By Brett Grassmuck
Staff Writer

The Rams are packing up and heading out to Mequon, Wisconsin for the 2008 Training Camp, and if you’re planning to do the same, here are some interesting things to check out while you’re in Wisconsin. Also, for more information, visit www.visitmilwaukee.org/rams .

Practice, Practice, Practice:

Let’s face it, the main reason you’re headed to Mequon is to see your favorite Rams players and coaches. The Rams practices will begin July 25 and will run through August 14, with one open practice just about every day. An official practice schedule has not yet been released, but check back to stlouisrams.com a little closer to training camp for all the open dates.

Concordia University’s football facilities underwent a $6.2 million transformation in 2007, during which they installed ProGrass Turf in Century Stadium, their football stadium, as well as the adjacent soccer and softball fields which will be available for the Rams during camp.

Events and Festivals:

Mequon is located just north of Milwaukee, and there are plenty of events happening this summer in Milwaukee and the surrounding area to fill time between Rams practices.

There will be a series of ethnic festivals that take place at Henry Maier Festival Park (200 N Harbor Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53202; about 25 minutes from Mequon) located along the shoreline of Lake Michigan all summer, four of which will be happening during Rams training camp: German Fest, July 25-27, for more information, visit www.germanfest.com, the African World Festival, August 1-3, the Arab World Fest, August 8-10 and Irish Fest, August 14-17, for more information, visit www.irishfest.com.

The Wisconsin State Fair will take place from July 31-August 10 at Wisconsin State Fair Park (8200 W. Greenfield Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53214; about 32 minutes from Mequon). The fair is a sampling of Wisconsin’s agricultural heritage and will have fun things for the whole family to enjoy, such as carnival rides. For more information, visit www.wistatefair.com.

Museums and More:

Milwaukee offers several museums and other attractions that are good for the whole family, such as the Milwaukee County Zoo (10001 W Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226; about 31 minutes from Mequon), featuring a wide array of animals. For more information, visit www.milwaukeezoo.org.

You may also want to visit the Milwaukee Art Museum (700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53202; about 26 minutes from Mequon; www.mam.org ) with more than 20,000 permanent works of art, the Milwaukee Public Museum (800 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233; about 24 minutes from Mequon; www.mpm.edu ), a museum of natural and human history, or the adjacent Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater and Daniel M. Soref Planetarium or Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin (500 N Harbor Dr, Milwaukee, WI 53202; about 26 minutes from Mequon; www.discoveryworld.org ), which features interactive exhibits, fresh and salt water aquariums, touch tanks, digital theaters and labs.

Opening right before the Rams head to training camp is the Harley Davidson Museum (400 Canal St., Milwaukee, WI; about 25 minutes from Mequon; www.h-dmuseum.com), showcasing the legendary Harley Davidson motorcycles.

If you’re looking for a night out without the kids, you may want to check out the Potawatomi Bingo Casino (1721 West Canal Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233; about 27 minutes from Mequon; www.paysbig.com ), featuring all the usual table games and slots plus a northern lights theater which hosts many big-name performers and comedy shows.

Although it may be considered blasphemous for St. Louisans, tours of the Miller Brewing Company (4251 W. State Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208; about 28 minutes from Mequon; www.millerbrewing.com ) are free and run Monday-Saturday between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

For more on how to fill your time between practices, places to stay other attractions and nightlife, visit www.milwaukee.org or www.visitmilwaukee.org.