before Christmas Eve.
The land team that leads the night walks also runs Wednesday Work Days, from 10 a.m. to noon. They're free, though registering ahead is encouraged, and they depend on the weather. Lynden's November calendar says that "for the next few months," volunteers will work with land staff pulling herbaceous invasive species in the natural areas and helping with other projects that support biodiversity. Water, snacks, and tools are provided, but bring your own gardening gloves if you have a favorite pair.
Lynden describes its 40-plus acres as being converted from formal landscapes into "sustainable and diverse ecosystems." It also says its land staff is small, so volunteer help is essential. If you join a few Wednesday mornings this month, the back acres you cross on a Friday night walk will be ground you've helped clear.
After the holidays, the calendar thins out to a few fixed dates. The third night walk is Friday, January 22. The Lynden/HOME Refugee Steering Committee book group is reading Naeem Murr's Every Exit Brings You Home, with discussion moderated by Kim Khaira. Free Zoom sessions are set for January 15 and February 19 at 11 a.m.
Friday, February 19 has both: the book discussion online in the morning, then the season's last Lynden by Night walk on the grounds from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Part of what we love about River Hills is that one of the region's great outdoor art collections stays free and open on Brown Deer Road through the cold months. If you're thinking about where your next chapter on the North Shore might take you, the team at Walters Realty Group would be glad to talk it through with you, whether before or after a Friday night walk. Schedule a Consultation.
Whether you are buying, selling, or stepping into a new chapter, Walters Realty Group delivers the expertise, strategy, and elevated service to make your move seamless from start to finish. Connect with our team today and let us guide your next move with confidence.