Sustainability in the Valley

The Menomonee River Valley has been redeveloped with environmental sustainability in mind.

The Valley was named One of the 10 Best Developments in the Nation by the Sierra Club because of the sustainable redevelopment practices. Menomonee River Valley businesses, nonprofits, civic champions and all levels of government have worked together for nearly two decades to redevelop the Valley as one of the best business locations in the region. From our Sustainable Building Guidelines to our Stewardship Crew program, keeping the Valley ecologically sound is a pillar of our mission.

If you’re in from out of town or a lifelong Milwaukeean looking to discover a treasure in your own backyard, we’ve got you covered! This weekend itinerary will have you entertained from morning until night, all with a sustainable focus in mind.

Weekend Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Take a stroll in Three Bridges Park, Starting at the Urban ecology Center

Urban Ecology Center, 3700 W Pierce St

Start your day with a walk in Three Bridges Park and a visit to the Urban Ecology Center Menomonee Valley Branch. Located along the Menomonee River between 27th and 37th Streets, Three Bridges Park was once part of a wild rice marsh, then a rail yard, and then a vacant site for decades. Through passion, persistence, and partnership, Three Bridges Park opened in 2013 and is enjoyed by more than 50,000 visitors each year. 

Sustainable Facts:

• The Urban Ecology Center Menomonee Valley Branch building features many sustainable elements including reclaimed wood floors, reclaimed ceiling tiles, and donated and remnant materials throughout the building. Grab their Visitors Guide which takes you on a sustainability tour of the center, pointing out all of the reused materials from its days as a tavern to its current use as a learning center for the community.

• Next to the Urban Ecology Center is Newline Cafe, a school-based enterprise operated by student baristas from Escuela Verde. Escuela Verde is a high school designed to serve students interested in sustainability, student-led learning, and restorative justice. Learn more about the cafe here.

Explore Further

Afternoon

Grab a delicious lunch at Motor bar and restaurant at the Harley-Davidson MuseumⓇ

Harley-Davidson MuseumⓇ, 401 W Canal St

Make your way down to the Harley-Davidson MuseumⓇ and grab a bite to eat for lunch at MOTOR Bar and Restaurant. The Museum is the site of a former brownfield (land previously used for industrial or commercial purposes with known or suspected pollution) but is now one of Milwaukee’s premier tourist destinations in the Menomonee River Valley.

Sustainable Facts:

• Sustainable features include a parking lot with permeable pavement and native plantings, allowing more stormwater to be captured and naturally filtered before running into the Menomonee River and ultimately on to Lake Michigan. The campus features white reflective roofs and light concrete roadways that reduce the heat island effect. The Museum also has an electric vehicle charging station.

• Harley-Davidson Museum’s campus has the first section of riverwalk built out on the Menomonee River in the Valley. The hope is for public access to a riverwalk along the entire Menomonee River - and it has to start somewhere!

• The Museum has earned the prestigious Travel Green Wisconsin Certification for its work on sustainability.

Explore Further

Evening

Catch a Ball game at american-family field

American Family Field, 1 Brewers Way

Close your jam-packed day by catching a game at American Family Field (it’s always fun to visit during  Brewers season!). American Family Field became LEED certified in 2012. It is one of the most complicated buildings ever certified in the LEED Existing Building rating system, due to the nature of the facility, the sheer volume of people, materials, vendors, the operable roof, and overall complexity of the building operations. The retractable roof (330 feet tall at its peak!) makes meeting energy and ventilation thresholds more challenging.

Sustainable Facts:

• The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, ranks buildings on how well they save energy and water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor environmental quality.

Explore Further

grab a nightcap at great lakes distillery

Great Lakes Distillery - 616 W Virginia Street

If you are still up for some fun, end your day at GreatLakes Distillery & Tasting Room. Great Lakes Distillery has a bottle return/ reuse program. The Distillery has reused over 80,000 bottles since the Distillery’s inception in 2004. They also source local grains and ingredients when possible and buy glass domestically.

Sustainable Facts:

• Great Lakes Distillery is Travel Green Wisconsin Certified.

