Our Summer Weekend in Tomahawk, WI Testing AI Generated Things to Do

If you have any ties to Wisconsin, you probably know the phrase ‘the Northwoods’ particularly in relation to vacation destinations. How one defines what encompasses the Northwoods can vary, but generally it includes Tomahawk.

Angie grew up in the Tomahawk area and remembers as a teenager being baffled about why people would choose to vacation there. If you grew up in a small town, you might be able to relate.

Angie recalls complaining about how boring it was and that there was nothing to do there. It can be a sleepy town after about 8 p.m. if you’re not old enough to be in the area bars. Now as an adult, she can easily see the charm of the town that she did not appreciate as a teenager.

Also, we don’t mind so much if a destination is sleepy later at night. When Angie and Jeff first met, she lived about an hour drive south of Tomahawk, WI and some of our early dates involved visiting the Tomahawk area.

Now, many years later, we enjoy several trips to Tomahawk and find it is a joy to visit in all of the seasons, but in this post, we will focus on a summer weekend visit. One could easily spend far more than a weekend in Tomahawk, too. We often have. As the Tomahawk travel slogan says, “Come as you are!”

This post has a LOT of information so we have included a table of contents so you can jump directly to specific sections.

Tomahawk, WI Overview

Tomahawk has a population of just under 3500 people, but that is significantly increased in the height of the tourism season in summer. In addition to the many lakes and scenic views, the city has paper mills and Harley Davidson plants as significant employers.

Angie worked several summers as a college student in the Harley Davidson fiberglass plant. Tomahawk’s main founder was William Bradley. A mural tribute to him can be found on the side of the Standard Mercantile Building on Tomahawk’s main street, Wisconsin Ave.

Putting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the Test

The week prior to our last visit to Tomahawk, we had just attended the TBEX conference in our town of Eau Claire, WI. TBEX stands for Travel Blog Exchange and is an international conference bringing together travel creators that we had the great fortune to attend.

A big topic at this conference was AI, or artificial intelligence, and how it is impacting the travel creator industry and how it may further impact the industry in the future. Due to this conversation, we were inspired to put AI to the test for this weekend trip because it was a destination we were very familiar with and would be able to easily assess the accuracy of the information it generated.

Testing AI

For our test of AI, we asked ChatGPT for ideas of things to do on a summer weekend in Tomahawk, WI. In about 60 seconds, it had generated the list below of ten ideas for things to do. We were both a bit wowed, at first. We will walk you through what ChatGPT got right, got wrong, and what it missed entirely.

ChatGPT generated the following, but in one giant paragraph. The formatting added is ours to make it easier to read.

Newly Renovated AmericInn-Our Home for the Weekend

For this visit, we stayed at the newly renovated AmericInn right in Tomahawk. The last time we stayed in Tomahawk at this same hotel at the very beginning of their renovation process, the hotel was a Super 8. We enjoyed that stay and were interested in seeing how the renovation had turned out.

There are many lodging options in the area ranging from small, locally owned motels to cabins on a lake and including a few chain hotel options, like the Americinn. In the past, we have stayed at other options such as the Rodeway Inn and Centerstone Resort and been happy with our stays.

We have also rented cabins on a lake when we have planned far enough in advance for there to be availability. On this stay, we made travel plans a bit last minute and were lucky to find an available room at the AmericInn for a very reasonable rate of just over $100/night.

Tomahawk summer weekends are very popular and it is very common to find no vacancy anywhere in town when looking for last minute availability. Our room was fully renovated, as well as clean. The pool area and lobby were not renovated, but meet our needs including a free breakfast buffet that included the ability to make your own waffles. We will stay again on future visits to Tomahawk.

What AI Got Right About Things to Do on a Summer Weekend in Tomahawk, WI

As the list generated by artificial intelligence said, outdoor recreation opportunities in Tomahawk abound including Mohawksin Lake, kayaking the Tomahawk River, and enjoying the Hiawatha and Bearskin State trails.

In addition, Tomahawk does offer golfing at Inshalla and Edgewater Country Clubs. We prefer mini-golf ourselves and like the small course that we refer to as old-skool putt putt at Big Bear Mini Golf in downtown. And, as AI listed, Tomahawk is a fantastic place to relax and enjoy the scenery.

