Rhinelander
Four Seasons of Unspoiled Nature

Nestled in the spectacular northwoods of Wisconsin, the Rhinelander area features hundreds of miles of unspoiled forests and crystal clear lakes, and four seasons of recreational activities. Located on beautiful  Boom Lake, Rhinelander offers a great combination of spectacular natural beauty plus all the advantages of a progressive and active city with a  strong theater and arts community and  state-of-the-art educational facilities, airport, and health and medical services.

Community Life & Activities

Residents and visitors enjoy the best of all worlds in Rhinelander. The community celebrates often with local events, music and concerts, festivals, and recreational competitions. It features a top notch hospital and healthcare facility with specialists to serve all ages and needs of the population. Rhinelander is home to Wisconsin's pioneer community college, Nicholet College, which offers college and technical vocational courses. Quality arts and entertainment are offered in the area. Broadway and off-Broadway plays are produced and performed onstage at Nicholet College and the Northern Lights Playhouse in nearby Hazelhurst. The nationally recognized Rhinelander School of the Arts offers aspiring musicians, dancers, writers and artists an opportunity to learn firsthand from established professionals.

Recreational Activities

In every season you can enjoy the natural beauty of the Rhinelander area and the abundance of recreational opportunities that await you. With nearly 250 sparkling lakes, rivers and streams within a 12-mile area of Rhinelander, swimming, boating, canoeing, and fishing are popular pastimes in the summer. The area features world-class fishing where largemouth and smallmouth bass are abundant, as well as trophy size northern, walleye and muskie, including the giant muskellunge which is native to this area. You'll find miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, and in the winter enjoy some of the best cross country and snowmobile trails in Wisconsin. Sightseeing is at its best in the Rhinelander area where you are likely to see eagles, loon and deer in the untouched forests. In the fall enjoy spectacular fall colors along the trails and roadways. Top ranked golf courses and tennis facilities are also available in the Rhinelander area, as well as snowtubing and downhill skiing. Rhinelander has four seasons of recreational activities for every member of the family!

Shopping, Dining and Lodging

If unique shopping, dining and lodging interest you, then Rhinelander has many exciting spots for you. The area features many charming antique, art and craft, gift, specialty, book, and clothing stores ready for you to browse and shop. Dine on delicious food in cozy inns, resorts, family restaurants, steak houses, and bar and grills in the Rhinelander area, many in gorgeous northwoods settings along a lake or in the woods where you can watch raccoon, deer and other forest residents. From secluded cottages on a lake, a campground in the woods, a spacious resort, or a quaint bed and breakfast inn, you'll find all the accommodations first class, and with the northwoods flavor, in Rhinelander.

The Legend of the Hodag

What is a Hodag? It's a fierce, strange and frightening monster with sharp claws and sharp horns on his back. As the legend goes, he appeared in Rhinelander in 1896 and scared a lumberjack. A photo documenting this horrifying experience later was proven to be a hoax. However, today the Hodag remains an important symbol in Rhinelander -  there's Hodag Park and the high school athletic teams are called the "Hodags."  You can see the famous Hodag at the Logging Museum and the Riverwalk.

Rhinelander
The Home of the Hodag  

 Rhinelander community web page offers information on the area's best shopping, restaurants, real estate listings, used cars for sale, auto repair, entertainment, hotels, motels, family vacations and vacation packages, camping, parks, festivals, current events, area attractions with link to business directory, local travel maps and more for Rhinelander, Park Falls, Phillips, Hurley, Minocqua, Pelican, Montreal, Eagle River, Merrill, Three Lakes, Tomahawk, Antigo, Crandon, Woodruff and neighboring Oneida County Wisconsin communities.