Urban Ecology Center Reviews

Equipment rental here is amazing and staff are friendly.

Great place and they even host a monthly Vegan Meetup.

Great place for kids to learn about nature. Good place to host events.

What a wonderful place! A great center to experience nature and also keep active. You can rent all kinds out outdoor equiptment throughout the year for a very nominal annual membership (under $40). There are plenty of free activities offered.

Awesome place to relax and enjoy a bit of natural surroundings.

The single best place in Wisconsin to take kids or any adult that has at least an inkling of an interest in nature.

Atmosphere is awesome. If you're a member you can hang out there. They have discussions on interesting environmental topics and are an important environmental advocate in the community. They also offer equipment rental if you're a member for free.

Milwaukee is lucky to have the UEC! Such an awesome place.

One of the most interesting and educational places I've been to recently. They have: an impressive solar array (44.4 kW), tiered compost, rain collection and filtration, water table friendly construction, recycled materials utilized everywhere, a small native animal museum, classrooms, gardening, a rooftop bee colony, citizen science programs, volunteer opportunities, summer camps, an observation tower / climbing wall, yard equipment rentals, boat rentals (it's built right next to the Milwaukee River), and more I can't remember offhand. Free parking.

Family favorite! My kids love the games, toys, animals, and especially the slide. My husband and I love the relaxing atmosphere and fantastic mission!

I loved it here, free coffee and hot chocolate, kid friendly environment as well as animal friendly

Urban Ecology Center is a phenomenal resource for the neighborhood. Their borrowing program is such an asset and their programming is lovely and diverse. We even held our rehearsal dinner in their space and they were kind, professional, and accommodating. We would highly recommend them for event rentals and membership.

Wonderful gem of native Wisconsin Prairie land. I love walking thru the rolling hills the noise of the city completely dissapears. The eology center is super cool to go in and check out any day. There is a coi pond in front, with a green roof a beehive. Talking with an employee there about their restoration efforts and native herbs on the grounds is insperational.

Everything about the space is truly remarkable and the programs they offer to the community are so important.

Great space , lots of fun and educational opportunities for adults and children.

Really nice area! Great park and people! I would def. recommend to bring your children here for educational fun!

The kids have tons have fun here. They describe it as a fantastic place to learn while having fun. The cool thing is that when you become a member, you can check out equipment. Weve borrowed skis and boots, snow shoes, sleds, a canoe...these are really great places and this one at Riverside Park is staffed with super friendly and awesome people.

Great Milwaukee institution. Free rentals of all kinds of outdoor equipment for members. Membership is very reasonable.

Great people and great spaces, but best of all; great mission.

Wonderful trails, programs, activities! Very accessible for people with various special needs as well.

This is just an all around great place for your kids, you and the environment! Go here and have a great time.

The perfect park for all four seasons here in Milwaukee hike use a kayak try out some of their camping gear or just simply enjoy all the perfect spots.

We chose UEC to host our wedding and it was perfect! We used the outdoor location for the ceremony, and held the reception inside. We got so many comments on how beautiful it was! All the wood inside really made it feel natural and inviting. We were able to keep decorations to a minimum because it was so pretty! Guests were able to walk around outside, look at animals in the animal room, and kids had lots of fun going down the slides in between the ceremony and reception.
The staff was helpful, and the event coordinator was very easy to work with. We highly recommend hosting your event here!

This is also just a really awesome place to go visit. We were very happy to support UEC and bring make more people aware of this amazing community resource!

The Urban Ecology Center is truly a treasure with great programs and an excellent outdoor equipment borrow program.

Mr. Flowers did a great job leading us on the trails and we learned so much!

The Urban Ecology Center is amazing! The building is unique, beautiful, and kid-friendly, and filled with education information about the local environment and ecosystem. Plus, this location is right by a bike path and large park, so there's plenty of space to explore. They host events for kids and adults!

A beautiful and special place for many fun activities and occasions, and especially for our wedding ceremony and reception.

We were so happy with how the UEC staff, especially MaryBeth, went above and beyond to make our day special. From our first planning meetings, to responding to all of our questions and ideas over the months of preparation, and lastly on the day of the event, MaryBeth and other UEC staff ensured that everything was just right.

It was important to us to host a low-waste event that highlighted the natural beauty of the park and the UEC building while sharing our love of the outdoors and this location in particular with our guests. MaryBeth and the UEC staff were completely on board with our vision and had a lot of great ideas to make everything work. We're so glad we decided to have our wedding at the UEC, and our family and friends had a wonderful time.

On Sunday, I attended their Coffee & Canoe event. Before we left, the staff was very helpful in making sure our life jackets were properly secured, and gave plenty of safety information. While on the water, there was always one staff member in the front, and one at the back.
The canoes were sturdy and smooth, and the experience was wonderful! I would love to go again. Thank you!!

