Discover Oshkosh: Outdoor Adventures and World-Class Hospitality

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hello everyone, this is Howard Fox and welcome back for another episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series Podcast. Today's episode was facilitated by Travel Wisconsin, who, along with Destination Madison, hosted the 2026 Outdoor Writers Association of America's annual conference in Madison. During today's episode, we hope to share with you why Wisconsin and communities like Oshkosh are the perfect destination for A 321 are the perfect destination for family vacations, couples getaways, outdoor adventures, meetings, conferences, and conventions. Anna Murphy Pochask is our guest today. Annie is the marketing coordinator for Discover Hotchkosh, and she and her team promote Hotchkosh to families, groups, regional, leisure travelers, and for one week each year, I'm gonna let her share what that is. It is a major, major global destination. And I'll let her uh spill the beans on what that means because I know I knew it already, but it's uh I I definitely want Anna to share it. So, Anna, first off, it's great to see you again. We were in Madison together like a seems like a long time ago, like a week and a half ago.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Yes, yes. Thank you so much for having me on. It's great to see you again. And yeah, Oshkosh is such a special place. So thank you for having us on and um just able to share more about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

My pleasure, my pleasure. Well, first I have to ask, um as a and as part of an association, the Outdoor Writers Association of America, I mean, I've been a member since the end of 2020, and when I moved from Chicago to Las Vegas, and and just the idea of hanging out with all these journalists, very accomplished ones, writers, bloggers, podcasters, videographers, photographers. What was what was your experience like hanging around hanging around all these crazy people?

SPEAKER_00 2:13

Well, it was so special. I think everybody, like you said, they're such good storytellers. And um, I got to meet very, very special people here in Oshbash on the pre-convention. And yeah, just such great stories about their outdoor adventures, and everybody was super friendly and kind. So I had a great time getting to know everybody.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Very nice. I wish I had the time each day and through multiple days to be able to participate in all of the pre-tours and post-tours. But uh for our members on the pre-tour, what were they what were they uh experiencing in the Oshkosh area?

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Yeah, so we had about four uh members and we took them out on a fishing charter on Lake Winnebago, so Wisconsin's largest inland lake. And it was just such a great time. All of them caught a ton of fish. They went out for a couple of hours, and um, it just got to be like a perfect day outside. They got some time to do that, and then um, excuse me, have a Wisconsin fish fry. So it's a classic staple right there, being able to um eat some fried fish right next to the lake. And then um, they ended the night on a tiki cruise. So just multiple ways to explore um all of the lake and rivers here in Oshkosh.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Very nice. I I seem to recall when I got back from my excursion. Uh, there was a uh an individual I had not met him before, but he was carrying like a white bucket, and he said he had fish in it. So this was you guys then.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Yes, yep, yeah. They they caught a ton of fish. I mean, I think they were out for about two to three hours. I can't tell you the amount of fish that they caught, but I know that they're all very successful.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Oh, very nice, very nice. And there are so many accomplished anglers, fishermen, fisher women out there in in our organization is to be able to go out and experience that while they're at conference as well. Is that had to have been a very uh special uh opportunity. So thank you again for hosting them and uh I definitely be sharing this episode on our on our Facebook page, the Outdoor Writers Association's Facebook page. And so I'm sure all of them are gonna be uh reminiscing of that great time that they had. So perfect, perfect. So let's talk a little bit about you and uh Oshosh. So are you a Wisconsin resident, uh born and raised through and through in Oshkosh? And how'd you end up in this role as a uh marketing coordinator?

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Yeah, I was um born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, which is about 30 minutes outside of Oshkosh. But I did grow up coming to Oshkosh a lot for the waterfront destinations and rivers and boating and things like that. I ended up moving to Oshkosh for school um for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. And I studied public relations and then um got to intern with the Ashkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau where I am full-time now. So I've been here for about five years now, um, just in Oshkosh, but um just over a year full-time with Discover Oshkosh.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Very nice. I'm curious, what was your degree at the University of Wisconsin Madison? Uh Oshkosh?

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Oshkosh, yeah. I majored in public relations and advertising.

