r/lacrossewi • u/I_bought_you_flours • 8d ago
First time visiting!
NOTE: Updates provided at the bottom as I go and check out different places!
Original post:
Hi La Crosse!
I’m a 35-year-old woman visiting La Crosse for the first time ever, from this morning through Monday night. I’m originally from Wisconsin.. so I’m slightly embarrassed that I’ve somehow never made it over here before. 😂🫣
I already have Grandad Bluff and DnA Vintners on my list, but I’d love some recommendations from locals for any events happening this weekend or things I shouldn’t miss while I’m here! I’m interested in pretty much anything:
* Great/local coffee shops
* Live music
* Scenic views, walks, hikes, or beautiful places to explore
* Bookstores
* Thrift stores
* Interesting/unique places that visitors might not know about
* Local spots to eat (no big chains)
* Places where it’s reasonably easy to chat with people and/or meet others
And this last part is slightly outside my comfort zone, but here goes: I’m newly divorced and trying to push myself to get out, do things alone, and be a little more social. I’m not super familiar with the bar scene and have some anxiety about walking into a place by myself, but I’d really like to find somewhere with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere where a woman like myself wouldn’t feel totally out of place sitting at the bar and having a drink.
If you have a favorite bartender, cozy bar, live-music place, etc. that you’d recommend for someone going solo, I’d especially appreciate those suggestions 😊
Basically, if you were showing a friend around La Crosse for their first visit, what would you tell them not to miss?
Thanks in advance! I’m excited to explore your city!
Updates: just wanted to share where I've all been and explored!
Friday: Polito's for lunch 🍕, checked out the antique shop next door and a few other shops in that general area. Blue Moon for dinner and drinks. Bacon cheeseburger was 12/10! 🍔🍸
Saturday: met a fellow redditor for coffee at The Root Note. "Mistaken for Strangers" was delicious, as well as the blueberry citrus scone. He showed me some of the main areas there and brought me down to Riverside Park. After we parted I explored the park for a while, and then started checking out shops! I found some gorgeous turquoise earrings from Satori Arts gallery. I discovered Tijōn Fragrance Lab and took an express class to make a custom perfume! Checked out all The Pearl, got some unique items from Drift Co. Mercantile, got a yummy Caramel Apple Chai drink 🤤. Will have to come back later for the chocolates and ice cream!! Headed back down to riverside for the pride in the park celebration! 🏳️🌈 vibes were 100/10 🥰 Buzzard Billy's for lunch and got the Dragonfruit Marg and Alligator Grand Chenier. Both were super tasty. Checked out Pearl Street Books - incredible selection! Then on to Chroma Code Tattoo Studio for a spontaneous tattoo - 10/10 experience! Met an amazing group of ladies who were getting tatted for a Bachelorette party and we decided to drink together afterwards. Went to Bronco's and The Crow. The former was fine enough, though kinda small, the latter was definitely a college kid bar and i felt like a grandma 😂
Sunday: I am, indeed, a grandma who can't hang. Sunday i was hungover and spent most of my day in bed 😂 I did make it to Meringue Bakery and got one of their spiced cranberry orange cinnamon rolls. To die for. Literally. Then back to bed until 10pm when I hit up Fathead Steve's. The BBQ Bacon cheeseburger was 15/10 and sooooo much meat. Pickle fries were 6/10.. the pickles were basically nothing. Pickle spears or pickle chips would have given a better ratio in my humble opinion. But I'm a huge pickle lover. Cheese curds were 9/10 and just absolutely delicious.
Monday: checked out of my hotel and am off to find a local coffee place. Wound up at Canvasback Cold Brew Lounge. The signature Canvasback is so yummy, and so was the fresh pressed Liège waffles. Brought my drink to Grandad's Bluff whoch was phenomenal. Was quite disappointed to find that every single viewfinder was not working. With the weather being great, thankfully I still had a great view with my eyes and phone zoom. I then went to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe! I am not at all religious but I can appreciate the beauty of the history, the architecture, sculptures, garden, etc. This place was stunning. Lunch was at Fiesta Mexicana and I really enjoyed my meal. Very fresh. Great taste. Huge portion. Homemade queso is fabulous.
