What I’m about to map-out here is ill advised, potentially illegal and a lot of fun. All I can say is use your best judgement. Personally, biking and beering are a couple of my favorite pastimes and I find that putting the two together makes me enjoy each of them a little more. And now that the Riverwalk is complete, we’ve got a great way to combine them. Let’s hit the road.Just before the bridge on the west side of North Main St. you’ll notice a ramp that snakes along the side of the new Waterfront Hotel. This will lead you onto the Riverwalk and take you to the first of four stops.
Beer Stop #1: The Ground Round at River's Edge / 1 North Main St.
I wouldn’t exactly call this a destination point for good beer, but they do have a swank patio on the river and they have been keeping a couple decent beers on tap. When I was there last week, they had Ale Asylum’s Hopalicious and Hinterland’s Luna Coffee Stout pouring along with trusty back-ups Spotted Cow and Sam Adams Boston Lager. Sink a pint, take in the river view and get back on your bike.
Bike: A couple dozen pedal strokes west along the Riverwalk will take you to one of the finest beer spots in Oshkosh.
Beer Stop #2: Becket’s / 2 Jackson St.
For the past five years, Becket’s has been serving some of the best, with 15 beers on draught. And their new patio on the river is an ideal place to enjoy a couple pints of craft beer. Check out their tap list HERE.
Bike: Saddle back up and continue peddling north. Follow the Riverwalk as it leads you under the Wisconsin St. Bridge and onto a paved path that continues along the river at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Campus. This path ends at Rockwell Ave., but leads directly into the start of the Wiouwash Trail. Follow it to where it merges with Summit Ave. When you reach Summit, look dead ahead and you’ll see the sign for the Fox River Brewing Company at Fratellos.
Beer Stop #3: Fratellos Waterfront Restaurant / 1501 Arboretum Dr
When you hit Fratellos, plant yourself on the patio with a beer and soak it all in. You’ll have plenty of good suds to choose from. HERE’s the current beer list.
Bike: After you leave Fratellos you’ll have two options. You could either peddle back in exactly the same direction you came; or you could take the Congress Ave. bridge over the river and peddle the back streets that lead towards the Oshkosh Seniors Center at 200 N Campbell Rd. There you can hook back up with the paved trail that is snug to the river (Check out the map below for more precise directions). Whichever way you go, you’ll want to end up passing through the south tunnel under the Wisconsin St. Bridge to hook up with the southern side of the Riverwalk. This section of the Riverwalk dead ends at Michigan St. Take Michigan to 6th Ave. and hang a right (east). Follow 6th for about four blocks and keep an eye towards the river, where you’ll see...
Beer Stop #4: Dockside Tavern / 425 Nebraska St.
Another nice patio with a great view. And some good beer to go along with it. They usually have a couple of Fox River Brewing Co. beers on tap along with a couple of other crafts on draught and a decent selection of bottled beer. Not an enormous selection, but you’ll find something that’ll work for you. As you enjoy your beer, think about whether or not you have a second lap in you. Of course you do!
Bike: Get back on 6th Ave. and head towards S. Main St. (east). Take the S. Main St. Bridge back over the river and enter the infinite loop. Don’t forget to keep that helmet strapped on. You’re gonna need it.
A word about this map: this is a Google Walking Map, so it doesn't exactly jibe with the biking routes described above. Unless otherwise noted, use the directions given above.
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