Neighborhood
The Oxbow is located in the bullseye center of Eau Claire, right downtown where the city began, and right where all the action is found. Rivers, trails, parks, farmers markets, theaters, pubs, coffee shops, breweries, and nightly events are all within a few, walkable blocks.
The nearby retailers — gift shops, book stores, art galleries — are some of the best local shops you’ll find. As for the restaurants, downtown is our local dining district — where you can explore the kinds of places you can’t find anywhere else. You’ll find some of the city’s best steak, seafood, sushi, cajun, burgers, sandwiches, thai, hmong, and more within a short walk of the hotel. And the nightlife is nearby, as well — live music, dancing, beer bars, and more.
205 N. Dewey St. (across the street from the hotel)
Residing inside a historic 1880s brick storefront, The Local Store offers a huge selection of items made by local makers and designers, as well as fun items simply inspired by this community’s way of life. Peruse a delightful array of gifts, housewares, apparel, art, books, music, kids’ stuff as well as the Volume One Gallery featuring rotating exhibitions of fine local art, live music, book readings, film screenings, discussions, and even tastings.
224 N Dewey Street (1 block from the hotel)
Hive + Hollow is a Menomonie and Eau Claire based flower and gift shop, with a focus on nourishing our community, our farmers, and our planet. Their arrangements are uniquely seasonal, reflecting the quirky beauty that is Western Wisconsin. They grow and forage many of their own flowers, source from local growers, and choose American grown and Fair Trade during winter months when little but evergreens and drieds are available. If you want to learn about some of the ways they are working to make a difference click here. In addition, they carry a curated selection of goods from independent makers, to make thoughtful gifting simple. Visit Online
503 Galloway St. (across the street from the hotel)
Opened in 2017 by local couple Blayne and Kayla Midthun, Ramone’s is an old-fashioned ice cream parlor serving delicious hand-dipped cones, malts, pies, chocolates, and coffee. On many summer days you will see a line protruding from their front door of eager ice cream lovers looking for a cool respite from the hot summer sun. As a business focused on giving back to the community, 100% of tips received goes to local charities chosen on a rotating basis by staff members themselves.
128 S Barstow Street (approximately 2 blocks from the hotel)
One-stop shop for all of your vinyl needs! New releases, used, record store day picks, and more! Visit Revival Records Facebook for more info!
415 Galloway St. (across the street from the hotel)
There’s so much to experience in a visit to the Oxbow Hotel in downtown Eau Claire, WI – thoughtfully-designed rooms and furniture, curated food and drink, world-class local and national musicians, and so much more. But an equal part of the Oxbow experience is art. Our gallery, rooms, corridors, and walls inside and out are covered in original work from local artists both literary and visual. Art is important to us at the Oxbow. In fact, it’s so important that we wanted to bring more of it into the community that surrounds us, for both locals and our traveling guests to enjoy. That’s what spurred the Oxbow’s Artist in Residence Program. There are currently two large-scale murals that have been brought to life in our Downtown Eau Claire community in collaboration with Oxbow’s Artist in Residence Program:
For the inaugural Artist in Residence program which took place in May of 2018, The Oxbow Hotel hosted artist Molly Z. from Chicago as she, along with her team of artists (and some local community helpers, too!) created a bold, beautiful piece of artwork called “Cascade” on the side of The Eau Claire Printing Company.
For the second Artist in Residence program, which took place in October 2021, The Oxbow Hotel hosted artist Sylvia Annelise Hecht, together with Pablo Group and DECI, who created the "Sanctuary" mural. You can find it on the side of Eau Claire’s Fire House, located downtown on the corners of Gibson Street and Graham Avenue. The Sanctuary mural project is dedicated to fostering visual art and community partnerships, while enhancing the downtown area and overall experience of both locals and visitors.
128 Graham Avenue (6-minute walk from the hotel)
Pablo Center at the Confluence operates in support of a mission that is focused on augmenting and developing opportunities to experience the performing, literary and visual arts for people of all ages and backgrounds. The center offers the region a facility capable of providing transformative training, learning and creative opportunities. Inside, guests, local partners, and artists experience a 1,200+ seat theatre and an approximately 400-seat flexible theatre; three rehearsal, dance and community rooms; visual arts galleries; labs for sound and lighting, set and exhibit design, recording arts, multimedia production and costume design; and spaces equipped to support vocational training initiatives.
