There’s something for everyone in Barron County! The beautiful countryside with its rolling hills, many lakes and streams offer plenty of outdoor recreation or a pleasant Sunday driving tour. Golf, fishing, canoeing, camping, skiing, and over 250 miles of snowmobiling trails offer endless opportunities to enjoy Wisconsin’s best! The gorgeous Red Cedar River is well-known for its small mouth bass fishing and amazing fall colors. There are many points of interest and activities year-round, both indoor and outdoor. For indoor fun, there are bowling lanes, roller skating rinks, traditional live theatre, movie theaters, and great shopping. Watch for specialty foods like bison and locally produced cheese, even tour a brewery!

The Red Cedar State Park Trail is 14.5 miles of hard packed crushed stone and runs parallel with the Red Cedar River from Menomonie to Dunnville where it connects with the Chippewa River Trail. Thousands use it annually for bicycling, jogging, hiking, and cross-country skiing. It passes through wooded sandstone bluffs, prairies and wetlands. The northern end of the Red Cedar Trail passes by wooded bluffs. Farther south the landscape changes to marshes and farmland. At the south end of the trail is the Dunnville Wildlife Area, a floodplain of river bottoms and restored prairies. There are eleven railroad bridges on the trail, and for the most part, the trail follows alongside the Red Cedar River.

For the arts lovers, the area’s craftspeople and artists have their treasures available at the many unusual gift shops. The Red Barn Theatre and Northern Star Theatre Company have regular performances, including musicals, dramas, comedies and more. The Pioneer Village Museum is must-see for every visitor to Barron County. Boasting over 400 historical items of interest, it is a replica of the type of village the pioneers built and lived in. You will find the Pioneer Village a delight to the eye and a true educational experience as you tour through over forty buildings, including a one-of-a-kind exhibition hall with forty glass-front display cases filled with items from the distant past.

Barron County was first inhabited by Dakota (Sioux) and Chippewa Indians. The many bodies of water and forests provided ample game and fishing, and the wild rice fields around many water areas were put to good use also. The late 1700’s and early 1800’s saw many fur traders, who found the abundant wild game a dream come true. Also in abundance were the dense forests which soon attracted lumber companies and around the early to mid-1800’s the Logging Days began. Eventually the wood supply was exhausted, and Barron County residents turned to farming as a living. The rolling hills became dotted with fertile, flourishing fields and Barron County is today one of Wisconsin’s highest agricultural producers. We hope you’ll enjoy your visit with us in Barron County and come back again real soon. You’ll love the wonderful mix of beauty, recreation and arts that keeps visitors coming back to our area again and again.