A Local’s Guide

A Rainy Day in Minocqua

The lake will still be there tomorrow. When the Northwoods weather turns, the island city has a quieter itinerary, and we think it’s the better one.

Every cabin and resort within twenty miles empties into town when it rains, and most of the advice out there is aimed at restless kids. This guide is for the adults.

Morning: coffee and a bookstore

Start at Cafe Sonder or The Bottled Bean for coffee, then wander to The Shade Tree, downtown’s independent bookstore, stocked for people who love the Northwoods enough to read about it. Buying a novel while it rains on a lake town is one of life’s reliably correct decisions.

Afternoon: make something, learn something

Earth Goods, on Front Street, runs a paint-your-own pottery studio — unhurried by design, and they’ll kiln-fire your piece for pickup in a couple of days. For local history, the Minocqua Museum keeps the island’s story, from railroad resort town to what you see out the window now.

The reward: a long, slow glass

Rain is the weather our room was built for. The Sapphire Lounge opens at 3 (2 on Sundays), tucked within a hidden garden at the center of downtown — wines by the glass and bottle, cocktails classic and strange, and zero-proof and THC pours if you’re pacing yourself. There is no better sound to drink wine to than rain you don’t have to be out in.

If it clears

Northwoods storms leave fast. If the sky breaks before dinner, walk down to the lake — the sunsets after a storm are the best ones — and pick up the evening guide from there.

More guides: a night out in Minocqua, date night, and zero-proof & THC drinks.