Local Favorites: Things to Do in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Whether you’re planning an Eau Claire itinerary for a weekend getaway or searching for local favorites beyond the typical tourist stops, this article highlights some of our favorite experiences in Eau Claire and nearby Chippewa Falls.

We’ll outline a recent action-packed weekend of local activities to end up with a perfect weekend. From wineries to flower farms, food trucks, and trolley tours, these kinds of experiences truly make the Chippewa Valley a fun destination!

If you follow us, you know we have a plethora of posts about Eau Claire area favorites including area apple orchards or strawberry picking, burger or pizza farms, sunflower fields, or our amazing farmer’s market besides all the fun outlined in this guide!

Visit River Bend Winery & Distillery Near Eau Claire

We live on the northwestern edge of the city of Eau Claire, which makes a trip to our neighboring city of Chippewa Falls to the north an easy few mile drive making nearby Chippewa Falls an easy addition to any Eau Claire itinerary.

One of our favorite things to do near Eau Claire is visiting River Bend Winery & Distillery. The winery is a popular local stop for wine tastings, seasonal events, food trucks, and live music in the Chippewa Valley.

Yes, we have wineries in Wisconsin and some REALLY good ones like River Bend! There are other wineries in the state that have fruit based wines, such as those really common in Door County. Those wineries are appreciated by many, but we find after our travels to wine country in California, Upstate New York, South Africa, Ontario, and counting, our palate prefers a more complex wine and River Bend meets that preference impressively right here in Western Wisconsin.

We often visit for a nice view of the River Bend vineyards while enjoying their wine or cocktails with our own little picnic of charcuterie. If we’re not in the mood to pack a picnic, they often feature different food trucks on summer weekends as a food option as well as having cheese and charcuterie. They also offer a small selection of local products for sale including the delicious maple syrup from a young entrepreneur whose family we know, Wanish Sugar Bush. And, to top all that off, if wine and spirits, good food, and good views aren’t enough to tempt you they often host free live music on summer weekends as well as other creative and fun events like Vendors in the Vines highlighting local makers and artists.

If you’re searching for relaxing things to do in Eau Claire during summer or fall, spending an afternoon at River Bend Winery is hard to beat. Between the vineyard views, local products, seasonal cocktails, and frequent live music, it’s an excellent way to experience the local flavor of Western Wisconsin.

Eau Claire Area Food Trucks

The Eau Claire area is rich with too many local food trucks to name them all. You’ll find anything from mini donuts to wood-fired pizza to amazing egg rolls.

There’s a whole page devoted to some of our local food trucks on the Visit Eau Claire website. You can also find them near Phoenix Park on Fridays from May to September for Food Truck Friday, if you’re not up for a food truck hunt.

One favorite local food truck is Mi Mi Cafe serving Vietnamese street food. Angie enjoys the Chicken Banh Mi sandwich and Jeff the Chicken Noodle Bowl. Both included their delicious egg rolls.

Chippewa River Trolley Company

One of the newest attractions in Eau Claire is the Chippewa River Trolley Company. Trolley rides are a new and very exciting addition to our community. For visitors or even locals, like us, looking for unique things to do in Eau Claire, the trolley tours offer a fun introduction to the city’s history, neighborhoods, local businesses, and growing food and brewery scene.

We have enjoyed several of their tours, including outdoor, holiday, and cocktail-themed tours around the Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley area. The trolley tour provides great insight into the local culture and history surrounding popular Eau Claire attractions.

Maiv Flower Farm

If you’re looking for seasonal things to do in Eau Claire for families, couples, or photographers, Maiv Flower Farm offers a beautiful summer and early fall experience in the Chippewa Valley.

And, it’s not just a place to enjoy the flowers. You can purchase the ability to pick your own flowers and later in the season, even your own vegetables during your visit!

The array of colors at Maiv Flower Farm is stunning. The kaleidoscope of colors is overwhelming with all the beauty this place holds. If you find a quiet moment here you will probably hear bees moving from flower to flower doing the important work of pollination.

River Inn Bar

Trying a Wisconsin fish fry is practically essential when visiting the Eau Claire area. River Inn Bar is a great local spot for this essential experience. It’s located just off of County Road X in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

As you know Jeff loves a fish fry.

Jeff decided on the 2-piece fish and shrimp combo platter which includes french fries, coleslaw, toast, tartar sauce, and cocktail sauce. This choice got our server’s endorsement as a good pick. This is often a sign that you’ve chosen wisely and Jeff felt he’d done well. Angie chose a 4-piece chicken strips basket with fries. (Don’t judge. She’s not the fish fanatic that Jeff is.) Jeff’s Dad chose 3-piece fish fry and Jeff’s Mom the shrimp special.

The 2-piece fish and shrimp combo platter was fantastic. It came with 2 nice size cod filets and 8 butterfly shrimp. And curly fries. It was so much food it came out in two baskets. The chicken strips were also very good and Angie really enjoyed their homemade Rooster Sauce for the tenders.

Another great thing is If you have a craving for fish fry on a day other than Friday you can still get all the fish and/or shrimp combinations at River Inn Bar all the other days of the week too. They have a slight discount in price for Friday which makes Friday extra special. We were really happy with the value for the price paid at River Inn Bar. Including a generous tip, dinner for the four of us including one spiked seltzer and one soda (Jeff and his dad had water) was under $70. And we took home a box of Angie’s leftover chicken tenders and fries which Jeff gladly ate for lunch during the week.

For travelers searching for local restaurants near Eau Claire, River Inn Bar delivers the kind of casual Wisconsin supper club and tavern experience visitors often hope to find during a trip to the Chippewa Valley.

Another Reminder to Explore Local

Looking for things to do in Eau Claire? From wineries and trolley tours to fish fry, live entertainment, and flower farms, here are some of our favorite local experiences in the Chippewa Valley.

A key part of our Thrifty Living Travel Freedom lifestyle is living like travelers everyday and enjoying the types of activities when we’re at home that we would enjoy while traveling. We hope you can come to Western Wisconsin soon to experience these great places, but if not, what can you find in your own backyard to enjoy? We’ll see you soon for another adventure!