It may have been the railroad that brought the first tourists to the island city of Minocqua in the early 1900s, but it’s the boats that keep them coming back. Whether it’s a fishing adventure, a run on the boards (water skis, In Northwoods parlance), or a sunset cruise with refreshments, visitors expect to get out on the water when they head north.
The classic Northwoods version is known as a “wet” boathouse, because it’s built out over the water, allowing boats to be driven into the shelter of its walls. There are a dozen or more of the scenic building lining the shore of Lake Minocqua. The town of Minocqua is an island on the lake so that you can take it all in.