Located about twenty miles west of Eau Claire and sixty miles east of the Twin Cities, Menomonie is a small and secluded city built on the shores of its namesake Lake Menomin. The lake is easily the city’s most defining physical feature, with everything in town built along its perimeter.

Menomonie is well-known as the home of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, which serves around 10,000 students and anchors the downtown district on the south shore of the lake. This part of town is packed with great dining and nightlife options, with hip coffeehouses, low-key diners, rowdy college bars, and classy cocktail lounges clustered together along Main, Broadway, and Crescent Streets.

Just a few blocks away, the atmosphere becomes much more tranquil, with residential neighborhoods full of affordable apartments, condos, and houses covering most of the landscape.