RAPID RIVER

Region: Escanaba, Menominee & the Green Bay Shore

Rapid River Knife Works, one of several companies created by ex-employees of nearby legendary Marble Arms, has a retail shop on US-2. Their knives are pricey ($80-$150) but well-regarded by outdoorsmen.

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Rapid River grew up around the dozen sawmills that sprang up here at the head of Little Bay de Noc, where the small Rapid River enters the bay. It's a mile or so west of the Whitefish River mouth. This village extends south off U.S. 2 near where U.S. 41 turns north to Trenary and Marquette. A popular gathering place is the Swallow Inn on Main Street.
The major manufacturer here is Rapid River Rustic Cedar Log Homes. The company designs and provides the materials for a wide variety of log homes, from small cabins to large showplaces. Its 3,400-square-foot "Norway" display model is open

The Swallow Inn, a friendly bar and grill, occupies a building going way, way back to lumbering days.

to the public on the south side of U.S. 2, four miles east of Rapid River and a mile east of the Hiawatha National Forest visitor center. It's open weekdays from 8 to 4:30 and by appointment.

The classic neon EAT above Jack's Restaurant is a familiar landmark on U.S. 41. Rapid River's entire main street has a similar retro look.

One of Rapid River’s charms is that it’s a basic, unfussed-over kind of place. Jack’s is a perfect basic diner, Viau’s is a basic meat market with homemade sausages, and Rapid River Hardware has a cool design sense in arranging hardware basics like galvanized containers.

Return to Escanaba, Menominee & the Green Bay Shore

PLACES AROUND RAPID RIVER TO

Eat Sleep Camp