The Small Town in Wisconsin With ‘That ’70s Show’ Vibes

If you've ever seen That '70s Show, you probably know that it was set in Wisconsin in, well... the 1970s. It has been suggested that the fictional suburb in which the show was set, Point Place, was supposedly located near Green Bay, but there's also evidence it could have been farther down the Lake Michigan shoreline. Regardless, my point is that Point Place doesn't exist, but what the show did create was a feel for small-town Badger State life in the 1970s—a vibe, you might say.

Although many places in Wisconsin feel a bit like they're stuck in another era, the one town where I most feel a long-bangs, over-the-ear, flare-collared, bell-bottomed, wood-paneled vibe is Chippewa Falls. I'm not saying the town is stuck in the past, but if you wanted to set a 1970s TV show there, you wouldn't have to change much. Hear me out.

Home to about 15,000 residents, Chippewa Falls is the seat of Chippewa County and is situated on the banks of the Chippewa River. The city is famously home to Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., which recently ceased brewery operations in the city but maintains its Leinie Lodge tap room, and the Mason Shoe company. Obviously, Wisconsin beer and sensible shoes are pillars of this Badger State community, things that would make Red Forman proud.

Speaking of Red, if there was anything that rivaled his fondness for beer, it was his love of meat and cheese—and Chippewa Falls is home to a meat and cheese mecca: Sokup's Market. The market's been a local institution since 1891 and has occupied its current location since 1894. It specializes in fresh meats and cheeses, including cheese curds, as well as house-made sausages, meat sticks, and German specialties, like knödel and pretzels. You know Red would send Kitty down to Sokup's at least once a week.

Of course, in a town like Chippewa Falls, there's no shortage of places to cheer on or grumble about the Packers, Brewers, or Badgers. Whether it's the Leinie Lodge or a classic watering hole like the Tomahawk Room, you're sure to find someone to share a story or commiserate with.

And of course, when it's time for a night on the town, like any self-respecting Wisconsinite from the 70s, you get out of town... to a supper club like Old Abe's. Located 11 miles north, near Jim Falls, Old Abe's is a supper club that was surely there in the 1970s and seems likely to abide until the 2070s.

When you enter, it feels like you're walking into the side door of someone's garage, but you land at a friendly bar, where the Packers are on and pull tabs are there to entertain you while you sip an old fashioned and wait for your table. Wood paneling lines the walls and even the ceilings of the supper club.

In the dining room, a whiteboard above the salad bar announces the daily soup (pea with ham), pasta (Italian), and dessert (jello). The seating consists of long, vinyl-table-clothed tables, where you may end up chatting with another group while you eat your massive, cheap, perfectly-cooked steak under the watchful gaze of taxidermied animal eyes. It would not've surprised me one bit to have glanced up and seen Red and the rest of the Point Place crew at the next table, arguing over how a steak should be cooked, whether the Packers' coach should be fired, and what kind of beer a real man should be drinking.

So, what do you think? Do you agree that Chippewa Falls feels like a small town straight out of That '70s Show? What are some other towns in Wisconsin that could stand in for Point Place? If you're still on the fence about whether Chippewa Falls fills the That '70s Show bill, plan a trip to this western Wisconsin town and see for yourself.