Fox Brook Park: A Beach, Kayaks and a Beer Garden

Brookfield's county beach is at Fox Brook Park, a Waukesha County park at 2925 North Barker Road with a swimming beach on a man-made lake. Fox Brook Park covers 223 acres, and the county plans to keep about 178 of them as wetland.

It sits about 4 miles northwest of Brookfield Square. From the comedy club at The Corners, home of Milwaukee Improv, the park is about 2.7 miles north, so a beach afternoon and a show fit in one day. This is what a day there costs, what you can rent, where the dogs swim and what runs after the beach closes for the year.

Getting in: hours and the $7 permit

Fox Brook Park is open daily from sunrise to 10 p.m., and every vehicle needs either a county parks annual membership or a daily permit. A daily permit costs $7 per vehicle. If you forget, the county's beach page says you have up to five days after a visit to buy one online.

The permit covers the beer garden too, because the county requires one for each vehicle at a fee-based park and beer garden. Questions go to the county parks office at 262-548-7801.

The beach and the lake

The beach wraps around a man-made lake, and the county lists swimming, lounging and scuba diving among its uses. Travel Wisconsin's listing puts the lake at 25 acres, with a sandy beach and a lodge beside it.

Fox Brook's beach has showers and full-service concessions. The concession stand works from the windows near the beach playground at the back of the Lodge building, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in season, weather permitting. The menu is beach food: popcorn, hot dogs, brats, pretzels, nachos, chips, ice cream, sodas and slushies.

The county tests beach water through the season and posts results on its swimming page, and it closes a beach to swimming when signs warn of blue-green algae or high bacteria. Check that page before you load the car on a hot week in August.

Fox Brook is one of six Waukesha County Park System beaches, with Menomonee, Minooka, Mukwonago, Muskego and Naga-Waukee, and all six opened for the 2026 season in May. "I invite everyone to get outside and enjoy everything our parks have to offer this season," County Executive Paul Farrow said in the county's announcement, as FOX6 reported.

Kayak and paddleboard rentals

Fox Brook rents kayaks on the same schedule as the beach, run by Surf Shack LLC on a first-come, first-served basis with a life jacket included. A single kayak costs $12 for the first hour and $9 for each hour after, and a tandem costs $17 for the first hour and $12 after that. The county's park page also lists self-serve stand-up paddleboard rentals, though it does not post a paddleboard price.

The dog swim area

Dogs have their own swim area at Fox Brook, separate from the people beach. The county allows dogs to swim only in designated dog areas at Fox Brook and Menomonee Park, while its other four beaches let dogs onto the regular sand. Keep your dog out when signs say the water is closed for algae or bacteria.

If a day at the dog beach has you thinking about adopting, Elmbrook Humane Society on Enterprise Avenue, about 1.5 miles south, books meet-and-greet appointments with its animals.

The trail and the wetland

A paved trail follows the water's edge past three wildlife viewing areas, and Travel Wisconsin's listing gives the loop around the lake as about a mile. The county says the wetland draws birds including goldfinches and indigo buntings. Biking and geocaching are on the county's amenity list too.

The Tap Yard beer garden

The Tap Yard runs a beer garden at Fox Brook Park, part of the county's partnership with local breweries. The county says its Tap Yard beer gardens operate seasonally from May 1 through September 30, with days and hours that vary by park and season, so check The Tap Yard's own site before you go. Last call is 30 minutes before close.

Outside food and non-alcoholic drinks are welcome, carry-in alcohol is not, and refillable steins are not allowed. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than 6 feet, and the yard games include cornhole, giant Jenga and giant Shut The Box. The county's beer garden page also mentions reservable igloos from the Friday after Thanksgiving through January; it does not say which parks host them, so confirm with The Tap Yard.

Fishing, scuba and triathlon training

Fishing is on the county's list of Fox Brook amenities, though the park page does not name the species or post any rules, so bring the usual state license and ask the park office about the lake. Scuba divers and triathletes training for open-water swims can use the lake with a free county permit, but only during the swim-at-your-own-risk season.

Picnics, shelters and the lodge

Picnic areas, a playground, volleyball, restrooms, drinking water and electricity are all on the park's amenity list. The county also rents reservable buildings and spaces at Fox Brook for gatherings.

Nearby: Wray Park and an indoor backup

For another stop, Wray Park is about 1.6 miles south on Jaclyn Drive.

If a storm rolls in, Marcus Majestic Cinema in Waukesha is about 2.4 miles south.

Brookfield's other weekend plans, from the malls to the comedy club, sit closer to Bluemound Road.

The hotels in Brookfield cluster on Moorland Road, southeast of the park.