UW-Stout's own travel page does the introduction: Menomonie "has several hotel options, including a brand new Cobblestone Inn & Suites located downtown, just on the edge of campus." That Cobblestone has 51 rooms and is a two-minute drive from Johnson Fieldhouse. The Hampton Inn & Suites Menomonie-UW Stout, 86 rooms, and the Best Western Plus, 68, sit at the I-94 exit seven minutes north. About 205 rooms against 1,067 graduates in Spring 2026. Both rounds are published: Saturday 19 December 2026 with undergraduates at 10 a.m. and Graduate Studies at 2 p.m. in Johnson Fieldhouse, and Saturday 15 May 2027 with sittings to come. Book the Friday night now. When Menomonie is full, Eau Claire, 39 minutes east on I-94, has more than 1,500 rooms; Hudson and River Falls are under an hour the other way.
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The university names the hotel on its doorstep
UW-Stout’s travel and stay page says Menomonie “has several hotel options, including a brand new Cobblestone Inn & Suites located downtown, just on the edge of campus.” That is the one to want.
Cobblestone Inn & Suites at UW Stout, 149 Main Street East. Half a mile and two minutes from Johnson Fieldhouse. 51 rooms per the Northstar directory.
Hampton Inn & Suites Menomonie-UW Stout, 2017 Stout Street, at the I-94 exit. About two and a half miles and seven minutes. 86 rooms, the largest in town.
Best Western Plus Menomonie Inn & Suites, 320 Oak Avenue, beside it. 68 rooms.
205 rooms. UW-Stout held Spring 2026 commencement for 1,067 graduates across three ceremonies. No matched-window availability series has been run for Menomonie, so this page publishes no count of what remains; the ratio says the Cobblestone goes first and the exit soon after.
Both rounds are published, one with hours
Winter 2026: Saturday 19 December, Johnson Fieldhouse, undergraduate colleges at 10 a.m., Graduate Studies at 2 p.m., per the commencement page. One inconsistency on that page is recorded on the logistics side: a ticket subsection mentions a 5 p.m. ceremony that the schedule does not. The explicit schedule is used here.
Spring 2027: Saturday 15 May, with sittings and venue to come. Spring 2026 ran three ceremonies in the fieldhouse, so expect the day to be split.
The Friday night covers a morning sitting; an afternoon one often adds the Saturday.
East to Eau Claire, west toward the Twin Cities
Eau Claire, 39 minutes east on I-94, has 18 hotels and more than 1,500 rooms in the Northstar directory and is the overflow with depth. Check UW-Eau Claire’s own commencement date first. Chippewa Falls, 43 minutes, sits beyond it with a distinct market.
Hudson, 54 minutes west on I-94 on the Minnesota line, and River Falls, 55 minutes, serve Twin Cities traffic and UW-River Falls respectively. The Twin Cities themselves are half an hour past Hudson with unlimited rooms.
Drive times are off-peak road routes to Johnson Fieldhouse computed on 14 September 2026, not measured journeys.
Not claimed here
No commencement-specific hotel policy, because none of the three publishes one. No spring 2027 venue; Johnson Fieldhouse is stated for December and hosted Spring 2026, and is not assumed for May. No availability count, because none was measured.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobblestone Inn & Suites at UW Stout, Downtown Menomoniesourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Hampton Inn & Suites Menomonie-UW Stoutsourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Best Western Plus Menomonie Inn & Suitessourcecheck rates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- Cobblestone Inn & Suites at UW Stout, Downtown Menomonie: 149 Main Street E, downtown, half a mile and two minutes from Johnson Fieldhouse. 51 rooms per the Northstar Meetings Group directory. UW-Stout's own travel page describes it as "brand new" and "just on the edge of campus". No commencement-specific minimum stay, prepayment or cancellation policy was found, and none is claimed.
- Hampton Inn & Suites Menomonie-UW Stout: 2017 Stout Street, at the I-94 exit, about two and a half miles and seven minutes from the fieldhouse. 86 rooms per Northstar, the largest in town. No commencement-specific policy was found.
