The Fox Cities offers a wide variety of cultural and artistic events. Performing arts groups present both amateur and professional productions in music, dance, and theater, appealing to a broad spectrum of tastes.

Thanks in part to the presence of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, everything from symphony to jazz is available in the Fox Cities. In addition to concerts, Lawrence University and the UW-Fox Valley regularly host plays and lectures. Theater groups, art galleries, museums, literary groups, and a new state-of-the-art planetarium all offer quality entertainment.

The Fox Valley Symphony performs an annual concert series. In addition, community arts organizations provide a wide-range of dance and theater productions. Twelve regional museums house significant art and historical collections which are unique to the Fox River Valley.

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (PAC) is located in the 400 block of West College Avenue in downtown Appleton. The building has approximately 122,000 gross and 87,000 net square feet respectively. The main hall seats approximately 2,100 people with the secondary hall, seating approximately 450 people. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center features a wide range of events including Broadway shows on national tour; concerts by nationally known recording artists; motivational, educational and lecture seminars, as well as performances by the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and Fox Cities student musical festivals. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center will present around 180 performances annually and serve as a hub for performing arts with the area.

The Weis Earth Science Museum is the official State Mineralogical Museum of Wisconsin, located at 1478 Midway Road , Menasha. Named for its founding donors, Associate Professor Emeritus Len Weis and his wife Donna, this 5500-square-foot museum is the newest addition to the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley campus. This is the only museum dedicated to the geology of Wisconsin and its rich mineral and mining heritage, which was so important to the settlement and economic development of the State. The Weis Earth Science Museum features interactive and hands-on exhibits, video displays, colorful graphics, and specimens of real fossils, minerals and rocks. Additional gallery space is reserved for temporary and traveling displays that change every few months.

The Barlow Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley, 1478 Midway Road, opened to the public on March 20, 1998. This is a world-class facility for 3-D excitement, giant full-color special effects and crystal-clear, five-channel, 10,000 watt THX surround sound. The Barlow Planetarium has a 48-foot projection dome and seats 98 people, with four additional spaces for wheelchair access. An Evans and Sutherland Digistar IIŽ star projector recreates a realistic night sky and 3-D effects which pull the audience into a virtual world. Interactive keypads at each seat allow audiences to get involved in performances. Cutting-edge Sky SkanŽ video projection and automation systems make this planetarium state-of-the-art.

03/14/07