By Calie Joy Herbst Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published May 09, 2013 at 5:01 PM Photography: shutterstock.com

Although some may call it a "Hallmark Holiday," something about Mother’s Day touches a chord with nearly everyone. It is a day to relish your children, acknowledge your efforts to raise them into respectable human beings, and maybe treat yourself a bit. Milwaukee attractions are joining in the celebration and offering free admission and special events this Mother’s Day.

To show their appreciation for moms in Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Public Museum, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and the Milwaukee County Zoo are offering free admission to them this year on Mother’s Day. The Public Museum will also offer craft tables from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., special features in the butterfly exhibit, mom-only raffles, and discounts on merchandise.

To see how much we have in common with the animal kingdom, families can visit the animal moms at the Milwaukee County Zoo. They include Stella the jaguar and her two cubs, B’alam and Zean, Amba the tiger and Kiama the kangaroo with her joey, Tia. The zoo is also offering a special exhibit called Project M.O.M. which is designed to inform us about the special mother-child relationship between orangutans and the dangers they face due to the growing demand for palm oil. Visitors can create their own orangutan-themed crafts, and they can even purchase artwork painted by the orangutans.

For moms who love to garden or who just love flowers and plants, Wehr Nature Center will host its annual Native Plants Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, or families can tour the gardens at Boerner Botanical from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Boerner will also have children’s author and illustrator Lois Ehlert give a special story-time at 10 a.m.  Want to support Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee?  Then buy mom flowers here.

Kids can make a craft and pot a plant for mom. The Domes will feature special concerts in the Show Dome from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a jewelry sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Families are encouraged to mark the occasion with a family photo in the fanciful white gazebo surrounded by hydrangeas and other spring flowers.

Sporty moms will enjoy the Run Like a Mother 5K race at Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa, or a free round of golf at 10 select courses.

And of course, there’s no shortage of delectable Mother’s Day brunches. To help you choose, Café Hollander and Café Centraal are offering a free "mom-osa" or glass of champagne for all moms, and Trocadero will offer them both a glass of champagne and a red rose. See the OnMilwaukee.com Mother's Day brunch guide here.

Do you know of any great events we missed? Leave them in the comments below.

Calie Joy Herbst Special to OnMilwaukee.com
Calie Herbst is a teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools and editor of MiltownMoms.com. She received a Bachelors in Spanish and Sociology from UW-Madison and a Masters of Teaching Spanish from Marquette.

She has travelled extensively through the Spanish-speaking world, but her favorite place in the world is Milwaukee. She lives in Bay View with her husband, two year old son, Hudson and her two dogs. She and her family love to check out the latest events in Milwaukee and spend time at their cabin in Winter, Wis.

In her free time, her ideal self enjoys doing yoga, reading one book a week, and cooking with organic, local foods. Her real self just ends up watching terrible reality television.