Wausau Area
http://www.visitwausau.com/whattodo/attractions
Local Restaurants
The Wausau area has a wide variety of dining options from food for gourmets to casual family dining. There's no shortage choices.
TOP 5 ( in no particular order, just to name a few)
1. Red Eye Brewing Company
2. City Grill
3. Townies
4. Sconnies
5. Great Dane
6. Tine & Cellar
7. Ciao
8. Wausau Mine Company
Shopping
The Wausau area is packed with unique shopping districts. If you still have the energy, don't miss the wide array of shops for everyone.
We try our best to work with local businesses and programs. Please support our region by visiting these great shops. If you are interested in some new gear check out our shop at Granite Peak but also stop by our friends in town: Shepherd & Schaller and Central Board Shop
Activities Galore
Wausau has a vibrant nightlife with many art, music and entertainment venues for all ages. There truly is something
for everyone.
We offer many event add on's for ski and stay packages, check them out before reserving your reservation!
Just to name a few "Wonders of Wausau"
1. Granite Peak Ski Area Events
2. The Grand Theater
3. Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
4. Center for Visual Arts
5. Ice Skating
6. Dales Weston Bowling Lanes
7. WOW - Wausau on the Water
8 Shepard and Shaller Ski Shop
9. Sawmill Adventure Trampoline Park
10. Concerts in The PARK DOWNTOWN WAUSAU Concerts on the Square - WAUSAU EVENTS
Wausau Area Information
Centrally located at the cross roads of I-39/Highway 51 and Highway 29, the Wausau/Central Wisconsin area includes the communities of Kronenwetter, Mosinee, Rib Mountain, Rothschild, Schofield, Wausau, and Weston. Surrounded by natural beauty, the area enjoys the fortunate combination of city amenities and the look and feel of the Northwoods. Maybe you first heard of the Wausau area from a Wausau Insurance ad and their Wausau train depot logo. Maybe you’ve been to Rib Mountain State Park. Or perhaps you had no idea of what you were missing as you drove through this pretty part of the state. What was once a thriving logging community is now a thriving destination full of wonderful attractions. From winter recreation to your favorite summer pastimes, the Wausau area has everything you’re looking for in an "Up North" experience.
http://www.visitwausau.com/BadgerStateWinterGames
This iconic sports series continues to offer individuals and teams of all ages the opportunity to compete in a variety of amateur events in the style of the Olympic Games. The 2015 Winter Games will be held over three weekends in January and February and will include Alpine and Nordic Skiing, Figure Skating, Curling, Bowling, Billiards, Fat Tire Bike competitions and many more events. For more information on all of the events and to register, visit www.badgerstategames.org. Athletes can also follow Badger State Games through Twitter and Facebook.
About Wausau
History - The Wausau Story
We take a great deal of pride in our community, many people were born and raised here and have either stayed or come back to raise their own families. The Wausau area offers a unique combination of city living with the country just minutes away from any doorstep. We have the best of both worlds. Residents enjoy four distinct seasons that offer beauty and recreation year round. We are proud to call Wausau our home!
It was the Wisconsin River that first drew settlers to this area originally known as "Big Bull Falls", either named by Indians or early fur traders. An 1836 treaty transferring land along the Wisconsin River from the Indians to federal ownership sent George Stevens’ lumbermen up the river two years later to find suitable places for turning the pine forests into lumber. "It is decidedly the best Mill Site I ever saw or heard of in the Union" wrote George Stevens after reaching Big Bull Falls in the Summer of 1839. Nonetheless he was very excited when he wrote his partner George Morton in St. Louis about the site and its possibilities. By 1840, the Stevens sawmill was processing the pine forests into lumber. It was not long before other mills began springing up along the riverbanks of central Wisconsin. This was the coming of the Lumbermen. The death of the forests became the birth of a town. "The Pinery", magical words 150 years ago, is a legend today.
Among the first men who took the lead in business and in the growth of the community was Walter McIndoe. He arrived in 1846 and due to his efforts, Marathon County was organized in 1850. About the same time, Big Bull Falls began to be called Wausau and became the county seat. This was the area where the Chippewa Indians went on their yearly hunts and called it "Wausau", translated to mean "far away place". McIndoe decided that would be an appropriate name. There are stories that question that interpretation. Another Indian language states the word "Wausau" means a “noise like thunder”. This would make sense because of the noise the water made rushing over the falls.
Decade by decade, Wausau began to grow and mature. Wausau had been platted and organized as a town in 1852 and incorporated as a village April, 1861. Heavy German immigration brought more media people into the area, churches and social organizations began to flourish. 1872 was an end and a beginning, it ended the days as a village and began its days as a city. The State of Wisconsin granted a city charter in 1872 with its first election the first Tuesday in April under the charter. The citizenry elected German-born August Kickbusch as its first mayor. In 1874, the arrival of the railroad made it easier for people to get to Wausau. By the 1890's, the city grew to 9,150 persons, compared to 2,820 in 1874.
