An 1870s mill, a county park on Friess Lake, a taproom and a concert hall in an old church, split between the village's west and east sides.
Richfield is a village of farm fields, glacial lakes and old crossroads in southern Washington County, and what there is to do here sits in a few small clusters rather than on one main street. Things to do in Richfield come down to a working 1870s mill site, a county park on Friess Lake, a craft brewery, a bowling alley and a converted 1898 church that now hosts concerts. Plan it as two halves: the lakes and the history park on the west side of the village, and the Highway 175 strip on the east side for beer, music and coffee.
Holy Hill sits just over the western line, about 3.4 miles from the village centre point, so it is easy to fold Richfield into the same day. Pair a morning climb at the basilica on Holy Hill with an afternoon at the quieter Richfield stops below.
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Richfield Historical Park and the Nature Park
The best first stop is Richfield Historical Park, a 33-acre site on Highway 164 that the Richfield Historical Society runs around a 150-year-old mill.
Event days are the easiest way to see inside the buildings, and the society runs several each year: Maple Syrup Family Day in March, Art at the Mill in June, the Thresheree and Harvest Festival in September, Blacksmith Day in October and a Luminary Walk in November. The 2026 Thresheree ran September 19 and 20 with $6 admission and free entry for children 12 and under, and the 2027 dates are already posted for September 18 and 19.
Glacier Hills County Park on Friess Lake
For a lake and woods, go to Glacier Hills County Park, 140 acres of mostly forest with about 1,200 feet of frontage on Friess Lake. It is on Friess Lake Road in the Hubertus part of Richfield, about two miles from Holy Hill by the county's own description.
The park also rents nine cabins through Airbnb, and they are the only overnight option in Richfield's own listings. TripAdvisor lists no hotels inside the village, and the nearest ones are in Germantown.
Live music, bowling and an evening out
On the east side, Highway 175 has three evening stops within about 0.3 mile of each other.
Pioneer Bowl, about 0.1 mile from the hall, runs open bowling plus leagues for men, women, seniors, mixed doubles and youth, with automatic scoring. Call ahead on league nights if you want a lane.
For a drink before or after, Belshire Brewing is about 0.3 mile up the road, and the taproom is open Thursday to Sunday. The bars in Richfield are spread out, so pick one area per evening.
Where to eat and drink
On the west side, The Forge opened in April 2026 at Highway 164 and Pleasant Hill Road, about 0.3 mile from the history park, with seating for 350 and a covered year-round patio. For an older dining room, the Fox & Hounds on Friess Lake Road has served dinner since 1933 in a building that started as an 1845 log cabin.
There is more in the round-up of Richfield restaurants. For coffee, Java Dancer Coffee Bar in the Richfield Shopping Plaza on Highway 175 serves a full breakfast and lunch menu.
Shops, farms and markets
Out on Highway 167, Holy Hill Art Farm turns an 80-acre, 169-year-old family homestead into an art and craft market on set weekends, and its October 10, 2026 market charged $4 admission. Check its dates before driving out, because it is not a shop with daily hours.
In spring, Happy Day Farmhaus on Maple Road opens its tulip fields for one ticketed Saturday, and in 2026 that meant 22,000 hand-planted tulips on May 9. The farm has no regular hours, so every visit is through one of its events.
Richfield through the year
Richfield's calendar is short but well spread, so the best time to visit depends on what you want to see. March brings Maple Syrup Family Day at the Historical Park, which in 2026 ran 9am to 4pm with free admission and parking and an $8 pancake breakfast.
May is tulip month at Happy Day Farmhaus, and tickets for its Saturday festival sell out, so watch the farm's events page in spring. From late May to mid-October the farmers market runs on most Saturdays at the Historical Park, and June adds Art at the Mill, which in 2026 fell on June 20.
September has the Thresheree, with a 1pm tractor parade. October has Blacksmith Day and Happy Day Farmhaus's pizza-and-pumpkin Fall Fest, and the Luminary Walk follows in early November.
In winter, TravelWisconsin lists cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and a sledding hill at Glacier Hills, so check conditions with the county before you load the car. On a cold evening, the taproom, the bowling alley and the concert hall are all indoors and within a short walk of each other.
Nearby towns worth adding
Richfield sits between larger neighbours, and each has its own full set of things to do. Slinger is about 6.8 miles away, and the things to do in Slinger start with its speedway and the Ice Age Trail. Germantown is about 7.6 miles away and holds the nearest hotels, and Hartford is about 8.1 miles away.
Germantown's Dheinsville and Main Street make an easy pairing with a Richfield lunch.
Hartford's lakes and car museum fill a second day.
Frequently asked questions
Published September 21, 2026
