Why visit Rice Lake
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 17 parks and trails, 42 places to eat, 8 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include University of Wisconsin–Barron County, Lake Seven Movie Theatre, Rice Lake Carnegie Library and Rice Lake station.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 81°F; January lows average 2°F, and about 52 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Rice Lake
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Rice Lake
Rice Lake is a city in Barron County in northwestern Wisconsin, United States, on the shore of the lake with the same name. The city is a commercial and tourist center for the surrounding rural areas. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 9,040. The city is located mostly within the Town of Rice Lake.
From the Wikipedia article Rice Lake, Wisconsin (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do2
University of Wisconsin–Barron County
School
University branch campus in Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Museums and landmarks2
Rice Lake Carnegie Library
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Carnegie library in Wisconsin, United States of America
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Rice Lake station
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Train station located in Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Parks, trails and playgrounds17
Rice Lake Hockey Arena
Sports field and stadium · 2.1 mi
1204 Hammond Avenue, Rice Lake
24/7
5 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes42
Applebee's
Diner · American · 1.0 mi
2901 Decker Drive, Rice Lake
Su-Th 11:00-23:00, Fr-Sa 11:00-24:00
Casa Mexicana Rice Lake
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.8 mi
421 South Main Street, Rice Lake
Mo-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-21:00
Cheese Louise Sandwiches
Restaurant · Sandwich · 1.3 mi
17 East Messenger Street, Rice Lake
Tu-We 11:00-15:00; Th-Sa 11:00-19:00
Kid's Korner Pizza
Restaurant · Pizza · 1.4 mi
322 North Main Street, Rice Lake
closed "Temporarily Closed"
Agonic Brewing Co.
Brewery and winery · 1.2 mi
17C East Messenger Street, Rice Lake
We-Fr 16:00-22:00, Sa 12:00-22:00
Maxine's
Restaurant · Breakfast · 0.5 mi
1721 South Main Street, Rice Lake
Mo-Su 06:00-13:30
Buds and Blossoms Cakery, LLC
Bakery · 0.6 mi
15 East Schneider Street, Rice Lake
Mo 10:00-17:00; Tu-Fr 11:00-17:00
Lina's Knot Maker/Starck's 2.0
Bakery · 1.3 mi
215 North Wilson Avenue, Rice Lake
Mo 09:00-18:00; Tu-Fr 07:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-20:00; Su 13:00-17:00
Northside Cafe of Rice Lake
Cafe · 1.8 mi
930 Haugen Avenue, Rice Lake
Sa-Th 06:00-14:00, Fr 06:00-20:00
30 more on the map.
History
American Indians lived around Rice Lake for millennia, some of whom made mounds like those that remain in Indian Mounds Park along the shore of the lake. In later years before white settlers, Ojibwe (Chippewa) people occupied the area, and they had a strong cultural attachment to the wild rice that grew on the lake.
In the mid-1860s Knapp, Stout & Co., the growing lumber company downstream at Menomonie, bought tracts of forest around Rice Lake. Around 1868 the company started a logging camp in the area and in 1870 the company dammed the Red Cedar to raise the level of Rice Lake to make a better holding pond for their logs. The higher water disrupted the existing wild rice beds, angering the Ojibwe. As compensation, Knapp-Stout gave them food, but it was settlers' food like pork and flour - not wild rice.
From the History section of Rice Lake, Wisconsin on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay8
Churches and places of worship12
Bethany Lutheran Church
Church · Lutheran · 1.2 mi
35 West Messenger Street, Rice Lake
First Lutheran Church
Church · Lutheran · 0.8 mi
15 East Sawyer Street, Rice Lake
Grace Episcopal Church
Church · Episcopal · 1.4 mi
119 West Humbird Street, Rice Lake
Providence Reformed Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 1.3 mi
23 West Eau Claire Street, Rice Lake
Rice Lake Assembly of God Church
Church · Assemblies Of God · 1.6 mi
825 West Knapp Street, Rice Lake
Blue Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Place of worship · 1.1 mi
230 West Messenger Street, Rice Lake
Shopping22
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries24
Rice Lake High School
School · 1.0 mi
30 South Wisconsin Avenue, Rice Lake
Healthcare6
Marshfield Clinic Rice Lake Lakewoods Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.7 mi
1215 West Knapp Street, Rice Lake
Map of Rice Lake
143 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22°F | 2°F | 0.9 in | 10.5 in |
| Feb | 27°F | 5°F | 0.8 in | 10.7 in |
| Mar | 40°F | 18°F | 1.5 in | 8.9 in |
| Apr | 54°F | 32°F | 2.8 in | 3.5 in |
| May | 68°F | 45°F | 3.9 in | 0.5 in |
| Jun | 77°F | 55°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 81°F | 59°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 56°F | 4.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 71°F | 48°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 57°F | 35°F | 3.0 in | 0.8 in |
| Nov | 40°F | 23°F | 1.7 in | 5.7 in |
| Dec | 27°F | 10°F | 1.2 in | 11.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Rice Lake (5 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Barron County has had 7 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for biologicals.
- 2020-04-04: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-08-27: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
- 2005-09-13: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (Hurricane)
- 2002-09-10: Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding (Tornado)
- 2001-05-11: Flooding, Severe Storms And Tornadoes (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Rice Lake Regional Airport (RIE) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 miles away.
- Cameron 6 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Barron 8 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Chetek 13 mi south, about 20 min by car
- Cumberland 14 mi west, about 23 min by car
- Shell Lake 18 mi northwest, about 30 min by car
- Bloomer 29 mi southeast, about 47 min by car
- Ladysmith 31 mi east, about 50 min by car
- Amery 33 mi west, about 52 min by car
- Colfax 34 mi south, about 54 min by car
- Boyceville 34 mi southwest, about 54 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Rice Lake Wisconsin Looking north WIS48, Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rice Lake Town Hall (cropped), Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake Town Hall, Wikideas1, CC0
- Mastercraft Rice Lake, Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake High School-2, Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake High School, Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake in Wisconsin, Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake High School-3, Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Wikideas1, CC0
- Rice Lake, Wisconsin-2, Wikideas1, CC0
- Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha station, Rice Lake, WI, TheCatalyst31, CC0
- ISS047-E-61632 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS067-E-208947 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS065-E-32043 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS028-E-39268 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS047-E-61633 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
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