Tomahawk Speedway

AI also listed the Tomahawk Speedway as something to enjoy on a Saturday night of a summer weekend visit and that is a fun option. Angie’s first job that was paid via a paycheck (not babysitting or house cleaning for cash) was working the concession stand at the Tomahawk Speedway on Saturday nights.

At that time, the track was pavement. Currently, the track is clay so the last time we visited we did get quite dusty but that’s a small price to pay for the entertainment.

Bradley Park

Bradley Park was listed as a place to visit on the AI list and seeing it on the list jogged Angie’s memory to this park gem in town. She hadn’t been there since her teenage years and the visit took her back to girl scout gatherings and picnics.

However, the AI list mentions the River Walk as being in Bradley Park. This is inaccurate. Here AI seems to be mixing up Bradley Park which is on the southwest part of town found off West Spirit Road with Veteran’s Memorial Park which is right on the Wisconsin River in the heart of Tomahawk on the corner of North 4th and River Streets.

Veteran’s Memorial Park is where the River Walk starts along the Wisconsin River behind the Dairy Queen and leads to the public library. Bradley Park is a beautiful loop drive through the woods and when you park the car at the end of the peninsula (near the bathroom building) you can take a short stroll further towards the tip of the peninsula into Lake Mohawksin for beautiful views.

We were there just before sunset and had the entire trail all to ourselves for a tranquil time enjoying nature.

Northwoods Fall Ride

Finally, local events in Tomahawk do shine, although AI forgot to mention any details at all and only generalized about all of this. Some specific summer events that Angie and Jeff have both attended are the annual popular 4th of July celebration and the Northwoods Fall Ride each September raising money for charity while bringing tens of thousands of bikers to town. It is an amazing place to see so many Harley Davidson motorcycles and a few other brands too.

A highlight of this weekend is the Thunder Parade on Friday of the Fall Ride weekend offering a chance for even the non-bikers, like us, to enjoy all the motorcycles visiting town as they rumble by in a thunderous and impressive parade. In addition to these annual events, we have been fortunate enough to catch fun local events like riding lawn mower races and bar stool races.

Bonnie and Clyde Gangster Park

On the weekend we visited in July of this summer, we were able to enjoy a classic car show hosted at Bonnie and Clyde Gangster Park just north of Tomahawk on Highway 51. Bonnie and Clyde Gangster Park is a privately owned property that opens periodically to the public, often for events like this, to raise money for charitable causes.

The classic car show event admission was free, but offered opportunities to purchase food and drinks or bid on silent auction items to raise money for Honor Flight. We enjoyed strawberry floats (like a root beer float but made with Fanta Strawberry soda instead) for a donation to the Honor Flight.

We enjoyed the event for quite a while, perusing the many classic cars, the museum of historic items including an old bank vault, and Jeff even took second place in a limbo contest. Not bad for someone who is 6’5”!

There was live music scheduled by a favorite area band in Tomahawk, the Dweebs, but we left before they started playing after enjoying the event for a few hours. Bonnie and Clyde Gangster Park hosts a variety of events including car shows, live music, drive in events, and more, too.

What AI Got Wrong About Things to Do on a Summer Weekend in Tomahawk, WI

As we already shared, even the items that AI got right about things to do in a summer weekend visit to Tomahawk were very generalized and when AI did give detailed information, some of the detailed information AI gave was just completely wrong, like confusing Bradley Park with Veteran’s Memorial Park for the location of the River Walk.

Another instance of incorrect information by AI was the suggestion that we visit the Lincoln County Historical Museum. This suggestion first took some research to figure out what was meant by this because no place exists in Tomahawk called the Lincoln County Historical Museum. What does exist is the Tomahawk Area Historical Society which offers two museums on East Washington Avenue.

In addition, the museums are not typically open on weekends. They were not open the weekend we were there, but have offered a few limited hours open on weekend days since our visit-so there is a small possibility you could do this on a summer weekend visit, if your timing is lucky.

The other flat wrong suggestion by AI was to visit the Tap Room at the Great Northern Distilling. This suggestion also confused us for a bit because the name sounded familiar, but we couldn’t recall ever having seen a distilling business in Tomahawk.

