You’ve got a car full of kids and adults to keep happy on your Oneida County trip, so where should you and what should you do? We’ve got a few suggestions on how to put a smile on everybody’s face on your next Northwoods getaway.
Reminder: Local and state safety regulations may lead to reduced hours or changes in operations at some businesses. Please contact specific businesses for more information.
Hit the (miniature) links
What’s a summer vacation without a round (or two) of mini-golf? Head out for some fun at Oneida County’s fun, family-friendly miniature golf courses: Settlers Mill and Island Golf in Minocqua, Pirate Falls in Rhinelander, and Big Bear Mini Golf in Tomahawk. After you’re done with your round, settle in for some tasty treats—Settlers Mill has delicious frozen custard and Big Bear offers yummy ice cream creations.
Zip through the Northwoods
Up for adventure? Northwoods Zip Line in Minocqua offers the state’s largest and longest scenic zipline tours. And it’s perfect for all ages, too, kids as young as 3 can take a kids’ tour on kid-friendly zip lines and adventure bridges. For the older folks, there are a wide range of options, including canopy tours and aerial treks across bridges and other obstacles. The Full Adventure Tour includes 13 zip lines (two of which pass over scenic lakes), 14 aerial obstacles and four adventure bridges. Northwoods Zip Line also offers guided tours of the Tomahawk River (suitable for ages 5 and up) and a first-of-its-kind Argo ATV tour of a 900-acre whitetail deer game farm.
Go on a Hodag hunt
The Oneida County community of Rhinelander is the home of the Hodag—a legendary Northwoods beast that can be found throughout the city. Check out Rhinelander’s Hodag Finder to discover the locations of Hodag statues, murals and more. For a fun family photo, head to the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce on Kemp Street and snap a pic with the larger-than-life Hodag statue outside.
Join the crowd
Oneida County is home to some unique events that only take place in the summer. Lake Tomahawk is known as the “Snowshoe Baseball Capital of the World”—participants in this one-of-a-kind sport play weekly games of softball with (you guessed it) snowshoes strapped on their feet. Games take place Monday nights in June, July and August at Snowshoe Park in downtown Lake Tomahawk.
Another family-friendly event that returns to Oneida County every summer: weekly water ski shows held in various communities throughout the Northwoods. Grab a seat in the bleachers and watch these aquatic daredevils do their thing. Water ski shows can be found in Minocqua (home to the Min-Aqua Bats Water Ski Club), Rhinelander (Hodag Water Shows), Tomahawk (Kwahamot Water Ski Club) and Three Lakes (Aqua Devils Water Ski Show Team).