Day 2

Morning

Antique shopping at riverview antique market

Riverview Antique Market, 2045 W St Paul Ave

Start your morning with some retail therapy at Riverview Antique Market, located in the St. Paul Avenue Design District in a restored building that was originally built in 1892. You can find a large selection of quality antiques from the 18th to 20th centuries. Every item they sell promotes recycling and reusing items that already exist instead of creating something new - the ultimate goal in sustainability! 

Sustainable Facts:

• The building features double pane windows to reduce energy usage and a wildflower garden out back that replaced a traditional lawn. This garden feature reduces the amount of stormwater runoff that enters the Menomonee River and Lake Michigan. 

Explore Further

AFTERNOON

Stop for a beer in the valley

City Lights Brewing Co., 2200 W Mt Vernon Ave

Third Space Brewing, 1505 W St Paul Ave

There are two breweries in the Valley!

City Lights Brewing Co.

City Lights Brewing Co. sits on the former West Side Works site of the Milwaukee Gas Light Company. The site began producing coal gas in 1903, and that energy was used to light the streets of Milwaukee as well as cooking and heating Milwaukeean’s homes. City Lights Brewing opened in 2017 and is named after the building’s original use to light the city’s lights. 

• City Lights reuses their spent grain (the malt that makes up 85% of brewery’s total byproduct after most sugars, proteins, and nutrients have been extracted during the brewing process). Local farmers pick up the spent grain weekly, using it as either cattle feed or fertilizer for crop fields.

• While you are at City Lights Brewing you can enjoy the historic Zimmerman Architecture Studios and City Lights Campus. Extend your tour by hopping on a Bublr Bike, located right outside City Lights Brewing.  Bublr Bikes is Greater Milwaukee’s nonprofit bike share program that delivers an accessible, convenient, integrated and sustainable bike share system for all.

  Bonus activity: rent a Bublr bike (they also have e-bikes!) and visit the Valley’s sustainable sites along the Hank Aaron State Trail!

Third Space Brewing

• Third Space Brewing was founded in September 2016, nestled on W St. Paul Ave in the Menomonee River Valley. The Brewery is on the site of the former Geuder, Paeschke & Frey Co., a metal and enamel works company. Third Space Brewing’s spent grain goes to a local farmer to feed his livestock. The Brewery also works to reduce water consumption by reviewing and tracking how much water they use. 

Explore Further

Visit the eco-area on st. paul avenue

Across from the Department of Natural Resources, 1027 St. Paul Ave

This award-winning area under the Marquette Interchange, across from the Wisconsin DNR and Brass Light Gallery, was transformed from an empty lot to an eco-space with neighborhood connecting trails in 2021. See how the space was transformed.

Sustainable Facts:

• In addition to a plaza, a snaking trail weaves under the interstate from W St. Paul Ave to the intersection at W Michigan Street and W 10th Street. Bioswales with native plantings, and permeable pavement have the capacity to capture 293,000 gallons of stormwater from the interstate, filtering it before it flows to the Menomonee River and on to Lake Michigan.

Evening

find your fun at potawatomi hotel & Casino

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 1721 W Canal St

Start your night by spending some time at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. In 2015, Potawatomi Hotel attained LEED Gold Certification, making it the first hotel and casino in Wisconsin to do so. In Potawatomi, Gde Pê Nme Go Men means “our responsibility.” For centuries, the Forest County Potawatomi have understood that they are responsible for the impact they have on the earth and its people.

Sustainable Facts:

• Through numerous green initiatives, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has become one of the premier sustainable developments in Milwaukee. In May 2015, the 19-story, 381-room hotel with 55,000 sq. ft. of meeting space became the first casino hotel in Wisconsin to attain the prestigious LEED® Gold certification. (Visit Milwaukee)

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, smoking was banned in the Casino.  After great feedback from customers, the Casino is now permanently smoke-free. The casino has an electric vehicle charging station.

• Potawatomi Hotel & Casino has earned the impressive LEED Gold Certification. 

We hope you enjoyed your sustainable weekend in the Valley!

If you like this tour and the information here, please consider making a donation to Menomonee Valley Partners to help us create more free community experiences like this!

What’s Next in the Valley?