TOWNIE PRIDE TOWNIE PRIDE

listings by James Johonnott

Isn’t it hard to fnd good ol’ fashioned family fun? Heck, even when you fnd a perfectly good museum, there’s usually one person in the family (we’re not naming names) who pooh-poohs the place because they’d rather sit at home and watch old rerun movies. No worries. In the following pages, you’ll fnd plenty of hot spots fot go-kart action, miniature train riding, fairs, festivals, museums, state parks, and even – if you’re super adventurous – opportunities to see the Chippewa Valley from the sky. That’s right. That means getting in a plane. Really, there’s something for everyone.

Attractions

Ge up, get out there, and have fun!

ACTION CITY & CHAOS WATER PARK

2402 Lorch Ave., Eau Claire • (715) 838-9663 •

ActionCityFun.com Action City, attached to the Metropolis Resort, is a 55,000 square foot family fun center featuring popular arcade games and fun attractions. Action City has the largest indoor go-kart track in the Midwest, laser tag, a climbing wall, batting cages, bumper cars, laser maze, mini bowling, an outdoor maze, outdoor go-kart track, and a mini golf course. Chaos Indoor Waterpark has been reviewed as one of the best indoor water parks in Wisconsin. Chaos features multiple slides, an activity pool, a lazy river, double hot tub, lily pads and a Kid’s Aquatic Playground

CARSON PARK TRAIN RIDES Carson Park, Carson Park Dr., Eau Claire • (715) 831-0900

• ChippewaValleyRailroad.comEnjoy a scenic half mile minature steam- and gasoline-powered train ride located in Eau Claire’s Carson Park, presented by the Chippewa Valley Railroad Association. Opens May 30th, and runs on Sundays throughout the summer from noon until 5pm.

CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF EAU CLAIRE PLAY SPACE Haymarket Building, Eau Claire • (715) 832-5437 • ChildrensMuseumEC. com The Children’s Museum of Eau Claire has a pop-up play space in the Haymarket Building downtown. They are taking reservation only, 20 person maximum limited sessions for safety protocols.

EAU CLAIRE GAMES & ARCADE

2928 London Road, Eau Claire • (715) 864-4320 • facebook.com Eau Claire Games & Arcade is a social gaming, family fun center, and cafe. Activities include console gaming, tabletop gaming, arcades, video game store, arcade, refreshments and more.

JEREMIAH’S BULLFROG FISH FARM

N1321 Bullfrog Rd., Menomonie • (715) 664-8775 • eatmyfsh.com Bullfrog Fish Farm’s summer hours are Friday-Sunday noon to 6pm. Visit the fish farm and catch your own fish (no license required) and watch as it is netted, cleaned, and iced. If fishing isn’t your style, you can also pick up some fresh or smoked fish from the retail store, or order a shore lunch and relax by the water.

LEINENKUGEL’S BREWERY TOUR

Tours Every Half Hour - Monday-Thursday & Sat; 9:30am-4pm, Friday; 9:30-6:30, Sunday; 11:30-3

• 124 E. Elm St., Chippewa Falls • (888) 534-6437

• leinielodge@leinenkugels.com • leinie.com Tours and beer tastings cost $5 for those 21 and older and includes a souvenir glass. A portion of our sales will be donated to water conservation efforts for Little Lake Wissota, our hometown lake.

MICON CINEMAS 475 Chippewa Mall Dr., Chippewa Falls, WI // 3109 Mall Dr., Eau Claire, WI // 315 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire, WI; miconcinemas. com Micon Cinemas have three, newly refurbished Chippewa Valley Locations. Their locations all have a full-service restaurant and bar, which serve up classics like pizzas, hot dogs, mac & cheese, chicken strips, and root beer floats. They regularly host events like quarter kids movie days, film festivals, and more. Their downtown Eau Claire location offers second-run films at discount prices.

SCULPTURE TOUR EAU CLAIRE Along Water St., North Barstow St., Phoenix Park, and the Mayo Clinic Health Systems campus in downtown, Eau Claire • (715) 829-8188, (715) 552-3801 • sculpturetour.org Enjoy this outdoor, interactive, free exhibit of sculptures displayed nearly year-round, twenty-four hours a day. The sculptures are owned by the artists who created them and are loaned to Eau Claire’s exhibit for 48-50 weeks. Each May a new set of sculptures arrives.

