Great River Road: The Nauti Hawg – We Need More Cow Bell!

Great River Road: The Nauti Hawg – We Need More Cow Bell!

The Nauti Hawg. We found this gem while riding the great river road from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

Rollin down the Mighty Mississippi on the Great River Road it would be easy to miss this gem just off of highway 35 on the Wisconsin side. The town of Diamond Bluff, Wisconsin, at first glance is just a section of road that has a lower speed limit to accommodate the train crossings. We have actually passed this place too many times to count because we were always on our way to somewhere else. Doing the rollin down the river tour with biker grandma has caused us to look at things and places with a new set of eyes.

We had seen all the bikes parked several blocks off the highway before, but today was different. We were on bikes ourselves and what better place to eat than a popular biker bar.

Turning off highway 35 and heading for the river you cross those railroad tracks that have kept us away before. What we didn’t expect was the great view of the river. The Nauti Dawg bar and grill is not a big place by any standard, but they attract huge crowds of bikes and boats. One of the nicest features of the Nauti Hawg is they have a large deck hanging over a steep bank with a great view of the river.

The Nauti Hawg has a large deck overlooking the Mississippi.

There are also several picnic tables on top of the bank overlooking the river. We picked a shady spot and sat down. Being first timers we didn’t know that you had to go into the bar to order. When you do order, they give you a cow bell with a number on it. When your food is ready the server goes out on the front step and yells the number. Your job is to ring your cow bell so she can find you.

When your order is ready, the server calls your number and you ring the bell. — When your order is ready, the server calls your number and you ring the cow bell.

The food was very good and watching the traffic on the river and the constant stream of bikes coming and going made for great people watching.

After we ate I walked around a little and found out that I had only seen part of the Nauti Hawg property. As luck would have it I ran into the owner Mike and he showed me around. There was a gift shop and a large tent (like a wedding size tent) in the back where a band plays on weekends.

The name Nauti Hawg is a play on words. This bar and grill caters to both boaters and bikers. If you look over the edge of the bank there is a long stairway to the river. By mid afternoon on weekends the beach will be full of boats.

This was a nice break for biker grandma and I on our tour. We are always amazed at the friendliness of the biker community. What a fun place to relax and have some down time.