The La Crosse Region is just a road trip away! Explore a destination bursting with adventure and exploration suited for the whole gang.
The La Crosse Region is an outdoor playground filled with family-friendly gems!
1. Pearl Ice Cream Parlor
Celebrate your La Crosse arrival by heading to our downtown and savoring the tradition and historic ambiance of the Pearl Ice Cream Parlor and Confectionary. A famed must-stop, the ice cream shop was opened in 1993, has an incredible variety of flavors, and still offers homemade ice cream made with Wisconsin Dairy. This is the perfect place to start your little one’s day off with a sweet treat!
2. Children’s Museum
After the sweets, walk up a few blocks and swing through the Children’s Museum of La Crosse. This is a perfect stop for stretching legs, using imagination, playing, and learning together… And, let’s be honest, burning off that ice-cream sugar rush!
3. Niagara Cave
A short drive from the City of La Crosse lies Niagara Cave, a regional treasure. Known as a Top 10 U.S. Cave, visitors hike one mile underground into canyon-like passageways, uncover 450 million year-old fossils, and a hidden waterfall. This is a Driftless Region hidden gem with unusual geology just below our feet! Niagara Cave offers families a unique experience balanced with a captivating learning element.
4. Stoney Creek Hotel or Pine View Campground
Upon returning to the central La Crosse Region, head to Stoney Creek Hotel. This hotel is Northwoods-themed lodging in Onalaska and is suited for the whole family. With quality rooms lavishly decorated in logs and nature inspired furniture (not to mention log bunk beds for the kids), it is a great retreat at the end of the day. Oh, and let’s not forget their epic, Northwoods-inspired pool for splashing around before bedtime!
If you’re looking to camp during warm-weather months, Pine View Campground is a great place to stay with families as well. Located in Fort McCoy with room for RV’s and Tents or log cabin lodging, the facility is perfect for family fun. The campground has a beach, volleyball courts, mini golf, hiking trails, and even canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats to take out on the water!
5. Jump Start Adventure Park
On day two, families can enjoy a hearty breakfast and make their way to Jump Start Adventure Park and to experience monumental fun NO matter one’s age! It is an award winning, action-packed indoor experience with a trampoline park, a ninja warrior course, an extreme nets course, toddler area, and more!
6. Rainbow Ridge Farms
During the warmer months, exploring Rainbow Ridge Farms Bed & Breakfast is also a terrific experience for families visiting the La Crosse Region. They have a petting farm with goats, llamas, and more. The Farm also offers Goat Yoga an exciting and goofy experiences to soak in together! The goats are friendly, attempt to play and stand on you, seek attention, and love to be pet. *Look out… They may leave a mark on your mat, not just your heart!
7. Great River Road Landmarks
Great River Landing and Sunny the Sunfish also provide memorable amusement from a massive sunfish statue for family photo ops (great for the next Christmas Card), the Great River State Trail, views of Lake Onalaska and enlarged rainbow, xylophones. Across from these Great River Road landmarks also lie renown dining options, such as Blue Moon.