- Best Western Plus Menomonie Inn & Suites: 320 Oak Avenue, at the exit, about two and a half miles and seven minutes from the fieldhouse. 68 rooms per Northstar. No commencement-specific policy was found.
Opens live availability around campus via our partner Stay22. Several of the properties above take graduation bookings only by phone, mail-in form, or lottery, so treat this as a price check against the rules in the table, not a replacement for them. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The ring
| Town | Drive time | Typical availability | Rate vs. epicenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eau Claire, WICheck rooms in Eau Claire, WI → | 39 min | Not measured for this cluster. A regional city; Northstar lists 18 hotels and more than 1,500 rooms. | Not measured. Full range. |
| Chippewa Falls, WICheck rooms in Chippewa Falls, WI → | 43 min | Not measured for this cluster. A distinct hotel market with several national brands. | Not measured. |
| Hudson, WICheck rooms in Hudson, WI → | 54 min | Not measured for this cluster. An I-94 town on the Minnesota line with multiple hotels serving Twin Cities traffic. | Not measured. |
| River Falls, WICheck rooms in River Falls, WI → | 55 min | Not measured for this cluster. A university town with a small hotel base. | Not measured. |
Drive times are off-peak road routes to Johnson Fieldhouse computed with OSRM on 2026-09-14, not measured journeys. No matched-window availability series has been run for any town in this ring.
“Check rooms” are partner links (Stay22), and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Live availability near campus
Map and booking links are provided by our partner Stay22. We may earn a commission on bookings made through this map at no extra cost to you.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotel is closest to the ceremony?
The Cobblestone Inn & Suites at 149 Main Street East, downtown, half a mile and two minutes from Johnson Fieldhouse, 51 rooms per the Northstar directory. UW-Stout's own page calls it "just on the edge of campus."
What else is in Menomonie?
The Hampton Inn & Suites Menomonie-UW Stout (86 rooms) and the Best Western Plus Menomonie Inn & Suites (68), neighbours at the I-94 exit about two and a half miles and seven minutes north of the fieldhouse.
Will Menomonie sell out?
No matched-window availability series has been run for Menomonie, so this page publishes no count. 205 rooms against 1,067 graduates in a round that ran three ceremonies in 2026 is the structure. The ring is good; the town is thin.
Which night do we need?
December: the Friday night for the 10 a.m. undergraduate ceremony, and the Saturday if you would rather not drive after the 2 p.m. Graduate Studies one. Spring: the Friday night; sittings are not yet published.
Where is the overflow?
Eau Claire, 39 minutes east on I-94, with 18 hotels and more than 1,500 rooms in the Northstar directory. Chippewa Falls is 43 minutes; Hudson and River Falls, toward the Twin Cities, about 55.
Does UW-Stout publish a hotel list?
Its community travel and stay page describes Menomonie's hotels and names the Cobblestone. A visitor resource, not a commencement block.
Is Eau Claire quiet that weekend?
Check. UW-Eau Claire graduates in the same season, and its own ceremony weekend would draw on the same hotels.
How we verified this
Last verified:
- UW-Stout, Travel and Stay ("Menomonie has several hotel options, including a brand new Cobblestone Inn & Suites located downtown, just on the edge of campus.")
- Northstar Meetings Group, Menomonie WI venues (Cobblestone 51 guest rooms; Best Western Plus 68; Hampton Inn & Suites 86)
- UW-Stout, Commencement ("Spring 2027 | Saturday, May 15"; "Saturday, December 19, 2026 | Johnson Fieldhouse"; 10 a.m. undergraduate, 2 p.m. Graduate Studies)
- UW-Stout news, Spring 2026 commencement ("1,067 graduates"; three ceremonies at Johnson Fieldhouse)
This page is verified in two stages. Every fact is checked against the primary sources listed above, then the page is reviewed and signed off by our editor, A. Hassan. Corrections and enquiries: hello@graduationstay.com