By Andy Tarnoff Publisher Published Feb 24, 2004 at 5:36 AM

{image1} It's bitter cold outside, but stop shivering: you can still find a few places in Milwaukee where you can go to warm up.

Milwaukee's hottest places - not including foundries or other places you'd need a special pass to enter - will get you thinking spring in a hurry.

Here are just a few of our favorites; use the talkback feature at the bottom of this article to chime in with your own ideas:

The Domes
524 S. Layton Blvd.
(414) 649-9830

No matter how chilly it is outside the geodesic domes, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory stays nice and toasty year round.

Each of the three domes are 140 ft. in diameter at the base and 85 ft. tall, offering 15,000 sq. ft. of space for plant display. Currently, the buildings consist of the Arid Dome, the Tropical Dome and a special, seasonal dome.

The Domes are open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., 365 days a year. Admission is free to Milwaukee County residents every Monday from 9-11:30 a.m., except holidays. For adults, 18 and over, the admission is $4.50. Seniors, people with disabilities and kids ages 6-17 get in for $3. Children under five enter free. For more information, call (414) 649-9830.

Miller Brewery Brewhouse
4251 W. State St.
(414) 931-BEER

Near the end of the Miller Brewery tour, you have the option to climb a whole bunch of stairs and check out the room where boiling wort starts to become sweet, sweet beer. During the summer, this is easily the least enjoyable part of the tour: it's hotter than Hades, and it comes right before the beer sampling part. In the winter, however, the sweltering room - well over 90 degrees -- is sure to thaw your frozen extremities. And breathing in the yeasty scents of brewing beer isn't bad, either. Think of it as winter aromatherapy, Milwaukee-style.

Free brewery yours run Monday through Saturday year round. Winter hours (Labor Day-Memorial Day): 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Paradise Landing (Inside the Hilton Milwaukee City Center)
509 W. Wisconsin Ave.
(877) KIDS-RULE

This hot spot is definitely the most family-friendly in town. Boasting 20,000 square feet of warm fun, this indoor urban water park (the first of its kind) has all sorts of crazy stuff to heat up your kids' winter, including four water slides, water cannons and a hydro-therapy spa.

Paradise Landing access is available with Waterpark Package stays at the Hilton. But you don't have to commit to an overnight stay to warm up in the urban waterpark. A limited number of day passes is available. It's best to call the hotel to find out about availability. Hours are Mon.-Thurs: 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Other hot spots around Milwaukee worth checking into:

  • Saunas, hot tubs and whirlpools at area health clubs
  • Salsa night at Club Havana
  • Tanning beds
  • Bar time at Real Chili
  • Any live music show at Linneman's

Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.

Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.

Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.