Its a travel destination known for its scenic beauty, but tourism directors say there's more to Hayward than meets the eye.

"A lot of times people come here and don't realize maybe how large the area is, the population and maybe the amenities that we do have, the great historic resorts, the new modern resorts, hotels, motels," Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Kevin Ruetten said.

Ruetten says though the town draws crowds of tourists in the summer, the winter months have just as much to offer.

"We have a very aggressive marketing committee where we try to market this area because Hayward lives on tourism, not just in the summertime but in the wintertime, everything from snowmobiling to fishing to cross country skiing," Vice President of the Visitors and Conventions Bureau Jim Onarheim said.

And though the area is most famous for its fishing and world record muskies.

"The tradition up here, people come to Hayward to muskie fish," Onarheim said.

Linda Clifford with the chamber says there's more to the north woods than lakes and trees.

"We do have wonderful fishing and so many lakes, but we also have golf courses ranging from mini-golf to beautiful scenic courses on the lake, stuff for kids to do, great shopping and a wide variety of restaurants," Clifford said.

And best of all, she says those activities tend to cost less in Hayward, than they would at other popular destinations.

"You can come here and spend a couple days doing more and more things everyday and it doesn't cost you as much as maybe some of the bigger, larger attraction areas," Ruetten said.

Ruetten says Hayward is proud of its hospitality and has embraced the tourist industry that benefits both the travelers, and those who live there year round.

"Without it Hayward would not be what it is, the residents here are able to enjoy a quality of life we would not have without the tourists," Clifford said.