Necedah is the home to the annual Whooping Crane Festival, which brings people from all over the world to the small village for a chance to get a look at the endangered species. This two-day festival focuses on the whooping crane project with educational and wildlife displays, tours of the Necedah Wildlife Refuge, a craft fair, and Native American entertainment and food. At the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, the young whooping cranes are trained to follow ultra-light aircraft in preparation for migration. This festival draws a crowd of 3000-4000 people and features great activities for the whole family.

Whooping cranes, wolves, Karner blue butterflies, and white-tailed deer call Necedah National Wildlife Refuge home. The 43,656-acre refuge was established in 1939 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. Ringed bog hunter dragonflies live in sedge meadows, flying squirrels in upland hardwood timber. Trumpeter swans inhabit the marshes, and badgers the savanna. The habitat mosaic, maintained by prescribed burning, seasonal mowing, and timber clearing, attracts a wide range of wildlife. Each species and habitat is monitored and maintained to insure overall vigor of the ecosystem.

Castle Rock Lake is Wisconsin’s fourth largest freshwater lake, measuring 16,500 square acres. A flowage of the Wisconsin River, this body of water is home to a wide variety of fish, including bluegill, lake sturgeon, largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, and walleye. Surrounding the lake is a variety of supper clubs, bars and grills with outdoor music entertainment, and a selection of beach volleyball courts.Secluded, but close to some of Wisconsin’s finest out-door year around recreation, boating & fishing on Castle Rock Lake, snowmobiling, and biking.