INDIANHEAD COUNTRY - Wisconsin - page 463

Carson Park is also the home of the Eau Claire Cavaliers and Eau Claire Express
baseball teams. Eau Claire has fielded semipro teams since the early 1900s and boasts a
couple of Hall of Famers. Hammerin' Hank Aaron got his baseball start in Eau Claire in
1952 playing for the then-Eau Claire Bears. Burleigh Grimes, a local-boy-done-good, also
pitched for the Bears.
Side Trips
The most promising is to Augusta, 20 or so miles to the southeast via U.S. 12. Easily
one of the most photographed gems along the route is Dells Mill (Hwy. V, 715/286-2714,
www.dellsmill.com , 10am-5pm daily May-Oct., $7 adults), three miles north off WIS 27
onHighwayV.Thiseye-catching1864millandmuseum,setalongengagingBridgeCreek,
is predominantly a museum, but some grinding is still done on site. The remarkable thing
about the mill is that its five structures are constructed solely of hand-hewn timber joined
only by wooden pegs. Inside you'll find more than 3,000 feet of belting and 175 water-
forced pulleys. The dedicated proprietor, sadly, is aging, and there's no telling what may
happen to this treasure if he must give it up.
ENTERTAINMENT AND EVENTS
Eau Claire is not exactly a hotbed of nightlife. The Cabin (715/836-4833, www.uwec.edu/
uac ) , at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, is the oldest coffeehouse in Wisconsin,
with folk, blues, jazz, and occasional comedy.
The best place for a microbrew (and cheddar curds) in a great atmosphere is at the
Livery (316 Wisconsin St., 715/833-7666, lunch and dinner daily), a converted stable. For
agreatbeergarden,headforthe Pioneer Tavern (401WaterSt.,715/832-4455),inalovely
19th-century building that once housed a pharmacy.
Avaudeville“palace”andmoviehouseintheRoaring1920s,the Regional Arts Center
(316 Eau Claire St., 715/832-2787, www.eauclairearts.com ) is now home to regional cul-
tural groups.
RECREATION
Chippewa River Trail
This nearly three-mile-long multiuse path runs through Eau Claire's urban river corridor.
Therivertrailinturnjoinswiththelarger Chippewa River Valley State Trail, whicheven-
tually leads through prairie, mixed forest, and agrarian patchworks to Menomonie and the
Red Cedar State Trail. You can reach the river trail at Carson Park (a spur trail) or at the