Topping the venue for culture and entertainment here is the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. A lineup of Broadway plays, symphony performances, nationally known entertainers and local stars all share the marquee of this exceptional 1200-seat theatre. The venue also includes a smaller theatre which hosts speakers, choirs, plays and entertainers of all sorts with both national and local reputations for outstanding performances.

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center has staged national touring performances of plays such as Phantom of the Opera, Mama Mia and others. Entertainers the likes of illusionist David Copperfield also have been featured here.

The Lawrence University Conservatory of Music contributes to the rich cultural flavor of the Fox Cities. The university's performance calendar includes its annual Jazz Weekend featuring celebrities such as Wynton Marsalis and other notables. The Lawrence Chapel provides a classic setting for performances ranging from Shakespeare to the community's favored holiday classic Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols featuring community representatives from the youngest member of the Fox Cities Boy Choir to the city's mayor and the president of the university!

The Fox Valley Symphony enriches the performance schedule with its series of concerts showcasing international stars and local musicians.  Theatres at the PAC, Lawrence University, the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley and several high quality auditoriums at area secondary schools offer a host of settings for cultural and social events. And vocal groups such as the White Heron Chorale give voice to musical expression for talented regional artists.

The renovated Bergstrom Mahler Museum is home to a historic, world-renowned collection of glass paperweights and features traveling exhibits of art genres ranging from comic books to Chihuly glass sculptures.

The Fox Cities Children's Museum is acclaimed as one of the finest in the country, providing educational and entertaining exhibits that foster hands-on learning and plenty of fun. Many of the exhibits feature the products of local industry.

The Fox River Mall is the number one attraction for visitors and convention goers in the Fox Cities. The mall attracts shoppers from throughout central and northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula by maintaining  in-demand retail vendors with national appeal. Stores like Pottery Barn, Williams - Sonoma, Eddie Bauer, Chicos, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ann Taylor, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Gap, Scheels Sports and Victoria's Secret, like the multiple wings of this shopping megaplex. Yet shoppers browse safely in the friendly atmosphere of this Fox Cities attraction. The attractive layout, well-lighted facilities and courteous security staff ensure a pleasant shopping, dining and entertainment experience at the Fox River Mall. The Fox River Brewing  Company anchors the dining establishments at the mall, featuring interesting cuisine and local brews.

For an extensive directory of Fox Cities Community information and organizations, click here to be linked with Fox Cities Online.

Everything  Under the Stars

The Fox Cities truly can say it has "everything under the stars" as it is home to the world-class Barlow Planetarium on the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley campus. The Digi-Star projector system enables the planetarium showguides to project three-dimensional space odysseys as well as animated shows to educate and entertain audiences of all ages. The planetarium provides an outstanding classroom for the campus' astronomy and science departments, but it also holds potential for business and industry use for virtual tours of facilities and complex modeling of industrial products and equipment.

Teaming up with the planetarium to offer a unique educational and scientific learning experience is the Weis Earth Science Museum, the state's official gem and mineral museum showcasing a rare and unique collection of objects from around the world and especially from the state itself. The facility has the capacity to host special traveling exhibits and has expanded to off-campus venues to bring in especially unique traveling exhibits.

Both the Barlow Planetarium and the Weis Earth Science Museum complement the highly-esteemed science, math and engineering departments on the UW-Fox Valley campus. In addition, the campus boasts a renovated fine arts theatre which stages both campus and community performing arts, and the Aaron Bohrod Gallery exhibiting art exhibits of national renown and works by students of the campus.

Choral Groups

Complementing the music of organizations like the symphony are choral groups like the White Heron Chorale and the Boys Choir and Girls Choir. High calibre singers with a passion for fine music and a spirit for fun travel from all around the greater Fox Cities area to lend their voices to the White Heron Chorale. During the course of its concert season, the Chorale combines talents with other arts groups and local non-profit organizations to offer a full complement of musical styles and tempos. Both choirs of young people offer their own performances as well as joining with other performance groups throughout the year. One of the highlights of the local holiday venue is the performance of The Festival of Lessons and Carols which features the young choristers.