La Crosse
La Crosse County Convention and Visitors Bureau
410 Veterans Memorial Drive
La Crosse, WI 54601
Telephone: (800) 658-9424
Website
Some of the tallest bluffs along the Wisconsin Great River Road are located around La Crosse. La Crosse is the largest city you’ll pass through on your Wisconsin Great River Road journey, with a population of over 50,000. The community has a variety of great restaurants, stores, museums and historic attractions, as well as many lodging options.
Like Onalaska to the north, La Crosse was once a major center for milling lumber that made its way down the Mississippi River. The community’s many historic buildings and large downtown district date back to the 1800s, when La Crosse was one of Wisconsin’s most important centers for trade and commerce. La Crosse is home to the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and Viterbo University.
A great place to learn about the history of La Crosse is at the Riverside Museum Great River Road Interpretive Center. You’ll find displays featuring wildlife that live along the river, logging history and steamboats.
The area’s most prominent land feature is Grandad Bluff, located on the far east side of the valley that cradles the community of La Crosse. A drive to the top provides stunning views of the city in the valley below.
One of La Crosse’s most famous manmade landmarks is the “World’s Largest Six Pack” at the City Brewery. Nearby, you’ll also find the giant statue of the patron saint of beer, King Gambrinus. The brewery has a long history of brewing beer, a reflection of the community’s strong German heritage.
La Crosse is home to one of the Midwest’s best children museums, the Gertrude Salzer Gordon Children’s Museum of La Crosse, located at 207 5th Avenue South.
