Stevens Point ~ 6 Must-Try Activities
Stevens Point, very centrally located in Wisconsin, is a town of over 25,000 inhabitants, home to the UW-Stevens Point and Point Brewery (the beers and sodas!). It has a cute downtown, the Wisconsin River flows through it, there are so many parks to explore, and some uncommon features, like a community sauna! What more could one ask!
One of several convenient, and pretty, trash cans downtown.
Without further ado, here are my six must-try activities while visiting in Stevens Point:
Walk the Downtown
Stevens Point has a cute downtown, with several restaurants and stores (including the visitor center, if you’re looking for gifts or souvenirs!), the Public Library, the Opera House, architecturally interesting buildings, several bookstores, the Children’s museums, cafés and more, right on Main Street!
It is close to the Wisconsin River, if you want to go for a walk after your meal, and there is a square with a seasonal farmers’ market happening.
And while you’re downtown… do the next activity!
Look for Murals!
Downtown has several cool murals. Don’t just walk Main Street, explore a couple of blocks north and south to find them!
Some are historical, celebrating the history of the town, or local businesses like the Point Brewery, others are more topical, or related to businesses they’re close to.
I have pictured five here, but there are several more.
Do you know them? Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
Sign up for a Sauna Session
Just north of downtown, this backyard sauna with a gorgeous space, inside and out, will help you relax and decompress.
Community sessions are an hour and a half long, alternating between the heat inside and the cool air outside (or buckets of cold water if it’s warm outside). They run this year-round, you can sign up any time!
A host is there to explain how it works and manage the sauna with heat and essential oils, and the whole experience is very enjoyable and definitely relaxing.
You can also book a private session if you’d prefer.
For more info, check out their website here.
Walk/Bike/Run the Green Circle Trail
The Green Circle is a beautiful 27-mile-long bike trail that combines a collection of trails, sidewalks and road to go around the town. Its trailhead is located on the northern end of the loop, but you can easily access it from many different points along the road, including close to downtown.
The trails goes in nature reserves, by lakes and rivers, on boardwalks, goes near the airport… looking at the map is seemed complicated, but I was impressed by how easy it was to follow.
The trail goes through my following recommendation… the Sculpture Park.
For more info and a full map, click here.
Discover the Sculpture Park
Located on the north side of Stevens Point, the Sculpture park is a really cool place where you can see dozens of sculptures right from the trail.
Some sculptures are made of wood, some of steel, some of fabric… it’s very interesting to see the confluence of art and nature and it feels very relaxing to meander in the woods and find art around each corner.
The trail isn’t very long and is very easy. Not paved but mostly flat, the area is about 20 acres: how long it takes depends on how long you spent on each sculpture.
Feel free to go again as the sculptures change periodically.
For more information: https://stevenspointsculpturepark.org
Eat at the Wicked Willow
This is my favorite restaurant in town! It is located right downtown, the place is really cute and the food is delicious.
They’re famous for their many version of Mac n Cheese, but you can also get breakfast foods (such as the pancakes pictured here), asian-inspired foods, soups etc. They also have a wide assortment of coffee drinks.
They have a grab-and-go fridge if you’re in a hurry, and a wonderful array of desserts!
For a full menu and to check their hours, click here.