LOTS of great stuff to do, like ride bikes, play board games, and even just sit in the lounge and drink coffee and eat a muffin

This is a cool but amazing place with unique decor. I love that it is environment friendly with its green initiative.

So disappointed in this venue for my daughter's wedding. We loved the venue and were so excited to hold her wedding here. The staff was unkind and not the friendly staff we had worked with. As the mother-of-the-bride, I spent most of the night cleaning up the lower level so the staff could set up for Sunday. I got to dance the last dance of the evening. Had I known I would have to clean up during the reception, we would have never chosen to hold such am important event at this location. I would not recommend.

We had my daughter's baby shower at the UEC Riverside. It was wonderful to have such a good space with a full kitchen available to us. All our guests felt truly welcomed, and the staff was very accommodating tot all our needs and last minute requests. Several of the attendees commented on how good it was to be at the UEC (some had never been there before,) and it all contributed to a relaxing but celebratory day. Thank you.

They are so friendly here, and have created a nice spot in the urban environment for wildlife to flourish.

We hosted our wedding reception at the UEC and were very pleased with the venue. My husband and I live out of state. MaryBeth was very helpful, working with both us over the phone and my mom in person to coordinate the event. I appreciate how accommodating the staff was, including clearing rain water off the tower deck so our guests could enjoy the post-rain sunset. Several of our guests had never been to the UEC before and commented on how nice the setting was.

Amazing community space with free coffee, board games, instruments, animals, but most importantly, it's an amazing nature center with all kinds of outdoor programming intended to be accessible to all. With membership you can rent camping, canoeing, and kayaking equipment to take on an adventure or even just launch from the UEC on the Milwaukee River. Lots of incredible environmental education programs and events for kids and adults alike!

Absolutely gorgeous grounds and excellent walking and biking trails. Highly underused gem in Milwaukee!

Nice places for kids to learn about science with hands on activities. We came for a birthday party which included turtle petting, arts and crafts, and a nature walk.

The Urban Ecology Center is a magical place for a wedding. The space is so beautiful, you hardly need any decorations. The staff was so knowledgeable and helpful, I knew things were in good hands. I was worried that my laid back, buffet style, potluck dinner would be complicated or not elegant, but the staff at the UEC had so many great tips and knew just the right caterer for the job.

I especially appreciated Mary Beth and her team for being so flexible with a Sunday date and how they went above and beyond to make the day special for me and my family.

The park and trails made for amazing wedding photos. You can tell the staff really love the parks and getting people outside.

Me and the family go here often! My 3yr old loves it! Great staff. Great place.

*Disclaimer, I work here.* And it's a magical place. Surround yourself with the caring people and diverse native landscapes at this nature center.

Good service and a great deal with an affordable annual membership free and access to multiple types of Outdoor Equipment. The kayak worked very well

Gorgeous facility - they have a very handsome snapping turtle & Large!

Great place next to an historic park next to a great river nature area.

An amazing program and facility. Well worth a visit.

School tour today. I have been field tripping with my kids. Mr. Flower was. And incredibly knowledgeable and kind person, going out of his way to engage and entertain. Fantastic visit.

Grandchildren really enjoyed this place. Lots of neat trails.

Great place to learn about and observe the wild side of Urban Milwaukee.

With a yearly donation you can become a member of the Eco Center and rent all kinds outdoor equipment from kayaks to snowshoes and more. One of the best places in the Milwaukee areas to get involved and explore the nature around the urban areas.

The Urban ecology center is peaceful, the receptionist is welcoming and patient! So many great times I have been here. And as an educator I can thank UEC for saving me from the weather. There is much to explore and learn. With a lookout tower and trails too! Handicap accessable. Quiet. Great views.

Amazing place! Able to rent equipment for camping or the river. Lovely walk, climbing wall, and seeds for creating my own prairie!

Wonderful place to let a five year old burn off some energy and learn!

I can't say enough about this wonderful place. Good place to go and take a hike around and then come inside for a game or to see the turtles and frogs. Family friendly.

Great spot to teach kids about ecology in the city. I've done volunteer work for them and staff seems genuinely passionate about the work they do!

Love it. Peaceful place to hang out play with the kids.

What a beautiful gem of a place. The community is luck to have it and the lovely, dedicated staff who run it.

The flagship UEC location, love this place! Really like what they do for the community and enjoy the perks of being a member.

Good programming, and lovely staff. A great place to just be.

We like this place very much, specially kids like it here. This is by the Milwaukee river and walking trail.

Wonderful place to get away and experience nature. Very calming.

Excellent organization that cares for the environment

Great hiking around the area and nice programs here.

Absolutely amazing place that you must go to as an adult, or better yet with your kids.