We wondered for a bit if it was a new option, but that guess was quickly dashed as we looked into the suggestion a bit more. Great Northern Distilling is in Stevens Point, WI which is over 70 miles south of Tomahawk!

It sounded familiar because we used to live in Stevens Point and still visit often. That’s not really a convenient commute to a fun weekend activity though, so we count this as a miss for AI.

What AI Missed Entirely About Things to Do on a Summer Weekend in Tomahawk, WI

What was most striking to us when reviewing the list generated by AI for things to do in Tomahawk, WI on a summer weekend was how many things were missing from the list. There are many things that absolutely need to be on the list for your summer weekend visit completely missing from the ChatGPT generated list.

The first thing missing from the list is enjoying a stroll down the several block main street of town along Wisconsin Avenue. The flower beds and baskets all along this street offer a feast of color and there is a wonderful charm about the downtown of Tomahawk, WI.

There are many adorable shops to stop in and check out throughout downtown. We like to visit Standard Mercantile, which Angie remembers as the Ben Franklin when she was small. On this most recent visit, Angie found a new Tomahawk t-shirt to sport on our travels.

Cherie’s Sweet Sensations

Our absolute favorite stop on a stroll through downtown is Cherie’s Sweet Sensations. This bakery meets coffee shop meets candy shop is creatively decorated, with a lot of purple, Angie’s favorite color. Cherie displays an impressive collection of Pez dispensers throughout the shop.

We pick different treats to enjoy each time we’re in town and can personally vouch for the turtle cheesecake and beautifully decorated sugar cookies from past visits. On this visit, we decided to try an Amaretto Almond Bar and a giant Cookie “Sammich” as it was labeled. Both were absolutely delicious.

The cookie sandwich probably weighed about a pound and was the size of Jeff’s head. We shared the treats with Angie’s Mom and still ate them for the entirety of the weekend!

Kwahamot Water Ski Show

Another must do weekend activity is the Kwahamot (Tomahawk spelled backwards) Water Ski show. The show is held every Saturday, weather dependent, at 7:30 p.m. on the Wisconsin River viewable from the bleachers at 100 Deer Park Road in Tomahawk or from across the river in Veteran’s Memorial Park. If you’re there during weekdays, the show is also on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The water ski show season is Memorial Day to Labor Day.

And, how could any list for a weekend in Tomahawk be complete without mentioning any of the numerous delicious places to eat ranging from supper clubs to bars with tasty food to an iconic ice cream place.

Tomahawk Supper Clubs

Tomahawk is very rich in Wisconsin supper club options compared to our area of the state. What makes a Wisconsin supper club can be a controversial topic, but generally it is a historic place that serves great steak and the all-important Wisconsin Friday Fish Fry, as well as a classic Wisconsin Brandy Old Fashioned.

A couple of our favorites that definitely meet this definition are the Pine Tree Supper Club and the Silver Birch Supper Club. On this most recent visit, we enjoyed Friday Fish Fry at the Pine Tree Supper Club right in downtown Tomahawk.

A lot of Wisconsin supper clubs also have a great salad bar which you have to be a bit careful with so that you don’t spoil your dinner by eating too much! Pine Tree Supper Club includes more than just salad and veggies. They also have soup and a Nesco full of amazing barbeque meatballs that are included with the salad bar.

Pine Tree Supper Club

The ambience in the Pine Tree Supper Club is a bit lacking, but what they lack in ambiance is made up for with the delicious food. Angie doesn’t prefer fried fish so typically gets what they call the Poor Man’s Lobster, cod in butter sauce, at most supper clubs. But, at the Pine Tree, she can’t miss a chance to eat the Parmesan-Crusted Cod. Jeff always goes for the Friday Fish Fry special of Alaskan Pollock.

Silver Birch Supper Club

The Silver Birch Supper Club is tucked away on beautiful Halfmoon Lake just off County U just north of Tomahawk. The Silver Birch has the view, the ambience, and the delicious food for a trifecta worth trying on your visit. On a nice night, you can even eat on the outdoor deck with the lake view.

