Birchwood, the bluegill capital of Wisconsin, is ideally located between Rice Lake to the south, Hayward to the north and Spooner to the west, Birchwood is the preferred area if you want to avoid the crowds and escape to the serenity of a quaint village.

Birchwood boasts many great local festivals and events including the Firemen’s Street Dance, Bluegill Festival, and the Bluegill Christmas Festival. The downtown area consists of a few gift shops, restaurants, taverns, lodging establishments and a variety of other businesses. Just off of Main Street is a park with a tennis court, playground and skate park.

Whether you want to fish, swim, boat or water-ski, many lakes in the Birchwood area have it all. There are many recreational trails in and around Birchwood, including bicycle, hiking, ATV, and snowmobile trails. A splendid golf course is located just south of Birchwood at Tagalong Golf & Resort. The original nine-hole course, developed in 1923, was fashioned after the St. Andrew in Scotland. Today it is a beautiful and challenging, 18-hole course. Many other golf courses are within a short drive.

Accommodations in the area range from B&Bs and resorts to campgrounds and motels. Fine dining or simpler fares are available at numerous locations. But Birchwood hasn’t always been a tourist haven. Two museums in the village offer fascinating discoveries about the logging days and early settlers.

For more information on Birchwood, including the “Walk on Main” map and much more, log on to www.birchwoodwi.com or www.washburncounty.org.