TACTICAL ESCAPE 101 Oakwood Mall (4800 Golf Rd), Eau Claire • (715) 418-0012 • tacticalescape101.com/about.php/ Kick your puzzle solving brain into gear, grab your friends, and put your skills to the test. Tactical Escape 101 is a locally owned and operated escape room brand.

MUSEUMS & LOCAL HISTORY

Learn about the region’s history from an array of local museums

AMISH TOURS BY THE WOODSHED

By appointment only; May-Oct. • 105 West Lincoln Street, Augusta • 286-5404 • woodshedheirlooms. com Augusta is home to one of the largest Amish settlements in Wisconsin, with more than 150 families. This “motor buggy” takes 1.5 to 2 hours, with stops at an Amish bakery and candy shop, woodshop, home, and farm.

AGER HOUSE 514 W. Madison St., Eau Claire

• (715) 835-8718 • agerhouse.org Presented by the Waldemar Ager Association, the Ager House is the historic home to Norwegian-American writer Waldemar Ager, restored to its early-1900’s likeness. Part of the National Register of Histo≠ric Places a Literary Landmark by the National Association of Friends of Public Libraries, the public may tour by appointment, hold events at the house, visit its unique resource library, and much more.

CADDIE WOODLAWN HISTORICAL

PARK Daylight hours; spring - fall • 9 miles S. of Menomonie on Hwy 25, Menomonie • (715) 232-8685 • dunnhistory.org/sitecw.html The house in which Caroline Woodhouse lived has been moved to the park from a nearby farm. Her granddaughter, Carol Ryrie Brink, based the 1935 Newbery Award-winning children’s book Caddie Woodlawn on her life.

CHIPPEWA AREA HISTORY CENTER

123 Allen St., Chippewa Falls • (715) 723-4399 • facebook.com/ChippewaCountyHistoryCenter The Chippewa County Area History Center and Museum building was formerly the Notre Dame Convent, built in 1883. Your tour will take you through the history of the Chippewa Valley and includes exhibits on furniture, photos, lumber-period toys, a seashell collection, lumberjack tools, Native American artifacts, military artifacts, railroad artifacts and much more.

BEST TOUR/TOURIST ATTRACTION

1. LEINENKUGEL BREWING CO. TOUR / LEINIE LODGE

2. IRVINE PARK AND ZOO

3. SCULPTURE TOUR EAU CLAIRE

Leinenkugel Brewing Co. (124 E. Elm St., Chippewa Falls) takes the prize this year as the best tour/tourist attraction. The business has some of the richest history in the area, brewing beer for the past 150 years. Also in Chippewa Falls is the 300-acre Irvine Park and Zoo (125 Bridgewater Ave., Chippewa Falls). Take a tour of the Sunny Valley Schoolhouse or Pioneer Norwegian Log Home or simply enjoy the park’s scenic beauty, wildlife, and history. Finally, journey through downtown Eau Claire to see all the wonderful art on display to the public as part of the ongoing outdoor attrac tion, Sculpture Tour Eau Claire.

CHIPPEWA COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 123 Allen St., Chippewa Falls

• (715) 723-4399 • ccgswi.wixsite.com/ccgswi The mission of the Chippewa County Genealogical Society is to provide education and assistance to those who are tracing their family roots; to collect and maintain genealogical and historical materials; and to provide access to all materials and educational programs for members and the general public.

CHIPPEWA FALLS MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY

Appointment Only • 21 E. Grand Ave., Chippewa Falls • (715) 720-9206 • cfmit.org The museum was an idea that sprang from local citizens who wanted to record and preserve the history of important, unique and ground breaking innovations in industry and technology that were developed right here in the Chippewa Valley. It opened in May 1998 and now has a variety of exhibits that include the Seymour Cray Supercomputer Collection, Leinenkugel’s, Mason Companies Inc., and other area historic exhibits.

CHIPPEWA VALLEY MUSEUM 1204

E. Half Moon Dr., Eau Claire • (715) 834-7871 • cvmuseum.com Have an adventure in history for all ages throughout exhibits showcasing American Indian history, European settlement, industry, farm life, and health and recreation. Grab a treat at the vintage ice cream parlor year round, or visit the schoolhouse and the log house during warmer months.

