This large region in the northeast portion of the state is heavily forested (at least for now—it's the heart of the Wisconsin paper industry). Relive the state's lumberjack days at the logging museum in Rhinelander—it contains a full-scale reproduction of a logging camp from the 1800s.
Northwest of Rhinelander is Minocqua, home of Minocqua Winter Park, an extensive and well-maintained network of cross-country skiing trails open in winter. The rest of the year, you can visit Jim Peck's Wildwood Park and Zoo and have close-up encounters with hundreds of animals. Scheer's Lumberjack Shows in nearby Woodruff are fun, with demonstrations of logrolling, chopping, sawing and climbing. See muskie, northern pike and walleye at the Woodruff Fish Hatchery, one of the largest cold-water hatcheries in the world.
Yet a little farther northwest is Lac du Flambeau, in the heart of the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation, where members of the Ojibwe tribe live. For an introduction to Native American culture, visit the re-created Wa-swa-goning Indian Village and the George W. Brown Jr. Ojibwe Museum and Cultural Center. Tour the fish hatchery to see just how the lake stays so full of walleye—then take your rod and reel and see what you can hook (no license needed). Gamblers will want to try a few games of chance at the tribe's Lake of the Torches Casino (slots and blackjack).
You might also consider a stop in Stevens Point, where you can tour the Stevens Point Brewery (they've been making beer since 1857), Herrschners (a huge mail-order craft company) and Worzalla Publishing (mostly children's books). You can also tour the papermaking operations at the Stora Enso complex (formerly Consolidated Papers) in downtown Wisconsin Rapids, just southwest of Stevens Point. The Northwoods area is approximately 190 mi/305 km northwest of Milwaukee.
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