Home to cheese curds and beer festivals, La Crosse, Wisconsin sits on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. You can find seasonal activities in and around the city, including fishing, boating and birding, but you’ll need to travel out of town for casino games. In western Wisconsin, the Ho-Chunk tribe entertains visitors at two casinos, and neighboring Iowa and Minnesota each offer unique casino destinations.

Whitetail Crossing Casino

Unless you are participating in other area activities, this Ho-Chunk casino in Tomah isn’t a destination gaming facility. It’s a small casino attached to the Whitetail Crossing Convenience Store with nearly 100 slot machines. It doesn’t have a restaurant, hotel or table games. It's 45 miles from La Crosse, in an interesting region that grows cranberries and hosts winter sports such as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.

Majestic Pines Bingo and Casino

Another Ho-Chunk casino 48 miles northeast of La Crosse in Black River Falls offers 600 reel and digital slot machines. If you like to play the tables, you can enjoy several games of roulette, blackjack and poker, including Texas Hold 'Em. For the bingo players, this casino has a hall with electronic and scheduled games. The attached hotel at Majestic Pines Bingo and Casino has 60 rooms -- including some with whirlpools -- conference rooms and an indoor pool with water slide. If you get hungry, you can choose from a cafe, buffet or poker bar.

Lady Luck Casino

Across the Mississippi River and south 60 miles, Lady Luck is a destination casino where Pinky the Elephant stands guard in a top hat. It’s a classic riverboat establishment moored in a marina near Marquette, Iowa. While there's no hotel, it offers several dining choices, including a buffet, and also features scheduled entertainment. Choose among 550 slot machines and a robust schedule of card games, including blackjack and Texas Hold 'Em. This casino’s most convenient feature is that it offers daily bus service to and from La Crosse.

Treasure Island Resort and Casino

This Minnesota casino north of Red Wing is 105 miles from La Crosse. Treasure Island is a 150,000-square-foot destination casino within driving or boating distance. The casino has more than 2,200 slot machines and a recently remodeled bingo hall. You'll find 27 blackjack tables and the only live poker room in the region. In the summer, the casino offers river cruises on a private yacht built in La Crosse. With 13 restaurants and bars, 480 luxury rooms and headline entertainment in a 3,000-seat theater, this casino is worth staying at for a night or two.

About the Author

Charli Mills has covered the natural food industry since 2001 as a marketing communications manager for a highly successful retail cooperative. She built teams, brands and strategies. She is a writer and editor of "This is Living Naturally," a consultant for Carrot Ranch Communications and a Master Cooperative Communicator.

Photo Credits

  • Erik Snyder/Photodisc/Getty Images
SHARE