Bar Food Close to Town

If you are looking for good bar food there are also lots of options. The Landing, Boomba, and The Loophole are just a few Tomahawk area bars with food that we visited on this most recent trip and really enjoyed.

The Landing

The Landing is our favorite Tomahawk area bar for great views of Lake Nokomis on two sides, the ability to boat right up to it, and the friendly owners and customers. It has lots of good food options well under the $10 mark.

Drinks are also priced very fairly and they offer an impressive array of creative cocktails in comparison to many area bars. The chicken sandwich here is our favorite and is every bit as good, and we’d say better than that national chicken sandwich chain with the cow on those billboards that reminds you to “Eat More Chikin.’” 

Boomba Bar

We have been visiting Boomba Bar with Angie’s family for many years and never thought to ask about the name until this last trip. Angie’s Mom explained a boomba is a name for a large beer glass like you would find in a beer garten in Germany.

You can order a boomba of several kinds of tap beer at Boomba Bar, which Jeff did on this trip after we learned this new terminology. Or if you prefer bottled beer or a mixed drink they have those here too.

They also have a full menu available. Boomba Bar is on the flowage of Lake Nokomis and there are wonderful water views here, but this summer the water level has been too low to be able to boat up to Boomba.

The inside of this bar is also very special. The entire length of the massive natural log slab bar has paintings of wildlife and forests done by local artist and Angie’s childhood friend, Natalie Watland of Art by Natalie Watland.

The wood has a thick coating of polyurethane to protect the artwork. All of the tables in Boomba Bar are also massive natural log slabs and also have Natalie’s artwork. Don’t forget to look up! Natalie’s artwork is on the ceiling here too. Keep your eyes peeled on your time in Tomahawk and you’re likely to spot other amazing art of Natalie’s throughout the area.

The Loop Hole Bar

The Loop Hole is a newer bar that we visited on our weekend trip. Before entering, we had some fun with the giant rooster and dinosaur sculptures outside. We enjoyed their tap root beer and tater kegs appetizer to start.

Tater kegs are like tater tots that also have bacon, cheddar, and chive included. They have a fantastic steak sandwich special that Jeff tried. Talking with our server, we learned that this sandwich is going on the regular menu soon and it’s obvious why it should be there.

Jeff really enjoyed and highly recommends this steak sandwich. It’s a steal given the quality you are getting for the price they are asking.  The homemade chips are also great.

The Loop Hole has a vaulted ceiling and feels expansive inside. There’s also outdoor seating along the back of the building and a large grassy yard area where groups of people were playing bean bags during our visit.

There are lots of kids toys available to use for free too if you happen to have little ones to keep occupied during your visit. And, as we mentioned previously, there’s a big green dinosaur in the front yard. Your kids will likely have a great time here and you will too.

Windmill Ice Cream Shoppe

A quintessential Tomahawk experience in the summer is a visit, or several, to The Windmill for ice cream. The Windmill is one of our favorite ice cream places anywhere and easily wins the award for best value for hard ice cream anywhere.

They have about 16 ice cream flavors at any given time which makes decision time a challenge. Speaking of decision time, if you visit the Windmill and there isn’t a line out the door, consider yourself lucky. On a nice summer weekend day, you will almost always find a pretty fast moving line well into the parking lot.

When you get to the front of the line, decision time is quick and they do not allow half scoops to try two flavors in one scoop. So, we suggest you do the obvious thing and just get a double scoop to try two flavors of your choice.

We ensure our choices are different so we can share a bit and try four flavors in one visit. We’re big fans of the waffle cones, but if it is a hot day-ask for a bowl to put the cone in upside down or prepare for an ice cream bath! Oh, and did we mention these double scoop ice cream cones as big as your head are only $5!

This is another destination you can boat right up to as well. Or, if you want a short walk to watch the boats go by, you can follow the trail behind the Windmill just a short distance towards Lake Nokomis for ice cream eating scenery on the water.

Important Notes for Your Tomahawk Visit

As is the case for several locations in Tomahawk, the Windmill only accepts cash. So be prepared and bring cash with you for your stay in Tomahawk, WI.