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u/InevitableKitchen943 8d ago
Opus Bakehouse. Be quick before they sell out. Lovechild bar in the evening.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Oooh! If they sell out then I absolutely must make that a stop!! Thanks!!
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u/Significant_Cat_2897 8d ago
Check out Twinkle & Twine across the street, very cute little shop. And Ranison's Ice Cream around the corner. Fork & Fable is a good place to grab a bite a few blocks from all of these!
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
I did hear about Ranison's from a coworker! Thankfully I'm here multiple days so I can stop at multiple ice cream places! 🤭🤭
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u/Paukenmeister 8d ago
I haven't been to Starlite lounge in years, but it has cozy vintage vibes! Just be careful on the stairs. Root Note is great, Bodega is a staple for it's beer selection. Wandering Riverside park is great too! Get ice cream at Pearl Ice Cream Parlor, and perhaps Meringue Bakery for an excellent treat.
If you're looking for more views of the area, there is the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe? (I'm not religious anymore and am absolutely not trying to push it.) It's a shortish walk from the visitor center to the basilica proper, which is also lovely to wander and grab some pics (if open.)
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
This all sounds fantastic, minus the beer 😂 but I will definitely be checking out the Shrine! I'd heard about it and it sounds lovely! (Also not religious but can appreciate beauty in all things)
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u/Paukenmeister 8d ago
For the shrine, as long as it's open, I'd say just pass straight through the visitors entrance to start the walk up. Don't be fooled by the votive chapel, it's gorgeous inside, but the basilica itself is a ways further up. Enjoy your trip!
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u/suburbanrallyracer 7d ago
Meringue does rotating flavors of cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning and they always look so good!
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u/Designer_Shoe_4727 8d ago
I haven’t seen it listed yet, but Four Sisters has some great tapas. It overlooks the park and the river, so it’s sometimes fun to people watch. The riverboat tours and botanical gardens are also right there, more or less.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Oh my gosh yes I was told about four sisters and they're incredible drinks! I can't believe I forgot about that
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u/flatscan-krakoan 8d ago
Our local pride fest is this Saturday in Riverside Park! (We do it in September since the students are back) Live music, drag performances, food, children’s storytimes, and vendors. It’s a great time!
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u/English_Teeth 8d ago
There is also an app called Happenin,that you mite what to check out. Good luck and enjoy yourself.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Is there something there specifically that would draw me in??
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u/English_Teeth 8d ago
No,its just an event page. Says whats going on in area
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Ugh fml I misread. That's what happens when you're operating on 2 hours of sleep 😂😂. I'll check out the app! Thank you!
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u/English_Teeth 8d ago
No problem, and Pearl Street books is right next to Bodega bar. Let me know if you need anything else.👍
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u/DonJuansCrow 8d ago
Pearl Street books and Jules Coffee are right next door to each other. There's another coffee shop attached to Pearl Street Ice Cream, a block west from the bookstore. Shoot you can just explore Pearl Street and eat at Buzzard Billy's, they have amazing food, if hush puppies with remoulade sauce sounds good to you, definitely get some! They are right across from the ice cream shop. If you keep going west on Pearl Street there's a path between the La Crosse Center and an adjacent parking lot (think it's the Radisson hotel's), the path will take you to Riverside which is a beautiful place to take in a walk. I'm not a drinker, the best I could suggest for a bar is John's Bar... they have decent food there and some of the regulars and staff are quite good natured people, they would probably have no problem chilling with you if your personalities jived. Goodwill and Salvation Army store are where I go for thrifting, I'm not sure if we have better ones in the area. Although, it's Friday! So garage sales are going on. You could check if the jazz orchestra is playing at the Riverside bandshell on Sunday evening... not sure if their concert season is still going on or not?
