Two Museums That Define the Hayward Area

Few regions can claim such a significant impact on not only local state culture, but also on national and global stages. Hayward and Cable are such places. As the home of renowned skiing culture and a world-class destination for inland fishing, the scope of this area’s influence will truly surprise you.

Mt. Telemark and the Tony Wise Museum

With a gentle swish, swish, cross-country skis cut through the snow of Mt. Telemark Village in nearby Cable, carrying you through a still-life view of trees and across the gentle slope of a hill blanketed in white. Here, you’re following in the tracks of decades of competitive cross-country skiers, who’ve taken part in the American Birkebeiner (or as locals lovingly refer to it, the Birkie). Since its debut in 1973, the nation’s largest cross-country ski race has drawn more than 10,000 skiers each year to compete from Cable into downtown Hayward.

Mt. Telemark is also home to the Tony Wise Museum of the American Birkebeiner. Opened in 2016, this museum honors the legacy of Tony Wise, the Birkie’s creator. He learned cross-country skiing in Germany during World War II, and when he came home, founded the Telemark ski area and developed the race. His museum is packed with state-of-the-art immersive exhibits, including a video wall depositing you right into the race. If you want an idea of the trail you’ll be skiing on while on the grounds, check out the museum’s three-dimensional model of the Birkie trail itself, including all the gentle turns and waterside routes of the race.

Want to meet the actual skiers? The founding racers put together oral histories you can listen to. In the museum, you’ll also find the Hall of Champions, race memorabilia and artifacts, historic film and an electronic scrapbook of the race. The Birkie and Mt. Telemark shaped the cross-country ski community in Cable, throughout Wisconsin, and indeed throughout the world — this museum is a special representation of the togetherness Tony Wise created. And who knows, maybe you’ll become part of that community in the future as a race participant or volunteer.

Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame

Open seasonally from mid-April through October, the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward honors more than 300 people and organization  in the halls of this fishing-focused landmark. Plus, you’ll find a record book that documents every world-record freshwater fish, along with records for each freshwater species in the country.

Also on the museum grounds is the crown jewel: a four-and-a-half-story tall muskie that you can climb through and up into the open mouth’s viewing platform. The building adjacent to this giant monument houses vintage and historical fishing gear and antique boat motors.

Winter in the Northwoods is about more than getting outside – it's about embracing a way of life shaped by history, adventure and tradition. After you’ve deepened your appreciation for the area’s storied culture, settle into another local ritual the region is known for: a classic Northwoods supper club.