A Local's Guide to Wausau: A Free Art Museum, Rib Mountain, and a Real Downtown

Wausau is the southern gateway to the Northwoods and the market's only true city -- a Wisconsin River town with a nationally respected art museum, a ski mountain right at the edge of downtown, and a genuine dining-and-brewery scene. If the rest of the Northwoods is lakes and supper clubs, Wausau is where you come for culture, a real night out, and a whitewater course in the middle of town.

What is Wausau known for?

Art and Rib Mountain. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is the cultural anchor -- a free, nationally regarded museum best known for its annual "Birds in Art" exhibition. On the skyline, Rib Mountain State Park rises over the city, with Granite Peak Ski Area on its slopes -- one of the better ski hills in the Midwest. Downtown's 400 Block green space and the Wisconsin River tie it all together.

Things to do in Wausau

See the Woodson Art Museum (free, and worth it), hike or ski Rib Mountain and Granite Peak, and paddle the Wausau Whitewater Park -- a competition kayak course on the Wisconsin River, one of the few of its kind in the country. Downtown, the 400 Block hosts summer concerts and the Grand Theater anchors the performing-arts calendar.

Where to eat in Wausau

This is the market's deepest food scene. Red Eye Brewing Company and Forward Beverage Co lead the craft-beer side, 2510 Restaurant and Tine & Cellar are the upscale tables, and the Wausau Mine Company is the beloved mining-themed family institution. The Mint Cafe is the historic downtown standby, Blue Willow Cafe and The Pickle Jar cover breakfast and lunch, and Wausau On Water puts food and family fun on the river.

When to go

Wausau is a true four-season town. Winter is ski season at Granite Peak; spring brings the whitewater releases; summer fills the 400 Block with concerts and festivals; fall lights up Rib Mountain. The Woodson's "Birds in Art" runs in the fall and is a destination in itself.

Planning your visit

Wausau sits right on I-39 about two and a half hours north of Madison, at the southern edge of the Northwoods market. It's the most walkable downtown in the region, and the art museum, river, and downtown are close together; Rib Mountain and Granite Peak are a few minutes southwest. It makes a natural basecamp before heading deeper into the lakes country.

The bottom line

Wausau is the Northwoods with a downtown -- a free art museum, a ski mountain, a whitewater course, and the region's best dinner options. We surface what's worth the trip; you choose the gallery or the slope. See what's on this week at the Lineup.