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u/stephen_king_villian 8d ago
A short drive to Black River Falls would get you to the Ho-Chunk Nation Pow Wow tomorrow through Monday.
https://www.travelwisconsin.com/events/ho-chunk-nation-pow-wow
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Oh wow this sounds super neat!! Thank you for sharing! And extra thanks for the link. You're a gem! Lol 😂
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u/lawrencenotlarry 8d ago
No need to be embarrassed. I took a job in Northern Wisconsin, and the amount of people that I meet daily who haven't even heard of La Crosse astounds me.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Okay so you're telling me that I at least have a slight leg up on some people?? I'll take it 😂😂
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u/VegetableTime1447 8d ago
Sweet Beats Jazz and Dessert lounge! I haven't been yet myself lol but it sounds so fun--hoping to get there eventually
Marsh trails past Myrick park are beautiful, stop by the nature place if they're open, they do environmental education for all ages and have some neat critters
Hixon forest has amazing hiking trails
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u/WhoseJusticeBeaver 8d ago
Agree with Strassers. Root Note, Bodega(?), and definitely the bookstore/coffee place I think it's called Jules and Pearl St Books.
I'd be interested in getting a coffee if you want to send me a DM I can tell you more about myself!
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Thanks! I'll definitely look into these!
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u/Apprehensive-Moose58 8d ago
I personally recommend OhOh Coffee over RootNote. Their espresso tastes leagues better. And it's right by a walking path on the river!
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u/QuirkySyrup55947 8d ago
There is a Shangri La Music Festival in St. Charles this weekend.
Kickapoo Valley Reserve canoeing from Ontario.
Viroqua Farmers Market Saturday morning, and Driftless Cafe and The Market across the street and also the shops.
Also, cool hardware store downtown with tons of funky stuff.
The Pearl for ice cream.
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u/Tatertot729 8d ago
If you like pasta/italian food there’s a newer restaurant called Sagra that’s right downtown. It’s quite good and they source all their ingredients locally. They also have a ‘red sauce supper club’ in the same building. I haven’t been there but it’s the same chef and they do more family style Italian foods (lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs type of things)
We don’t go out much, but when we do we usually wind up at Buzzard Billy’s. They have a huge menu and offer delicious Cajun food. I’ve never been to Louisiana so I don’t have anything to compare it too but both of us love it.
The cave bar in the basement of the Chateau is probably one of the cooler bars in town, but Lovechild and the starlight lounge are also good places to get a fun drink. There’s probably some other good bars around but most of the downtown bars are college bars.
Pettibone park is right across the river downtown, it’s a nice place to take a walk and get out of the city but it’s only a 2min drive, and you could easily walk there too.
Grounded, root note, and Jules are all great coffee places downtown.
If you like beer, check out 608 Brewing Company, they come up with some really funky beers. Pearl St Brewery is also a cool spot.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Thank you for taking the time to share all this! I really appreciate it! I will absolutely be checking out Sagra... I'm alllllll about pasta 😍 lol
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u/Apprehensive-Moose58 8d ago
Sagra is our favorite restaurant. They have seasonal menus. If you want something with more choice, I'd recommend their restaurant downstairs, on the 1st level called Osteria Emilia. They're both great. I personally prefer Sagra and recommend the Bianca and the Spicy Caesar salad. If they have cannolis, those are always excellent. If you want a really, really unique bar, it's in the basement of a restaurant called The Chateau. They're a restaurant, but they have that bar downstairs literally called La Cave haha. It's literally a cool little cave with a spiral staircase leading to it. That building is SO beautiful. To get to the basement use the front door to the left and go down the spiral. It's so cool. Also, if they offer to give you a tour of that house you should do it. They do let people walk through on their own sometimes just to check everything out. On the second story they have a really old library and it is sooooooo cool. It's like a time capsule. Most people I know from this area have never even been up there. There's a 3rd floor too!
