'When it's empty, it's not living its full potential': Villa Terrace programming brings visitors to museum for yoga, concerts and art

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Nearly 60 years ago, Villa Terrace Museum & Gardens was turned into a museum. But those who care for it have continued to keep breathing life into the former mansion.

"Filling it with people is really the only way that it can be enjoyed. When it's empty it's not living its full potential," said Alec Story, the executive director at Villa Terrace. 

Summer is a vibrant season to visit with art exhibits, a weekly concert series and yoga on the balcony. 

"We don't want people to just wander through for 20 minutes," said Story. "We want people to have an experience and to be transported from the hustle and bustle to something much more serene and really Mediterranean here in the Midwest." 

The concert series is fittingly called Sopra Mare, meaning 'over the sea.' That's also the name the original smith family gave the home. 

"That was because they envisioned Lake Michigan to be their own Mediterranean Sea," he said. 

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