Click here to return to Shawano County Businesses

Shawano County Attractions

Come to Shawano County where fun comes naturally! From a rustic road tour through Shawano's scenic countryside to relaxing and enjoying a variety of terrific productions, plays and art fairs at the Mielke Art Center, there is something for everyone in Shawano County

Known for its fantastic seasonal activities, Shawano is truly a place for outdoor fun! Summer, spring, winter, and fall are always filled with an endless list of things to do on the lakes, rivers or in the numerous parks and woods. Winter enthusiasts in Shawano County can ride some of the 300 miles of groomed snowmobile trails that take you through many beautiful forests and meadows. More adventurous? Shawano Lake is the place for ice racing and when winter rolls around the events draw racers from all over the Midwest. If summer fun is what interests you, Shawano County has all kinds of activities for sunshine lovers. Home to the Wolf, Oconto, Embarrass and Red Rivers, they offer terrific and exciting whitewater fun and challenges for the adventurous. For those who enjoy the more serene, Shawano County is home to many beautiful parks where the whole family can have a wonderful time hiking, biking or enjoying a picnic lunch. The many lakes that are part of Shawano County offer a wide selection of waterplay and leisure to please every boater. No matter what the season, Shawano County has plenty of activities that let you experience the great outdoors to the very fullest.

A weekend in Shawano County is just what you need - it's is the place to go to enjoy the great outdoors and more - such as local history, excellent lodging, shopping and dining.
Back to top

Museums & Historical Sites

Bonduel Community Archives
108 South First Street, Bonduel
715-758-2687
Through the Bonduel Community Archive's extensive collection of pictures and papers, learn all about the rich heritage of the Bonduel, Cecil and Navarino areas and the early settlers who first established their farms and industries there. The museum also does archival work for families searching for genealogical information. Open Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Gresham Railroad Depot and Museum
1311 North Main Street, Shawano
715-787-3271 or 715-787-3634
View an unique collection of railroad memorabilia at this former railroad depot including telegrapher's equipment, pictures and timetables, old fashioned railroad lanterns, freight wagons and variety of other railway equipment. Open during the summer months on Saturday afternoons from 1:30 to 4pm, or by special appointments.

Heritage Park
524 North Franklin, Shawano
715-526-3536 or 715-524-2139
Enjoy the good ole days, and bring to life the history of the immigrants, lumberjacks and early farmers who settled this area of Wisconsin. Dressed in period costumes, the Shawano County Historical Society tour guides will start the tour at the registration center where you will see photos of early Main Street. From there you will journey back in history when you visit the main house, built in 1871 and furnished with authentic 18th century furnishings. While at the main house, you will enjoy the variety of displays including ancient Native American beadwork. Next, hear the echo of children's voices and laughter at the One Room County School. And finally, end your historic trip with a stop at the restored pioneer log cabin where you can watch an old fashioned cheese making demonstration. Open Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons form 1:30 to 4:30pm, June through September. Special tours by appointment.

Menominee Logging Museum
Hwy 47 and County Trunk VV, Keshena
715-799-3757 or 715-799-5258
Step into the past and experience the logger's lore, which is a long-standing tradition of the Memominee Indian Tribe. This museum has the largest collection of logging artifacts in the world. Enjoy a guided tour through a real logging village where you will visit a bunkhouse, cook shanty, horse barn, blacksmith shop, wood butcher's shop, saw filers shack, and a old time camp office, all fully restored with original tools and equipment used in Northern Wisconsin lumber camps. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm, May 1 through October 15.

Stockbridge-Munsee Historical Library Museum of the Mohican Nation
N8510 Moh He Con Nuk Road, Bowler
715-793-4270
Indulge in the rich history and culture of the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe also know as " the people from where the waters are never still," at Shawano County's Library Museum, which houses an enormous amount of information and literature for your learning pleasure. Open daily, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm and weekends by appointment.

Wittenburg Museum
Enjoy a variety of displays and artifacts from the late 19th century. Included in the displays are Native American tools and artifacts, logging items and an extensive photograph collection. Open Sunday afternoons during the summer or by special appointment.
Back to top

Nature Centers & Parks

Mielke Park and Cultural Arts Center
Airport Road, Shawano
715-526-6171
Home of the "Theatre in the Woods" and four nature trails available for the study and enjoyment of flora and fauna, Mielke Park is for everyone in the family. Relax and enjoy picnic lunches while over looking wildflowers and Mielke Pond, which is stocked with panfish.

Navarino Wildlife Area and the Navarino Nature Center
715-526-4226
Covered by forests and interspersed with wetlands and grasslands, the Navarino Wildlife Area provides a home for its many inhabitants including swans, sandhill cranes, a variety of ducks, deer, owls and many other woodland creatures. The wildlife area is also under active management, which includes and regulates logging, water level manipulation, native plant restoration, and prescribed burning all which support and help this eco-system survive. While separate from the Wildlife Area, the Navarino Nature Center operates within the wildlife grounds. The center offers seasonal seminars, self-guided walking tours, and trails for hiking, biking and cross county skiing.
Back to top

Special Things to Do

Heritage Tours - From the Pineries to the Present
The Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Division
1-800-235-8528
Take your choice of 5 different self guided driving tours of Shawano and Menominee County and the Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Reservations. Beautiful scenery, spectacular waterfalls, and museum facts take you through the rich and wonderful history of the area and its people.

Menominee Indian Reservation Tours
715-799-4921
The College of the Menominee Nation proudly hosts tours of their land including the Reservation Forest, Spirit Rock, Keshena Falls and other places of interest.

Rustic Road Tour
County Highway M, Shawano County
608-266-0639
Enjoy 14 miles of true Wisconsin countryside, featuring open farmlands against a backdrop of wooded hills that canopy the road with majestic maple trees. Along your journey you will cross two streams and pass through conifer glens, wetland vegetation and many rolling fields. In addition to the beautiful scenery the Shawano Rustic Road tour also has an historic feel as you pass by a round barn, the red granite town hall and a stone filling station. County M also passes the Tigerton Historical Museum and the Wittenburg Historical Museum.

Shawano Fly-Out
Shawano County Airport
715-526-2465
As an extension of the annual Oshkosh EAA Fly-In, a wide variety of privately owned, restored aircraft arrive in Shawano. The public is invited to come out and view the visiting aircraft. A number of activities take place at the airport in conjunction with this special event so call for next year's dates.

Tigerton Farmers Market
Tigerton Community Park
715-524-2139
Local farmers and merchants bring fresh grown vegetables and freshly baked goods for your enjoyment. Every Saturday, 8am to 11am, June through August.

Back to top

Points of Interest

Cedar Brook Farm
N4751 Anderson Lane, Tigerton
715-535-2772
Learn about Wisconsin agriculture on this real 'working' Wisconsin farm. Fun for kids and adults alike. Enjoy activities such as horse drawn hay and sleigh rides, a petting zoo, and a wonderful picnic area.

Historic Downtown Shawano and the Main Street Statues
Main Street, Shawano
715-524-2105
Delight in the wonderful array of local businesses including bakeries, darling gift shops, an old-fashioned theater and pub and more that comprise Shawano's restored downtown area. Also host to many events throughout the year, the downtown historical district always has much to do. So enjoy a few cookies from a local bakery and walk down to the corner of Main Street and Green Bay to look at the statues that depict the areas early farmers and timber workers.

Back to top