(View History of Mayors and City Hall)
Turn-of-the-century technology and fortunes based on that technology, continued to change Wausau. The city and the county were on the edge of economic disaster. As trees vanished, mills closed, towns vanished as well. It did not happen to Wausau. Some of the reasons for Wausau's good fortune, was its location, one of the best water powers on the Wisconsin River and an exceptional group of people who reformed the economy of the city in the early part of the 20th century. They came to be known as the Wausau Group. They did much to build the town and more to preserve it. Papermaking followed lumbering as the pinery began to disappear and industry flourished. To meet those industrial needs, Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Co., of Wisconsin started selling insurance at the corner of Third and Scott Street in 1911.
The arrival of automobiles in the county helped to improve roads and by the early 1920's there were over 2,200 miles of hard-surfaced roads in the county and also concrete road construction. Air travel also came to Wausau in the mid-1920's, Ben and Judd Alexander decided to build an airport on the southeast side of Wausau with the understanding that the city would take it over after five years and maintain it. This airport is now known as Wausau Downtown Airport.
Wausau's cultural isolation began to fade in the early part of the 20th century. The Grand Opera House built in 1899 was replaced by the newer and more technological Grand Theater in 1927. The theater, restored in 1986 / 1987 at a cost of nearly two million dollars, is owned by the Grand Theater Foundation and leased to the Performing Arts Foundation. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum opened in 1976. It is Wausau's most distinguished cultural institution. These and other organizations have helped to promote the arts in Central Wisconsin and make Wausau a premier arts community.
The depression years after the stock market crash in 1929 hit Wausau hard. Industries were forced to cut back, laying off or dismissing workers. The financial disaster which continued into the 1930's was a shock to Wausau after decades of progress. Ironically, the federal programs under the New Deal measures taken did more than anything else to modernize the area and bring it into the mainstream of American life. Wausau has continued to grow since then, not so much in population, but in industry, education, recreation, and its retail center downtown. The building of an eight block enclosed shopping mall in downtown Wausau, which opened in August 1983, made this the largest economic gamble in the city's history thus far. The Wausau Center Mall is still a successful shopping center that draws shoppers from the region.
In the late 90's the economy prospered, Wausau saw the need to purchase and development more land for the West Industrial Park to meet the needs of expanding companies. There was also an increase in commercial development on the west side of town along Stewart Avenue. More recently, the city acquired through gifts and purchases, the 400 Block in downtown Wausau. It was designated by council in 1998, as a public open square to be improved and otherwise developed for the use and enjoyment of the citizens of our great community as part of the Redevelopment Plan.
This Redevelopment Plan, called the Wausau Central Business District Master Plan, created a comprehensive long-range vision and implementation strategy for the redevelopment and economic structuring of downtown Wausau. It was adopted by the Common Council in March 2000. These redevelopment plans, along with the mission and goals of the Wausau River Edge Commission, proposes to maximize the aesthetic and natural benefits of the Wisconsin River edge within the central business district. Through study, planning, and cooperative programs with all public and private interest for recreation and other uses, the area will be enhanced and become a showplace of natural beauty for public enjoyment with a system of walks, recreation areas, and commercial sites that will attract tourists and increase the value of the river corridor, its islands, and surrounding areas.
In 2002, the Performing Arts Foundation completed an ambitious $13 million dollar expansion project. The project integrated three historic structures including the Center for Visual Arts and the 1927 Grand Theater as the centerpiece. This project provided additional amenities for patrons and performers which will serve the Grand Theater for many years to come. In June 2002, Governor McCallum announced Wausau’s acceptance into the Main Street Program. Main Street is a state-administered program that brings expert advice to cities to help merchants and politicians work together to focus on preserving and rehabilitating historical buildings; attracting more people to the downtown businesses; developing underutilized property; and maintaining the retail function in the downtown area. The downtown district, known as the River District, also represents the City's first business improvement district. The BID district assesses special assessments to each property within its boundaries to fund the salaries and operating costs of the main street program. The City of Wausau supplements these contributions with an annual allocation of room tax dollars for the main street program.
In recent years, the city has entered into several highly successful private-public partnerships. These partnerships have transformed the skyscape and vistas of the downtown rivers edge. In addition, these projects have increased tax base and employment in the community. The City is thrilled with the addition of the Dudley Tower, Eye Clinic of Wisconsin, Jefferson Street Inn, The Palladian and Wausau Benefits/Wipfli Building.
In this fast pace world, what we do and build now will have to fit in the future scheme, so decisions need to be made with special consideration to future needs. Our futures sees continued development along the Hwy 51/29 corridor, enhancements to the 400 block and expansion of the river edge trail, and the redevelopment of property along the Wisconsin River, and Third Street to name a few. The story of Wausau is far from over and the past gives good reason to be excited and optimistic for its future.
Want to learn more?
Wisconsin Public Television has a fantastic documentary on the history of Wausau.
Landmarks
Attractions & Landmarks
Granite Peak
Agricultural Attractions
In addition to the natural beauty of the landscape, the climate and terrain permit a diversity of crops to be grown in the Wausau Area. In contrast to the level plains that permit large acreages of wheat and corn, central Wisconsin soil provides excellent growing conditions for many fruits, vegetables, and evergreens. You can taste fresh-picked goodness by doing the work yourself or by visiting the Farmers Market located at 400 River Drive, Wausau on Wednesday and Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. from mid-May through mid-November.
