Got plans for New Year's Eve this year?

You could stay home, watching DVDs and catching up on your zzz's. But, wouldn't it be more fun to spend a night on the town, enjoying some of the best of what Milwaukee has to offer?

Rest assured there are plenty of tasty ways to ring in the New Year. Whether you're looking for fancy, fun or family-friendly, here are a few of our favorite ideas.

Start your celebration early with the Afro Fusion New Year Bash at the Urban Ecology Center at Riverside Park Friday, Dec. 28. From 6:30 p.m. to midnight, enjoy African-inspired cuisine, South African wine, champagne, African and reggae music, dancing, drumming and a fashion show. Adults only. VIP Gold admission is $50 (or $90 per couple) and includes three small plates, one glass of both wine and champagne, a dedicated waiter and VIP seating for the fashion show. Silver admission for $35 includes two small plates and one glass of wine. General admission for $20 includes one drink.

Or, take some time out on Sunday, Dec. 30 and indulge your senses at C. 1880 for its first-ever truffle dinner. This delectable chef's tasting menu includes multiple courses of expertly prepared fare, infused, augmented and enhanced by a combination of imported white and black truffles. Courses include celeriac soup with black and white truffles and parmesan, eggs with white truffles and hazelnuts, lobster with black truffles and salsify, veal with white truffles and blanquette deveau, financier with white truffles and chestnuts, and a duo of both white and black truffle custards. The tasting menu is $185, or $220 with wine pairings. Call (414) 431-9271 for reservations.

Of course, you can also take the more traditional route and wait until Dec. 31 to celebrate the days gone by and hope for the future. And, if you do, there are plenty of delicious options.

If a Bartolotta's experience is calling your name, make reservations now to spend your New Year's Eve at Bacchus. Reserve your place for a four-course feast for $85 between 5 and 6 p.m. Or, opt for five courses for $125 from 5 p.m. to close, with free admission to the after party, featuring live music from Five Card Studs from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Non-dinner guests can enjoy the after party for just $20. For additional details or to make reservations, call (414) 765-1166.

Ring in 2013 at Blu on the 23rd floor of The Pfister and enjoy one of the best views in the city. Opt for an early night out with a seafood platter, bottle of champagne and live music from the Mark Thierfelder Trio from 5 to 8 p.m. Tables for up to four people run $200 plus tax and gratuity. Midnight packages start at 9 p.m, range from $200 to $400 and include a table for four with desserts, cheeses, premium champagne, party favors and music from Janet O'Mahony. Reservations are required. Get additional details online.

Make your holiday worry-free by securing reservations at The Pfister Hotel for its New Year's Eve Bed & Brunch Special. Spend the night on the town, taking in the sights, seeing a show or dancing the night away and don't worry a bit about driving – you'll be taking the elevator home. Overnight stay and brunch packages at The Rouge start at $260.

If you'd prefer an intimate evening with your significant other, you might opt for the snazzy three-course couples dinner at Carnevor, including options like puree of truffled chestnut soup, petite filet, lobster and a dark chocolate vanilla bean delight for dessert. Dinners are $130 per couple with additional charge for wine pairings. Reservations can be made through Open Table.

Or, indulge in Chef Justin Carlisle's five-course tasting menu at Umami Moto for $55 per person. Courses include matsutake chawanmushi with smoked caviar and apple; salsify salad; Guinea hen with black cardamom, chocolate, quince, cranberry, chestnuts and radicchio; aged Hidden Creek Farm beef; and milk chocolate namelaka for dessert. Reserve your seat through Open Table.

Make reservations at Wauwatosa's Le Reve Patisserie and Cafe for a very French New Year's Eve featuring a three- or four-course prix fixe menu with or without wine pairings. First-course choices include truffle-roasted beet and Chevre galette, foie gras torchon or lobster cakes with fennel and blood orange, with main dishes including Dover sole, black truffle ravioli and grilled petite filet. Prix fixe pricing for three courses is $55 ($75 with wine), with four courses at $65 ($85 with wine). Start off dinner with a special Le Grand Plateaux de Fruits de Mer appetizer, featuring Empress crab claws, Madagascar prawns, Wellfleet oysters and P.E.I. mussels, for an additional charge.

Beer lovers might consider the Lowlands Brewing Company package at the Third Ward's Café Benelux, which includes unlimited Lowlands Brewing Co. Bier for $49. A specially-designed three-course dinner for $39 will also be available. Call (414) 501-2500 for details and reservations.

You might also want to tempt your taste buds at Smyth at the Iron Horse Hotel. Enjoy a five-course New Year's Eve prix fixe menu for $95 (or $125 with wine pairings) featuring options like venison pate encroute and rabbit loin, Upland's Rush Creek 15-month reserve cheese with a bitter greens salad, scallops with caviar buerre blanc, root vegetable gratin with Billy Blue cheese, house-made raviollo with browned butter and shaved truffle or saffron risotto with grilled lobster, and main courses including prime rib, porchetta, duck, snapper and cherry wood-smoked barley risotto. Dessert options include chestnut phyllo Napoleon, almond cake, hazelnut rum mocha affogato and flourless chocolate cake. Add the "You Only Live Once" course, featuring a foie gras torchon served with red wine for $22.

Got kids? You could stay home and play board games until the ball drops at midnight. But, maybe you'd prefer to make a real splash by taking the family Downtown for a bit of good-natured fun. Pack your bags and opt for a Paradise Landing New Year's Eve Waterpark Special at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. Family packages, beginning at $229, include a one-night stay with early check-in and up to five waterpark passes. Special waterpark activities include coloring, splash and limbo contests, a treasure hunt, New Year's Eve beach ball drop and more. For reservations, call (414) 271-7250.