Rice Lake
Something for Everyone

Rice Lake offers something for everyone -- pristine lakes, northern woods, unlimited recreational opportunities and a quiet beauty. Located in northwestern Wisconsin on the west shore of Rice Lake in the Red Cedar River Valley,  Rice Lake features beautiful scenery and lots of activities all year round. You'll also find  more than great outdoor recreation and natural beauty in Rice Lake. It is also a center for the arts and cultural events, and offers excellent restaurants, great lodging, unique shops, and even a four star golf course!

Business & Community

Rice Lake is a thriving community with a large industrial base and a strong retail economy. A strong school system, including the UW - Barron County and a  technical college, and excellent health and medical facilities provide unique, high level services for this northwoods community. Residents promote the area with lots of family oriented community events, including Rice Lake's five -day Aquafest, the Rutabaga Festival, Wintertime Festival, Fish-o-rama and many more activities.

Recreational Activities

Enjoy wonderful outdoor activities in the Rice Lake area, including hiking, jogging, horseback riding, ATVing, fishing, hunting, downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, sledding,  tubing, water skiing, swimming, boating and more!

The Rice Lake area is outstanding for hunting and fishing. Deer, partridge, ducks and small land game animals are plentiful. Local lakes are fished all year with bass, northern, walleye, crappie and sunfish waiting for you. The Red Cedar River, which flows through Rice Lake, is recognized by many to be one of the best bas rivers in the nation. It offers over 60 miles of smooth, placid water for the safest of float fishing. Rice Lake features 1000 acres of water for lots of room  to water ski, swim , fish or just relax on shore and enjoy the view.

There are two ski areas nearby. Christie Mountain is a family oriented area offering a tubing park and snowboard terrain park in addition to 13 ski runs.  Mt. Hardscrabble offers downhill and cross country skiing plus a half-pipe for snowboarders. The Blue Hills offers scenic enjoyment for hikers, motorists, cyclists, cross country skiers and snowmobilers. These hills were once gigantic mountain range some 20,000 feet hung. Expect to see a variety of wildlife, glacial formations and some of the most beautiful scenery in the state. The Tuscobia State Trail and the Wild Rivers Trail hook up with miles and miles of scenic county trails for great hiking, biking and snowmobiling.

There is stock car racing every week in the summer months. The Rice Lake area is well-know n for its great golf courses and features a four star golf course as well as eleven other  9-hole and 18-hole courses within a 25 mile area.

The area also is a center for the arts and cultural events. There are old-fashioned outdoor band concerts in the summer in Rice Lake's city park, community players productions and regional art exhibits at the Red Barn Theatre, entertainment at the Czeska Opera House, ancient gardeners art in the Japanese Gardens, the Red Cedar Symphony, and community and university band performances throughout the year.

Dining, Entertainment, Lodging & Shopping

Rice Lake offers a large selection of excellent dining, entertainment, theater, dancing and shopping. From family restaurants and waterfront dining to supper clubs and elegant cuisine, diners have a great choice of excellent eateries. There are also lodging  accommodations to suit every visitor's needs from family housekeeping cottages, luxurious lakeside lodges and historic bed and breakfast inns to primitive forest campsites. 

For the shopper, Rice Lake offers everything from unique specialty shops to a large indoor mall and several national stores for your needs.  The area features many antique and collectible shops as well as antique & collectible shows, flea markets, and art and craft shows.

Area Attractions

• Pioneer Village Museum, Cameron

• Historic Walking Tour of Rice Lake

• Bayfield Trail, Rice Lake

• Indian Mounds Park, Rice Lake

• Barron Blue Hills, Rice Lake

• Christie Mountain Ski Area, Rice Lake

• Mt. Hardscrabble, Rice Lake

• Tuscobia State Trail, Rice Lake

• Wild Rivers Trail, Rice Lake

• Red Cedar River

• Farmers Market, Downtown Rice Lake

• Aquafest, Rice Lake

• Fish-O-Rama, Chetek

• Municipal Band Concerts, Rice Lake

• Japanese Friendship Garden, UW-Barron County Campus, Rice Lake

• Red Barn Theatre, Rice Lake

Rice Lake

Something for Everyone!

Visit the Rice Lake Business Directory

For more information on the surrounding area, visit Barron County

Visit the Barron County Business Directory

The Rice Lake community web page (of Barron County) 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 Menomonie, Chippewa Falls, Hudson, Rice Lake, New Richmond, Ladysmith, Bloomer, Barron, Baldwin, Amery, Spooner, Osceola, River Falls, Cumberland, Stanley, Grantsburg, Hayward, and neighboring Wisconsin communities.