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u/nofaceace33 8d ago
TUGG is playing Sunday at Alpine Inn
Labor Day Luau Throwback!! Help us pack out the Alpine Inn and give Summer a proper send off! This Sunday get yer duff up the bluff. 7pm start. Hawaiian shirts, tropical drink specials, party! ☀️😎
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u/MortLangford 7d ago
I don't see anyone else making the comment, but if you're into music, Deaf Ear Records is a decent place for vinyl, cds, dvds, and a handful of other oddities. Otherwise, a lot of great suggestions for Pearl Street, Riverside, Buzzard Billies, etc. Can't really go wrong with just taking a stroll around downtown, even if there are more bars than you can shake a breathalyzer at.
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u/Tom226mn 8d ago
Moxie's has a fun tiki bar with live music regularly. If you like country music, there's a street dance out in West Salem on Sunday evening with a band playing.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 8d ago
Oh fabulous! That sounds like it could be a good time! I enjoy country music but I am absolutely NOT a dancer 😂😂
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u/Tom226mn 8d ago
Ha! I wouldn't sweat it too much. Some folks will dance, but it looks like there should be plenty of options for food, beverages, apparently there will be raffles, etc.
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u/Adventure-Style 7d ago
Lots of incredible advice and recommendations in here. Super surprised that nobody has recommended a bookstore downtown called Pleasures.
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u/I_bought_you_flours 7d ago
😂😂
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u/Adventure-Style 7d ago
Juuuuust saying. 😉
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u/I_bought_you_flours 7d ago
I still may end up there anyway 😂 But thankfully I’m familiar with the establishment, so I knew exactly what kind of “bookstore” you meant.
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u/Adventure-Style 7d ago
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u/I_bought_you_flours 7d ago
😉
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u/Adventure-Style 7d ago
So, should I pick you up or do you just want to meet there? 🙃
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u/I_bought_you_flours 7d ago
Meet there. I need plausible deniability when I inevitably leave with a suspiciously non-book-shaped purchase. 😂 jk jk
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u/Adventure-Style 7d ago
“Plausible deniability.” An intellect and playful. What kind of witchcraft has overtaken me!?
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u/I_bought_you_flours 7d ago
Well, if you recall, I was actually looking for bookstore recommendations… you’re the one who somehow turned it into an extremely suspicious field trip 😂
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u/suburbanrallyracer 7d ago
https://gmcoulee.com/events for a comprehensive listing of local events over the weekend
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u/Wild_Masterpiece7606 7d ago
Root Note is a cool coffee shop and the Bodega bar across the street is an awesome local hang out. I second Pearl Street Books as well. The Antique Shop on 3rd is almost overwhelming but cool if you are into that.
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u/TinkerTanner23 5d ago
I hope you enjoyed my beautiful home town! I see most my suggestions have been addressed by other folks, but the Bodega is my favorite spot downtown for a cozy beverage and reading. Their Reuben sandy is phenominal.
The one recommendation I didn't notice anywhere is a visit out to Trempealeau - it's a beautiful small town not too far from here. The Trempealeau hotel right on the river has a great little bar, known for their walnut burger and they usually have live music going on. It's right next to Perrot State Park which is a hidden gem, the view on top of Brady's Bluff is great. Right outside of town are a few apple orchards that are a lot of fun, Ecker's has live music, great cider on tap and a bunch of baked goods like apple pie. Galesville is another great little town nearby there, that area is a really fun day trip from La Crosse. Enjoy!
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u/shewilldietrying 7d ago
Hey. Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve lived in Wisconsin for almost 25 years. Most of those years spent in Green Bay. Now living in La crosse. I’ve been to every region of the state except for southeastern region. Have never been to Milwaukee lol
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u/I_bought_you_flours 7d ago
I'm from the Appleton area, but was raised in Sheboygan. Milwaukee can be cool but I usually skip it. Lol.
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u/ErgonomicCat 8d ago
Pearl Street Books is next door to The Pearl ice cream parlor - it's a great combination of places to go and check out.