COLFAX RAILROAD MUSEUM 500 E. Railroad Ave., Colfax • (715) 962-2076 • colfaxrrmuseum.org The depot houses the large collection of lanterns, railroad china, and the nation’s largest railroad paper-weight collection. The primary purpose of these artifacts is to show what people encountered on day-to-day activities with the railroads and how the technology changed throughout time. com One of the finest examples of High Victorian-Italianate architecture in the Midwest. Extraordinary hand-painted ceilings and walls, ornately carved woodwork, parquet floors, handcrafted silver doorknobs and hinge plates, and crystal chandeliers enhance the beauty of the interior. Adults $5, 18 and under $1.

COOK-RUTLEDGE MANSION One tour at 2pm Thursday-Sunday, June-Au- gust; group tours available throughout the year: call for details • 505 W. Grand Ave., Chippewa Falls • (715) 723-7181 • CookRutledgeMansion.

FALL CREEK HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM com See items from Fall Creek’s history including a doctor’s office, a drugstore, dresses, and military uniforms. Also on the grounds are a washhouse, kitchen, and jail. Open weekends from Memorial to Labor Day, or by appointment (call ahead).

E111940 County Road J, Fall Creek • (715) 877-2850 • fcHistoricalSociety.

HISTORICAL MABEL TAINTER

CENTER FOR THE ARTS 205 Main St. E, Menomonie • (715) 235-0001 • MabelTainter. com The Mabel Tainter building inclu––des a lavish 313-seat “crown jewel” Victorian theatre and a historic reading room. It is a premier example of a restored vintage American Theater. Take a selfguided tour to inspect the intricate hand-stenciling, hand-carved white pine archways, rich walnut, mahogany, and oak woodwork, gleaming brass fixtures, leaded glass windows, and a rare working Steere and turner tracker pipe organ with 1597 pipes.

JAMES SHEELEY HOUSE 236 West River St., Chippewa Falls • sheeleyhousesaloon.com The James Sheeley House is a local hot-spot for supernatural explorers and ghost hunters. Built in the 1860s, is allegedly haunted by the spirits of its original owners. Currently operates as restaurant serving up-scale dining in a historical setting.

OLD COURTHOUSE

MUSEUM AND JAIL 315 W. Madison St., Durand • (715) 672-5423

• OldPepinCountyCourthouse.org Wisconsin’s last remaining woodframe courthouse features an iron-latticed cellblock in the jail, upstairs courtroom in near-original condition, railroad room, bridges of Durand, century-old paintings, doctor and dentist office equipment, and antique appliances & tools.

WISCONSIN LOGGING MUSEUM

1110 Carson Park Drive, Eau Claire • (715) 835-6200 • paulbunyancamp.org Take a step back into time when you visit the Wisconsin Logging Museum (formerly the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum). Begin your tour with an introductory movie on logging in the 1890s and then visit their barn, blacksmith shop, cook shanty, bunkhouse, and heavy equipment shed to experience a day in the life of a logger.

RUSSELL J. RASSBACH HERITAGE

MUSEUM 1820 Wakanda Street, Menomonie • (715) 232-8685 • dunnhistory.org/sitehm.

html The Dunn County Historical Society seeks to discover, preserve, interpret and disseminate knowledge about the history of Dunn County and its role in Wisconsin.

STANLEY AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM 228 Helgerson Street, Stanley • (615) 6445880 • stanleyareahistoricalsociety.org Dedicated to preserving the history of the area by the collecting of historical artifacts and written materials and by educating the public through displays and programs. Recognizes the contribution lumberjacks, farm families, and carpenters made to Stanley’s settlement and growth. Huge antique bottle cap collection, 1906 Cadillac, 4 buildings with over 12,000 square feet of exhibits, and memorabilia from the NW Lumber Company.

WILSON PLACE MANSION 101 Wilson Circle, Menomonie • (715) 235-2283 • facebook. com/wilsonplacemansion Wilson Place was built in 1859 by Capt. William Wilson, a principal in Knapp, Stout, & Co. lumber company, founder and first mayor of Menomonie, and the area’s first state senator. Three generations of Wilsons remade it from a colonial house to a Queen Anne-style mansion to a Mediterranean villa. Call for admission rates and tour times.

WISCONSIN CANOE HERITAGE org Featuring displays comprised of canoes and canoe related ephemera, plus a 2500 square foot canoe shop. This eclectic assemblage of boats is exciting in its diversity, and includes significant craft from the golden age of North

MUSEUM 312 N. Front St., Spooner • (715) 635-5002 • info@wisconsincanoeheritagemuseum.org • wisconsincanoeheritagemuseum.

9-12 JUN 16-19 JUN 12-17 JUl 27-31 JUl