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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WISCONSIN SPRING/SUMMER TRAVEL IDEAS
Editorial Suggestions
What is the perfect summer vacation for your readers? Does it involve memorable time on the water - or perhaps underneath it? Is it sightseeing that engages the mind with history and culture? Perhaps connecting (or reconnecting) a family with nature? Or maybe it's an epicurean experience involving artisan foods, local festivals and independent wineries? Whichever vacation your readers dream of, it can become a reality in Wisconsin. Here are a few suggested angles for spring/summer editorial content. After all, those warm breezes and long-awaited vacation days will be here before we know it
Culinary Travel and Wineries
According to a recent study by the Travel Industry Association, 27 million Americans sought out a culinary or wine-related activity while traveling; 13 million cited food or wine-related activities as a key reason for taking trips; and 60 percent said they are interested in taking a culinary trip in the next year.
In Wisconsin, a state known for its food, culinary tourism and tourist events have always been popular. For decades, communities across the state celebrated the tastes of summer with huge and vibrant food festivals, such as Muscoda's Morel Mushroom Festival (May 16-18), Little Chute's Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival (June 6-8), Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival (June 28-29) and Sun Prairie's Corn Festival (August 22-23).
In recent years, the state's wineries have garnered attention on both a local and national basis. Two of the best known are in the Greater Madison area; the historic Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, and the relatively new Botham Vineyards in Barneveld. In the Greater Milwaukee area, Delafield's award-winning Mason Creek Winery has become a favorite tasting stop, as has the Cedar Creek Winery in Cedarburg. Door County has also seen an explosion in wineries in the past decade, including the Door Peninsula Winery in Sturgeon Bay, Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery near Jacksonport and the Stone's Throw Winery near Egg Harbor. Tours and/or tastings are offered at all of these unique, independent wineries, and at many others throughout Wisconsin.
Green Tourism for Families
Green and sustainable tourism is one of the hottest trends in the travel industry, and its appeal is reaching beyond adults, tapping into the next generation of green travelers. Families are finding that not only does the Badger State boast an extensive network of state and national parks, trails and wildlife refuges perfect for family hiking, biking, camping and wildlife watching, it also offers numerous naturalist and educational programs designed specifically for kids. In fact, most of the Wisconsin State Parks, such as Interstate State Park in St. Croix Falls and Peninsula State Park near Fish Creek, offer special children's events led by park naturalists.
Museums and nature centers are another key destination for families looking for child-friendly eco-activities. At the Cable Natural History Museum, for instance, children can become a junior naturalist discovering all of nature's miracles from bugs and birds to snakes and stars. At Madison's Aldo Leopold Nature Center, children can tap and taste their own maple syrup at Maple Syrup Fest (March 30), while at Eau Claire's Beaver Creek Reserve, kids can view the night sky at Hobbs Observatory or interact with butterflies at the new butterfly house. In Door County, the Ridges Sanctuary near Bailey's Harbor offers naturalist-led tours, youth and family programs, and a weekly lecture series throughout the summer season.
Online educational resources for kids are available though the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Web site http://www.dnr.wi.gov. The DNR offers an e-zine for kids called "EEK," which stands for Environmental Education for Kids. A listing of Wisconsin's green-certified travel businesses can be found on www.travelgreenwisconsin.com.
Everything Water: Wisconsin's Boating, Fishing and Maritime Attractions
Maritime history and traditions run deep in Wisconsin, from the birch bark canoes of the French voyageurs to the sophisticated Navy ships of the 21st century. This season, that history will be on display at museums and historical sites throughout the state. Starting May 24th, the Door County Maritime Museum's "The Freshwater Fury" exhibit will shed light on the 1913 storm that has been called the most destructive storm system the Great Lakes ever experienced. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum will also be a hotspot, with daily tours of the U.S.S. Cobia, a World War II submarine.
Maritime history isn't the only attraction in Wisconsin this year, however. Visitors here can also catch a glimpse of our naval future. In Fall 2008, the US Navy will officially commission the USS Freedom Littoral Combat Ship at Veteran's Park in Milwaukee. The USS Freedom will be the Navy's fastest and most cutting-edge battleship, featuring shallow-draft jet propulsion and technologically advanced weapons, sensors and systems. As the first launch of a Navy ship in the Great Lakes since World War II, the USS Freedom commissioning is expected to be a blockbuster event, drawing as many as 8,000 people to the public ceremony. The ship will arrive in Milwaukee a week before its commissioning, with public tours given in the afternoons immediately prior to and following the ceremony.
Of course, ship and museum tours are only part of the story for water sports enthusiasts in Wisconsin. With its 15,000 lakes and 33,000 miles of rivers and streams (including a 250 mile stretch of the Mighty Mississippi) Wisconsin visitors are never more than 15 minutes from fishable water - which is probably why it ranks second nationally in days spent fishing by out-of-state residents From "big water" trolling for salmon and trout on lakes Michigan and Superior, to casting for musky and bass on piney Northwoods lakes, jigging for delicious walleye or fly-fishing a pristine trout stream, Wisconsin offers anglers just about every kind of freshwater fishing imaginable. Non-boat owners can also get on the water, as the state's marinas and harbors offer a wide variety of charter fishing and sailing cruises, as well as dinner and evening cruises on tour boats. Scuba enthusiasts are also getting in on the fun - Wisconsin offers divers two dozen divable shipwreck sites, most of them in extremely well-preserved and in shallow water.
Native American Cultural Events and Attractions
Wisconsin is home to 11 federally recognized Native American tribes and bands, the most of any state east of the Mississippi. Visitors to these sovereign nations can not only visit deluxe, Vegas-style casinos, but also fascinating museums and cultural centers, such as the Wa Swa Goning village on the Lac du Flambeau reservation in Vilas County; the Potawatomi Cultural Center in Forest County; or the Menominee Heritage (auto) Tour in Menominee County.
During the summer and fall seasons, many tribes also put on colorful pow-wows, which can be traditional or competition events and may run multiple days. Among the largest are the Ho-Chunk Nation Pow-wows in May and August; the St. Croix Casino Pow-wow, in June; the Lac Court Oreilles' Honor the Earth Pow-wow in August; and the intertribal Indian Summer Festival, held in early September along Milwaukee's lakefront.
For free Wisconsin travel information and travel planning guides, including the 2008 Spring/Summer Event Guide and Wisconsin Activity Guide, visit TravelWisconsin.com or call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's toll-free number 1-800-432-TRIP/8747. Travelers can also obtain guides and information at the Wisconsin Welcome Centers, located in select state-border cities.
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