Farms and orchards surrounding the Wausau Area produce potatoes, corn, strawberries, apples, ginseng, and Christmas trees. During the summer, you can pick fresh vegetables and fruit for eating or preserving at several area farms. In fall, there are orchards with tree ripened apples and beginning the day after Thanksgiving, your family can take to the fields with a saw to select the perfect Christmas tree from one of the many tree farms nestled among the wooded hillsides of the surrounding area.
Marathon County is also well know for ginseng, a root used for 5,000 years for health benefits in beverages and food. Central Wisconsin exports 95% of the ginseng root from the United States. Ginseng farmers tend a crop for 4 years, and in the summer tarps cover the fields from direct sunlight. One of the larger ginseng wholesalers is Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprises Inc. located north of Wausau on County Highway W.
Andrew Warren Historic District
The Warren District is named after sawmill owner Andrew Warren, who purchased the land in 1853. The sixty-two buildings, mostly homes built between 1868 and 1934, comprise this architecturally significant area in the heart of Wausau’s east side. Buildings from the Prairie School of Architecture exist here as well as examples of Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Neo-Classical Revival styles. The two homes that comprise the Marathon Country Historical Museum, Society and Library are located in this district.
East of the Warren District is the even larger East Hill District, named for the hill rising abruptly on the east side of the Wisconsin River Valley. More than 100 houses covering a 30-block radius went up between 1874 and 1930. Buildings styles include Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Georgian Revival, Tudors Revival, and more. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is located at 700 North Twelve Street in this district.
A free brochure (PDF 4.5MB) containing a self-guided tour of historic neighborhoods is available at area museums.
"Wausau Beautiful - A Guide to Our Historic Architecture", a pictorial and informational publication, is available for sale at Janke's Book Store and the Marathon County Historical Society's Woodson History Center.
Center of the Northwest Hemisphere
Highway 29 West, follow the signs
Poniatowski, Wisconsin
Visit Poniatowski in the Town of Reitbrock, Marathon County where the exact geographic center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere is located. It is there that the 90th Meridian of the Longitude bisects the 45th Parallel of Longitude. Meaning it is exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, and is a quarter of the way around the the earth from Greenwich, England. This is one of only four places like this in the entire world with two being under water and the other in China. The site has been marked with a geological marker in a small park.
The Wausau/Central Wisconsin Visitors Center now has the visitor book once found at Gesicki's tavern. People who have visited the marker can come into the Visitor Center (located in downtown Wausau at 219 Jefferson Street) sign the book and receive a commemorative coin. The Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm (hours subject to change).
Historic Downtown Wausau/River District
Historic Downtown Wausau is the county seat of Marathon County, the regional shopping center, and art, museum, and business center of Central Wisconsin. The downtown emerged after the sawmills were built along the Wisconsin River in the 1800's, and the city prospered into the 1900's. Wausau became the county seat in 1850, and although the original Marathon County Courthouse building is no longer standing, the newer building at 500 Forest Street houses many county government departments and the county jail. City government is also located downtown in an Art Deco style City Hall building, 407 Grant Street, which has recently undergone extensive renovations.
Retail businesses, professional and government offices, the county library, museums, attractions, churches, and parks make up the landscape of the downtown along the Wisconsin River. Many of the churches boast a range in architectural designs from Tudor Revival to High Victorian Gothic styles. The Grand Theater built in 1927 is located in the heart of downtown, and recently the city acquired the block in front of the Grand Theater for a city park. Special celebrations, concerts, festivals, and events are held in this park throughout the year.
Downtown features over sixty stores located within the Wausau Center Mall and along the Pedestrian Mall down Third Street to adjacent side streets. The Pedestrian Mall is a brick paved walkway extending from the front doors of the mall where you will find the beginning of specialty stores, attractions, pubs, businesses, and restaurants housed in historic buildings unique to the downtown. A great example of this is the historic Washington Square building at 300 Washington Street.
Salem Lutheran Church Pipe Organ
2822 Sixth Street, Wausau
715/ 845-2822
Hours are by appointment only
Free Admission
Modeled after a 17th century design often used by Bach, the completely mechanical organ combines metal pipes manufactured in Germany with wood pipes and solid oak cabinetry crafted in the U.S. Organists are encouraged to listen to and play the instrument. Demonstrations are also available by making advance arrangements.
The Wausau Depot
When you think of Wausau you probably envision the railroad depot created by Wausau Insurance Companies for a corporate logo. You can't find the depot pictured in the ads because it was drawn by an artist combining one depot building with the view of the city skyline from another depot.
The depot featured in the logo still stands at 720 Grant Street. After Wausau Insurance Companies bought the building in 1977, a faithful reproduction was constructed at its corporate headquarters for advertising purposes and the Grant Street depot was donated to the Boy Scouts. The Washington Street depot with the city backdrop depicted in the logo has recently been restored and used as office space.