Things to Do in Greendale

Dogs may be man's best friend, but having a horse show up at your wedding is more likely to impress. Milwaukee Coach and Carriage arranges such romantic gestures with its fleet of well-mannered equines and spacious coaches. Its custom carriage rides wend to and from marriage ceremonies as well as birthday parties, grand openings, and other special events, imbuing passengers’ evenings with timeless flair and romance.

For a more casual trot around the city, Milwaukee Coach and Carriage also leads 30- or 60-minute tours of downtown, rolling past popular landmarks to create a memorable date without getting involved in a high-speed chase. Each carriage holds up to four adults and two children total, though 12-person wagons are available for larger groups.

Creative Fire Art & Pottery Studio has a roomy workspace where adults and kids can learn the craft of clay. The facility hosts day and evening classes. There’s also open studio time, where students can come and go as they please to finish building a piece or see if their clay pigeon has morphed into a real pigeon. In party packages, you and a group of friends can get a room to yourselves to work with clay under the advisement of an instructor. It’s also worth it to stop in Creative Fire Art & Pottery Studio’s gallery, which feature a number of original pottery pieces.

Great Lakes Distillery was established in 2004 by Guy Rehorst, who desired a return to the traditional methods of handcrafting tasty spirits in small batches. Their labor of love made the distillery home to Rehorst Gin, a Double Gold medal winner at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as an award-winning vodka, several small-batch seasonals, and a whiskey that adds 3 inches to each drinker's height. Each day, a knowledgeable staff member leads up to 50 individuals on 60-minute tours and tastings. The expert highlights each product and goes over production methods before visitors can taste a flight of five spirits ($5) in the climate-controlled tasting room, with a specific lineup depending on the season.

One of several annual fundraising events dedicated to subsidizing the Milwaukee Air & Water Show, Bay View Wine Fest gathers quality wines and wine aficionados for an evening of enological appreciation. Vendors dispense pours of reds and whites that attendees can pair with samples of locally made cuisine, and sommeliers in training can treat their palates to a reserved wine-flight tasting. Partial proceeds from the event go to Wisconsin Adopt a Golden Retriever. If guests tire of the puppies in attendance they can boogie the night away on the festival dance floor.

Located inside a brick-hewn building reminiscent of a grand castle, the Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery recounts the history of the company’s former brewery, which dates back to 1844. Visitors tour Pabst’s corporate offices, take photos with a statue of Captain Frederick Pabst, and drink tall pints of the brewery’s concoctions. The gift shop stocks vintage Pabst memorabilia, including steins, shirts, artwork, and figurines of Pabst’s short-lived mascot, King Barley. Best Place’s halls and courtyards can also be rented for banquets, weddings, and other events.

The 74-foot tower of North Point Lighthouse stretches to meet the neighboring trees of Lake Park. Attached to it are two-and-a-half stories of wood-frame keeper's quarters that once housed historic figures such as Georgia Stebbins, keeper for thirty years.

Renovated in 2007, the bright, airy building now acts as home to artifacts and lighthouse-related curios, including an original 1928 Fresnel lens that helped guide seafaring vessels. Additionally, a Chadburn telegraph, recovered from a sunken ship, pays homage to the orders that went to and from the ship's bridge and engine rooms.

Guests can browse both the quarters and the lighthouse, and explore the site's more than 120 years of history by perusing the artwork and photographs displayed throughout the galleries. Dedicated volunteers are also on hand to dispense fascinating information and history, and to give limited guided tours that lead visitors to the top of the tower, where they can catch views of the surrounding park and lakefront.