Some of the businesses, like the Windmill, are seasonal and only open for the warmer months. And, it is important to note that in a small town with small businesses with small staff, you may run across a time that Google lists a place is open and they are not for extenuating circumstances. It is a good idea to check the websites and social media, if they have it, for a location before visiting.

Other Attractions Nearby Tomahawk

There is a lot to do in Tomahawk. But we’re not done yet. There’s lots more to see and do just a short drive from Tomahawk proper.

Wildwood Wildlife Park and Zoo

Tomahawk is also a perfect jumping off point to experience other parts of the Northwoods, too. We often schedule a day trip up to Wildwood Wildlife Park and Zoo in Minocqua. While this park can be a pricey place to visit, we spent just short of $90 for three adults including some animal feed for the goats and deer, we find we really enjoy our annual trip to hold the baby bunnies, feed the parakeets, giraffes, and pushy goats, and watch the gibbons.  This is a place to watch for Natalie’s art because you’ll notice it around the park, too.

Bar Food between Minocqua and Tomahawk

Bucksnort Resort

On the drive back to Tomahawk from Wildwood, if you take the scenic backroads off 70 West starting with Squirrel Lake Road to Pine Lake Road to Willow Road, you can have a great meal of massive and tasty bar food at the Bucksnort Resort on Boyle Road right on Willow Lake.

We started our meal by ordering the Bait Pile which is a mix of deep fried goodies like cheese curds, onion rings, broccoli cheese bites, jalapeno poppers, and more. The size of this appetizer on a giant serving platter should have tipped us off of what was to come.

The nachos Angie ordered as her meal here were a half-order and when they arrived at the table our jaws dropped. The nachos arrived in a foil lasagna pan about 12 inches square and 3 inches deep layered with chips, cubed chicken breast, black beans, sour cream, cheddar cheese, diced onions, and other nacho toppings.

There’s enough here to make several meals. After receiving our nachos, we got to see a few tables order a full-order of nachos which uses the same foil lasagna pan but the chips and other ingredients are heaped until they are nearly falling out the sides of the pan. The full-orders brought on more jaw-dropping reactions.

The burgers at Bucksnort are also delicious. Jeff didn’t even dare try to pick up his half-pound burger without first cutting it in half. Lots of the burgers here come with crispy fried onion straws which add a great crunch to the burger. You won’t leave here hungry. We had leftovers that Jeff ate for several more meals after this visit.

The Bucksnort has cabins for rent so you can stay for a while here. Plan in advance as it’s a very popular place in the summertime. The Bucksnort also has great water views as it is located right on Willow Lake.

J & D’s Reel ‘Em Inn

Just a little ways further down the road is J & D’s Reel ‘Em Inn, another excellent option to stop at for bar food. J & D’s Reel ‘Em Inn makes a great burger and all the times Jeff has been here he’s not yet had a burger he didn’t like.

Spirit Falls and Legacy Tavern

Also just under 15 miles west of Tomahawk on Highway 86, you will find the unincorporated Spirit Falls. This is easy to miss as a bend in the highway as you continue west towards Ogema and Medford. But, if you take a left onto Spirit Falls Avenue, you will find Legacy Tavern, another Northwoods bar with friendly staff and good food.

The hidden gem here is just east of the bar as you drive up Spirit Falls Avenue, you will see an inconspicuous driveway to the left. Park your car in the parking lot near this driveway and walk down it about a quarter of mile to the beautiful Spirit Falls. On a hot day, when the water isn’t too high-you can even swim here and make water slides of the rocks.

Angie grew up very near here and spent many hot summer days swimming in the falls. The water level here can vary, so if the water level is high and rushing by it is not a time to swim safely. Even if you do not plan to swim, it is worth a quick walk to enjoy the view at the falls.

Our Evaluation of AI’s To Do List for a Summer Weekend in Tomahawk

At first, AI impressed us with the speed at which it generated a list of ten things to do during a summer weekend in Tomahawk, WI. But, after delving deeper, due to the errors and even more, the items it missed, we very much believe that content written by humans and their personal experiences is far superior to that generated by AI. AI or no AI, Tomahawk is a fantastic getaway for a summer weekend or longer. If you enjoy good food, beautiful lakes, outdoor recreation, and friendly people, come as you are to Tomahawk, WI.