Wausau for Outsiders

[ekg56]

We find a lot to do in Wausau. We love to cross county ski and we use to downhill. So it is a great area for both. We love Art in the Park, the Grand, and all the other activities. We aren't looking to do something every night but we do enjoy going out on the weekend and we find plenty to do. We probably go to the Grand for different activities 2-3 times a month. Also being close to Stevens Point, there are things going on at the college that we like to go and see. They have had some great entertainment too.
We don't drink and it has never stopped us from finding things to do that don't involve bars or drinking.

[KateDaum]

We found a lot to do in Wausau. We loved the kayak races. They have a great museum, the Yawkey. We loved skiing at Granite Peak in the winter. We found the people to be very friendly. I like the downtown and their were some good restaurants too.

[SportFury59]

Social scene in Wausau? I suppose every town/area has a social scene. It depends on your interests. Join a church and volunteer and you'll meet plenty of people and be busy. If you have kids, school activities/sports, etc. offer a lot of social opportunities. Personally, for me, I have a couple of classic cars and make the car show circuit almost every summer weekend. Nearby weekend car events include Wausau, Weston, Antigo, Tomahawk, Nekoosa, Stratford, Marshfield, IOLA, Medford, Rib Lake, Rhinelander, Wis Rapids; thats just a short list. There are many more. At each event you make new friends. All ages, occupations. Like I say, "nothing could be finer than my '59er". But to each, his own.

[ahoffelt]

Thanks for all of the great information. We are heading out tomorrow to visit and are really excited. We live in Portland, Oregon right now and the weather is quite warm, so I think the temperature change in Wausau is going to be quite a shock to our systems! I'll let you know what we think after we've returned on Monday.

[sk8rvirgo28]

I recently moved to Weston from Northern Utah and I have also visited Portland on more than one occasion. I remember being in Portland in Jan. and smelling fresh cut grass, because the temp out there seems to be fairly steady. I always swore that I would move to Portland one day because of the beauty, the people, the nightlife, etc..

In Northern Utah we receive a lot of snow and it gets cold, but it is nowhere near as cold as the Wausau area. It's the end of December and I've already experienced temperatures colder than I've ever felt in Utah.

On the positive side, I visited in August, prior to moving, and the scenery is beautiful. The people are nice and friendly, and I just felt a good vibe of the area.

There are definitley four seasons and they are long enough to enjoy, which is nice. In Utah it goes from super hot to cold really quick so you don't get to enjoy the beauty of Fall.

The reason I wrote back on this is because I have been simply shocked at how cold it can get. Just last week we had a 20 below windchill, something I've never experienced. Also, having lived in a state that gets snow and then spending time in Portland, I wanted to let you know what you are in for in terms of weather. Make sure you get a really warm coat, thick socks, thick jeans, thermals, gloves, and something to cover the exposed parts of your body. I've gone out for a smoke break at work and after 5 minutes, my fingers and face felt like I was going to have frostbite.

Hopefully this gives you just a little bit of help. I know I moved here not knowing how cold it can really get and how to protect myself from that. Luckily I had someone to help me out with that!!

Originally Posted by ahoffelt

Thanks for all of the great information. We are heading out tomorrow to visit and are really excited. We live in Portland, Oregon right now and the weather is quite warm, so I think the temperature change in Wausau is going to be quite a shock to our systems! I'll let you know what we think after we've returned on Monday.

[hankejp]

Just hang in there Sk8r. It gets better. you just need to brave the frigid temps a few times in the winter. Other than that it, it is cold, but not the -20+. In March you may get a 40 degree day, then the spring fever will hit you.

[ahoffelt]

Thanks, Sk8rvirgo28, for the heads up on the cold. Even though we are currently living in Portland, we are both from South Dakota and have definitely experienced what cold feels like. It is one of the many things that we are factoring into our final decision!

As for our trip to Wausau, we both really liked it. It seems like a nice community and we liked the variety of outdoors things to do (rivers, the lake, biking, skiing, fishing, etc.). Wausau also appears to have lots of arts and performances to attend. One of my favorite things was the architecture in the city. I wouldn't normally expect that in such a small city, but the churches and cathedrals and homes in the Warren and East Hill areas were gorgeous! The schools were also very nice (especially East High School) and it is apparent that the city really values the schools and education. Everyone that we met was extremely friendly and couldn't say enough good things about the area. The only negatives that we encountered were the cold (which we expected) and the town was extremely quiet (although it was opening deer hunting weekend). Coming from Portland, it felt like a ghost town at night, but overall we really liked it.