Eagle River has many shops and businesses, including restaurants, antique stores, homemade ice cream and candy stores, a movie theatre, go-carting, miniature golf, and other places that cater to tourists.

Eagle River contains many lakes, some chained together; the Eagle chain has 28 navigable lakes. The area also has about 600 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails.

Nearby Nicolet National Forest, about 660,000 acres, offers scenic hiking, bicycling, camping, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. It contains more than 1,200 lakes and 1,100 miles of trout streams. It provides good hunting for deer, bear, grouse, and waterfowl.