At least once a year, friends and I get out to camp and fish on the flowage.
We percieve there to be less going on and fewer hours at the local drinking establishments as each year passes. We love to patronize the local businesses, but can't keep up with what's open and when.
Looking for advice on the best places to get served and have some fun late into the night?
Heart of the North in downtown Mercer
The Midway or the Grove. Either place will suit you just fine. I'd be very careful on the drive back to your boat or campsite though, Iron County's finest will be out and about, being a holiday weekend and all.
So your going to "drink hard" then return to your campsite by boat. Stay home and grow up. P.S. back in the day, the phrase "get served" was used by underaged would be drinkers. Got your number pal.
You got his number? Sounds like someone I'd like to meet. I too like to support the local businesses, including taverns.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke
Thanks for the helpful responses guys.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke
And yes Zeke, we do plan to return to our campsite after drinking hard. We are cautious people though, and keep one of our group sober. I understand some people don't like to discuss non-fishing topics, but I don't think you've got to be insulting to those who do wish to discuss other things, espcially when I'm just inquiring about what bars I will be able to patronize later into the night on my annual camping/fishing trip.
It's not like my thread is knocking off any more current,relevant, or hot topics on the board, so calm down, read and respond to threads that interest you, and leave me alone.
Bob and Cathy Weinfauf's son, Brian, will be reopening the bar at Deadhorse Lodge on May 1, 2013. It will be called "The Sunken Horse Saloon."
Besides Midway, Dear Lodge on FF stays open late and serves pizza.
I did see the liquor license come up for the Sunken Horse Saloon in one of the town meetings. Looking forward to trying that out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC
Can't guarantee anything, but the places that I plan on hitting when my brother in laws come up this spring:
Gateway, Beaver's Resort, Dear Lodge, and the Sunken Horse.
Thanks for putting the anticipated opening date down for the Sunken Horse, Scott.
Make sure your sober driver knows their way around the flowage. A few years ago we were up and drinking pretty late on a hot summer night. My buddy had never been there before, and had no clue on where we were camping and how to get there. Much to my surprise, we wake up the next morning on an island we weren't camping on. I don't remember how we got there. My friend said that I wasn't much help navigating, and after close to an hour of looking for our area he decided to pull up and sleep for the night.
I didn't mind too much since I was passed out, but he wasn't very happy that morning. Still comes up though, and ususally makes me be the safe driver as a way of paying him back.
To the best of my knowledge we were at the Hideaway, and I had some beers and pulls from the flask after they close for the night.
I'm also really looking forward to trying the Sunken Horse, looks like a very nice spot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flowage Bandit
And good advice on the flowage navigation after dark. Those islands can certainly look pretty similar depending on the light level and your familiarity with them.
We've always had a good time at the Hideaway, but have been unfortunate enough to stop by a few times when the bar/restaurant has been closed.
Sunken Horse sounds like its worth a visit for sure.
Slow Burn, check out the Springstead Lake Lodge. I've had many good times there. Too bad the Frontier Inn closed...
Glad to see some helpful input (Zeke excluded). It's always fun to go out and enjoy a few drinks at the local bars. Great way to meet some of the locals and get off of the campsite. Plus those businesses do depend to some degree on tourism.
Alcohol and water never mix well. Designated driver is the best idea. Waste of time looking for body's on the flowage to say the least.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flowage Bandit
Midway is nice, Shane and Molly are very cordial hosts and if you have too much to drink, shane will let you sleep it off in the wood shed right outside the door. Lots of room for multiple drunks.
Is the Frontier Inn closed again? It was still open when I stopped there the first weekend in March.
I couldn't disagree more strongly. I like a nice quality bourbon with just a splash of water over ice.Quote:
Originally Posted by George G
As quoted in the Movie Stripes...."lighten up Francis"
:cool:
Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison.......Quote:
Originally Posted by Slow Burn
Couldn't agree more Grinder. Maker's Mark always gets loaded in the vehicle first when packing for the trip. And first in the boat when heading out fishing.
To answer a question asked by WalleyesWanted yesterday, The Frontier Inn in Springstead is open for business - drove by last night and there were several cars in the lot.
Tight Lines,
Tom502
The Frontier Inn is open again. Had a good fish fry there a couple of weeks ago.
WOW some seem to forget, some of the late nights back in the late 70s.howling at the moon and rafting up a bunch of boats in the dark.to many folks are just to P.C. now a days .just go out get some great food and drinks spend a lot of money and heavily tip your bartender. and be safe and enjoy , :p
"Woke up on the wrong island", now that's a classic! Up north is for fun, so have fun... and for people that don't like it, go to a meeting or something. My vote is for Midway, and get a driver 'cause one time I came out of there and they had changed it to a 6 lane road (wood shed for me).
Best place to have some fun is any campsite I'm at in the Flowage.
Wake up. Drink. Catch a limit. Drink. Clean a limit. Drink. Fry ‘em. Drink. Eat ‘em. Drink.
That should get you ready to go to all the places that have been recommended, and drink.
Not to ruffle any feathers here, but because this thread was already off the "fishing topic" I'll ask my question here... Being from Chicago and wanting to spend my hard earned dollars up North in beautiful Iron county Wisconsin. Where might a Chicago boy watch his beloved Blackhawks battle for the Western conference championship in the Mercer area? I know the Midway Bar and Grill had some Chicago teams adorning their walls.. Would they have Stanley Cup hockey on their TV? If not, where would could I watch some hockey? Thanks, HockeyPhil..
Hockey Phil: I can almost guarantee you that Shane at Midway will have the hockey game on his big screen TV. Shane is a big Blackhawks Fan. Unfortunately, he is also a Bears fan. LOL If you wish to call to check, the bar number is 715.769.3680.
Enjoy!
Thank you kindly.. Tight lines my friend.
Lazy Ace Saloon in Manitowish will also have it on. We were up on "opener" and he had the Blackhawks on.
Thanks for the info Nick.. Again, tight lines.
As much as I like the places on the Flowage, they can be very hit or miss. I recommend heading to Hurley where you know they will actually be open when you arrive. I hope you had fun on the Flowage.
Yes, thanks Firestarter, your post seems to be right on. After we got done fishing on Tuesday Night we ventured up toward the Hideway, Sunken Horse, and Gateway, to find each of them closed by 10 pm. It's too bad there isn't a little more regular business to warrant more/longer hours. But we did find plenty of open places up in Hurley, so right on there!
Shane and hockey go together like peanut butter and jelly. Have made it up to the Flowage during the Hawks/Redwings series, and during the Cup. Both times we stopped into the Midway to watch the games. Good crowd, good drinks, and good times. Afterwords, we usually have a few beers and a pizza at Dear Lodge w/ Jim.Quote:
Originally Posted by Flambeau Vista Retreat LLC
A lot of neat bars in the Mercer area with great owners/staff.
Wow, somebody hates fun. That must really suck to be you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke
Bored are we? Troll somewhere else
is the pot calling the kettle black?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeke