Back in our day, we valued water for industry - floating timber for downstream mills, transforming the force of rivers into electricity, etc. Nowadays, all anyone cares about is recreation, and Lake Wissota’s broad expanse of water is our readers’ favorite. In second place is the Chippewa River, which is peppered with fishermen and tubers all summer long. In third place we have Big Falls County Park, east of Eau Claire, where the swimming is as fun as the dance parties that spontaneously break out on the island at its center. —Eric Rasmussen