Free Things to Do in Eau Claire Wisconsin

Entertainment is a cornerstone to the atmosphere of a city, and for Eau Claire there is unfortunately not that much stuff to do, at lesat for free. None the less the small town feeling mixed with a variety of cultures does make for a diverse setting for some of the more odd things.

Free is a hard word that is thrown around, and often refers to things that are not free but rather really cheap. In Eau Claire there is free, then there is cheap, and then there is finally holy crap that is expensive. Ok maybe I am exaggerating there, but you get the point right?

One of the more interesting and free things to do is to visit the Antiques Emporium in downtown Eau Claire. They have a wide range of items in their large collection. It's almost a museum, except everything is for sale. From jewelry and clothes to books dating back a hundred years it's at least worth wandering through if you need to kill sometime.

A more social gathering is the farmer's market located in Phoenix Park all of four blocks from the Antiques Emporium. You can walk around the C shaped plaza and experience the different aromas of in season vegetables, freshly finished cheeses, and of course the Hmong cuisine of the area. With many great people and open four out of seven days a week during the summer it is definitely a high light of downtown Eau Claire.
As we head west from Phoenix Park you can take a long walk along the bike trails which circle around Eau Claire showing off its many parks, like Carson Park near Half Moon Lake. The trails, if you head south along the one nearest Half Moon Lake across from the newly renovated Luther Hospital will bring you to Menominee Street (which is more commonly known as Water Street in general.) Or you can take the cross bridge that is right next to Phoenix Park and take the trail there all the way south to Water Street and Owen Park.

Water Street holds an assortment of businesses, and is one of the main centers of the night life in Eau Claire. If you get to happy hour (4pm-9pm) more often than not you will find cheap as chips deals. Also on Water Street is the Mona Lisa restaurant, the Nucleus café which is part of Racy D'lene's coffee shop. Just down the street from there is the New York Pizza and Deli and the Joynt and from there the Fountain of Youth Games Shop. Among the most entertaining and "free" things to do is to stop into Fountain of Youth and join in any of the number of games being played there. From Friday Night Magic (that is Magic the Gathering card game) to Dungeons and Dragons, Star Trek, Rifts and so on. The atmosphere is always charged, moving, and energetic at the Fountain of Youth games shop.

Just down the street from Fountain of Youth (or as most usual players call it F.O.Y.) is Owen Park, which has an interesting assortment of free events like Tuesday night Blues night in the band shell. Also on every Tuesday and Thursday the park plays host to the local AmtGuard group. So if you are feeling the need to have a dual with a foam weapon that is the place to be.
Eau Claire also plays host to one of the largest segments of the University of Wisconsin, UWEC, which is just off of Water Street and across the bridge. There dozens of events happening on campus through out the year. Plays, special guests and speakers, English Fest, and bands on the campus mall. People are always welcome to come visit the campus and attend events. Of course plays are not free but they tend to be cheap at around 5-8 dollars a ticket.

Speaking of cheap, the Grengs Budget Theater in downtown Eau Claire right next door to the Antiques Emporium has new movies each month and it only costs two dollars and fifty cents to get in.
Eau Claire is home to several festivals and other events that are not free but are worth the time to attend. Eau Claire County is famous for hosting Rock Fest in Cadott, and Country Fest; along with Festival in the Pines, and No Brand Convention, which are all held annually. Though these events are not free to attend, Country Fest and Rock Fest being among the more expensive to attend for sure, do not forget these other little areas to visit if you ever visit western Wisconsin.