Wisconsin

New in Superior is A Worlds of Accordions Museum. Located in the old United Presbyterian Church, it contains over 1000 accordions, concertinas and other similar instruments in what it claims is the only accordion museum in the country. The displays are organized to explain the evolution of the accordion and include thousands of music manuscripts. The 700-person concert hall is available for concert performances. An unusual festival in Superior is the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival. All ages participate in this race, which occurs the last weekend each August. One hundred teams from the U.S. and Canada paddle their multicolored boats 400 meters to the finish line in the largest festival in the country that celebrates the ancient Oriental sport of Dragon Boat racing. The event is free and pledges raised by the teams are used by the local Rotary Clubs for charity.

The new Pollard Gallery is located in the historic Rhode Center for the Arts in the heart of Kenoshas Lakeshore District. The gallery displays 160 memorable portraits of international portrait artist and Kenosha native George Pollard. Pollard met and portrayed many famous faces from around the world including entertainers, sports stars and residents. Also at the gallery are the colorful works of childrens artist Nan Pollard, as well as the works of featured guest artists.

The Raptor Education Group in Antigo now offers programs to tell the story of life in the wild. The center promotes awareness of native bird species and develops rehabilitation techniques to assure a successful transition into the wild for rescued birds. Their flight training facility is used to teach eagles, turkey vultures, hawks and owls to build muscles and social skills needed in the wild. Rib Mountain State Park here now has a six-person ski lift that offers rides to the top of Rib Mountain for a spectacular view of the scenic Wisconsin River Valley from one of the highest points in the state. The Woodson Art Museum in Wausau is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Birds in Art from Sep. 10–Nov. 13. Now recognized as the festival standard for avian art, the works of more than 750 artists have been displayed in this juried show of contemporary two and three-dimensional pieces.

There are five new major tourism projects underway in Milwaukee. The new Pier Wisconsin houses Discovery World the James Lovell Museum of Science Technology and Economics, as well as a fresh and saltwater education center with aquariums, laboratories and interactive exhibits to teach about the Great Lakes and oceans. Located directly on the lakefront, the complex leads to the docks of Wisconsins flagship, S/V Denis Sullivan. This summer the new Milwaukee Public Market will open in the Historic Third Ward District, the citys art, antique, boutique and restaurant area. The new market will offer locally grown organic food, produce, meat, cheese and specialty foods. The Bayshore Mall is being expanded and converted into a pedestrian-friendly Town Center. Due to be completed fall 2006, the project adds one million square feet of space. The former historic Pabst Brewery is being redeveloped into entertainment venues, restaurants, retail, office space and residential lofts, scheduled for 2007. Finally, the Harle-Davidson Motor Company is planning a state-of-the-art museum complex downtown, to showcase the culture, history and products of the company. The museum promised to celebrate the company’s rich motorcycle legacy along with highlighting the passion and enthusiasm of riders. This is due in 2008.

Tomah has developed three theme tours for groups, each of which can be done in a day, or modified to add or subtract time. One is their Famous Cranberry Tour, which visits the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center, as well as a cranberry company, Cranberry Country Mall and more. The Amish tour offers an Amish cheese house, a furniture store, handmade crafts shop and an Amish shop. The Tomah History & Education Tour visits Fort McCoy, the Little Falls Railroad & Doll Museum, the Historical Society Museum and a shop that hand-makes soap.

The town of Sheboygan is located at the midway point of the Milwaukee Green Bay route. A modest, yet firstclass city, Sheboygan offers several out of the ordinary itineraries for group travelers. You can find them described in the Sheboygan Convention and Visitor Bureaus Travel Diary. Choose from itineraries with enticing titles like Historys Mysteries, The Birds and The Bees, or Little Treasures. www.sheboygan.org

Source: www.leisuregrouptravel.com

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