By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published May 12, 2019 at 8:56 AM

OnMilwaukee is aware that Mother's Day is a difficult holiday for anyone who's lost a mom or a child, as well as anyone who is "trying" to become a mom. Our hearts are with the women in these situations and we recommend not reading this post.

On Mother's Day, we can easily text our moms, call our moms or post a cute photo from way back when to our mom's Facebook page, but ideally we can spend time with her – and/or do something nice for her.

No one – other than maybe dads – deserves a day to be cherished more than moms. After all, moms missed entire decades of restful sleep and most aspects of pop culture because of their kids. We owe it to them.

And obviously every mom is different – all awesome, but different – so here are 100 ideas to make the most of Mother's Day with your unique mum.

  1. Starting with the most obvious: buy her flowers.
  2. Go to brunch.
  3. Specifically: Have brunch at Punch Bowl Social and then let her pick her own shirt at the Bucks Pro Shop at Fiserv Forum. (Go Bucks!)
  4. Take a trip to IKEA for Swedish meatballs and retail therapy.
  5. Check out the new elephant habitat at the Milwaukee County Zoo. (It’s free for moms on Mother’s Day!)
  6. Go to Mommy & Mimosas at Sip ’N Paint at The Knickerbocker.
  7. Contact Margaret Muza and schedule a tin type photo session.
  8. Go to Sip & Purr to drink wine and pet cats.
  9. Ask mom about her life. What would she still like to accomplish in her life? What are some of her favorite memories from when she was a kid?
  10.  Take her on a brewery tour.
  11. Get hennas from Hands of Henna by Anita or from Luna
  12. Order Chinese take-out and chat. Or take it up a notch and trek to Chinatown in Chicago.
  13.  Older kids: get mom's car washed and fill up the gas tank. Preferably without her knowing.
  14. See "Terms of Endearment" on the big screen at the Avalon.
  15. Look through photo albums or online photos together and reminisce about the good, the bad and the hilarious.
  16. Go to the butterfly exhibit at the Milwaukee Pubic Museum. (Free admission!)
  17. Take a stroll at Seven Bridges in Grant Park.
  18. Let her release some stress at Bust-n-Stuff.
  19. Play cards and drink tea or coffee or wine.
  20. Visit the Domes. (Buy her a little cactus!)
  21. Get manicures or pedicures. 
  22. Take her to throw axes at Bounce / Fling MKE.
  23. Buy flowers and plant them together.
  24. Ask her if she needs anything.
  25. Buy matching shoes. Maybe something fun like flip flops or sneakers.
  26. Take her to a bookstore and let her pick out a book or magazine. 
  27. Teach her how to do something new with social media.
  28. Go thrift-store shopping / antiquing. BC Modern in Walker's Point is very cool.
  29. Check out the early bloomers at the Boerner Botanical Garden.
  30. Take her to a salad bar for a healthy mom's day meal.
  31. Go to beer yoga at MKE Brewing Co.
  32. Get memberships to the Urban Ecology Center to continue doing things together this summer.
  33. Take a walk along the lakefront, weather permitting.
  34. Take her somewhere she took you as a child.
  35. Peek inside Milwaukee's oldest structure: St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette.
  36. Tour the cheesehead factory.
  37. Try the new purple moon ice cream at Purple Door.
  38. Sign up for a class together through Milwaukee Rec.
  39. Get some Funky rolls and browse Sherman Phoenix.
  40. Go bowling.
  41. Browse the shops in the Third Ward.
  42. Make her a "mix tape" of songs she likes – and songs you think she would like.
  43. Visit the Milwaukee Art Museum. MAM is also hosting a Mother's Day brunch.
  44. Get burgers (and fries and a banana shake and...) at Night Owl.
  45. Have a lobster roll at St. Paul's Fish Market and shop the Public Market after.
  46. Take her for pizza at Pizza Man Milwaukee, Wauwatosa or Oak Creek.
  47. Volunteer or make a plan to volunteer at her favorite nonprofit.
  48. Get creeped out at The House on the Rock.
  49. Make art together at Splash Studio.
  50. Ask her to teach you how to do something: cook a family recipe, knit, etc.
  51. Take her indoor mini-golfing at Nine Below.
  52. Rent Bublr Bikes and ride around the East Side or Walker's Point.
  53. Enjoy a glass of bubbly at View MKE.
  54. Hit up Barnacle Bud's and take a mini-vacay together.
  55. Check out a Farmers Market together. 
  56. Visit a beer garden.
  57. Play cards or cribbage or whatever game is cherished in your family.
  58. Challenge her to a game of Ms. Pac-Man at Up-Down Milwaukee.
  59. Sign up for a cooking class at new Glorioso's Appetito.
  60. Relive the '80s and make appointments to get perms
  61. Have lunch at Cafe Grace, followed by shopping at the Mayfair Collection.
  62. Gossip about family members at a coffee shop.
  63. Take a cocktail class at Bittercube Bar & Bazaar.
  64. Take a ride on The Hop.
  65. Book a day of relaxation at the Kohler Waters Spa
  66. Put your pinkies up during tea at Blu in The Pfister Hotel.
  67. Head to the Village Cheese Shop for an afternoon of wine and cheese tasting.
  68. Go see Cher live at Fiserv Forum.
  69. Share a custard sundae at Kopp's Frozen Custard.
  70. Spend a few hours cuddling with the pups at the Wisconsin Humane Society.
  71. Plant a tree that will offer beauty and shade for years to come.
  72. Have a movie marathon, complete with popcorn and a bottle of bubbly.
  73. Grab a blanket and fried chicken from The Tandem and go on an impromptu picnic.
  74. Head to Enlightened Brewing Co. for a few beers and a rousing game of Magnetag.
  75. Get custard from Leon's and drive or walk through the historic Forest Home Cemetery.
  76. Sign up for a chocolate and wine (or bourbon) pairing class at Indulgence Chocolatiers.
  77. Buy mom an old-school cocktail on Mother’s Day eve at At Random or Bryant’s.
  78. Take her on a sensory expedition to The Spice House to restock her spice cabinet (follow that up with a cooking date).
  79. Pick up a box of doughnuts from Donut Monster and some Hawthorne coffee and enjoy a leisurely morning of reminiscing.
  80. Get (hair) blowouts at Dry Bar.
  81. Take your mom to see "Mermaids" at the Oriental Theatre.
  82. Get hot ham and rolls – a Milwaukee classic.
  83. Take her to MilwaukeeHome and buy her a T-shirt and then have ramen at The National.
  84. Recreate and retake a photo that you took together many years ago.
  85. Play bingo at Potawatomi.
  86. Go out for sushi at Screaming Tuna.
  87. Go see "The Miracle Worker" at First Stage.
  88. Buy art supplies or a kit at Michaels and do a craft.
  89. Bake something chocolate together.
  90. Take a road trip to The Mustard Museum in Middleton.
  91. Go to the Harley-Davidson Museum and lunch at Motor.
  92. Clean her bathroom.
  93. Buy her a drink at Branded in the Iron Horse Hotel.
  94. Go to the Safehouse for bottomless "Mom’osas."
  95. Grab lunch at the Mother’s Day Rooftop Luncheon at Shaker’s.
  96. Give her the gift of the meat sweats.
  97. Take her to see "The Countess & Friends" at The Pabst Theater.
  98. Attend the Mother’s Day Paper Lantern Workshop at the Cudahy Library.
  99. Walk the trails at Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Bayside.
  100. Visit Mars Cheese Castle and while sampling all the cheese be sure to say something extra sweet-and-cheesy to your mom. Moms love cheese. Especially Wisconsin moms.


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.