SPEAKER_01 5:44

Okay. All right. Yep. And did you ever think you were gonna get involved in the space?

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Honestly, I didn't really know that it was possible, but um I guess just kind of getting familiar with the city, I was um very intrigued in the work that Discovery Oshkosh was doing with highlighting all the fun things to do. But yeah, hospitality and tourism is definitely a fun, fun space to work in, and I've enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

You literally just hit something right on the nail on the proverbial head is you have the best jobs in the destination space. You you're out there promoting your destination, you're crafting these experiences for folks, and whether it come in for a day or a week, and that's can imagine doing that for the rest of my life. It's like that would have been my career if I kind of turned back the hands of time. So I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Super rewarding.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Yes. So what are the I actually actually have to ask one more question, and I definitely will age myself. I seem to recall there was clothing that had the word Oshkosh. Is that from you? Was that you guys growing up?

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Yes, yeah. So Oshkosh Bagash, the brand, um, originated here in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. And there's a lot of odes and history to that here. However, it is now bought out by the children's clothing brand Carters, if you're familiar with that brand. So not necessarily known to us right now, but um it it started, started with us. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Okay. So I definitely remember the the overalls, the blue bib overalls.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Yes, yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

Thank you for uh getting that helping to get that one out of the vault because it's been sitting there for a while. So tell us a little bit about Oshkosh. I mean, you're on Lake Winnebago, you've got rivers crossing through it. What is it? What as a community, what is Oshkosh like for folks that are coming in visiting, maybe have never been been to your uh destination before?

SPEAKER_00 7:46

Yeah, definitely. So you kind of touched touched upon it there, but um, from an environmental perspective, we are split between two large lakes. So Lake Winnebago, um Lake Poygan, and also Lake Beautiamore. So we have lots of waterfront properties here, lots of public waterfront. So people enjoy that by shore fishing, kayaking, boating, all of those things. So we're definitely known to be like a small town with a lot of things going on. So it kind of gives that big city feel. So pe people here are definitely super friendly. I personally, that's what drew me here. Everybody's very welcoming. Come on in, come join us. Very, very um welcoming here. So lots to do. Our downtown is continuing to thrive with um new shops and restaurants. So it's it's a great space to live in.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Okay. I have to share with you when when I interview destinations for the most part, I'm always thinking, could this be my next place to live? Because I always will say, I'm always looking for my next place to live. And after all the interviews taking place in Wisconsin before the conference, and even what I'll be doing right, you know, with yourself and others. And and having lived in Chicago, just down the road a bit, I could actually see myself living in Wisconsin. There's so many cool communities. There's the culture, the outdoor spaces, there's restaurants, there's actually some really good coffee. And I there was a great coffee shop right up the street from the hotel. So I was very thankful for that. But I imagine you've probably had some really good uh little coffee shops too, as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Yes, definitely. We um we're right by the university as well. So having a ton of college kids here, I think um that definitely sparks a lot of the young professionals that want to stay and work and play here. And then college kids need coffee too. So we have a ton of coffee shops located in our downtown and right by um our university as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Okay. So what are some of the new newer experiences, especially like in the outdoor space, that visitors who are coming to your community can take a part, take part in, whether it's just coming up for a day, maybe a long weekend?

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Yeah. So a couple things come to mind, definitely seasonally based, and we know this, but um, during the summer months, people love to go kayaking. So we have kayak rentals right in our Miller's Bay on Lake Winnebago that people can um just pop in and rent kayaks, which is really nice for beginners or people who have been kayaking for a long time. Lots of river trails. So people for hiking, biking, strolling, walking, all the things. We have a nice Oshkosh River walk that is about a 13-mile loop um right along the Fox River. So people people often tend to enjoy that path and just take a long stroll of that with waterfront restaurants as well. So maybe stopping for lunch and continuing on their walk that way. And then yeah, like I mentioned before, those fishing charters, there's a ton of options here on Oshkosh. People um can book their tours with a lot of our um experienced anglers here and um get a great experience on the Lake and River and fishing that way. So uh yeah, the hiking, fishing, kayaking, um, tons of fun that way.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

Okay. Now I'm curious, is 13 mile walk now what do you allow e-bikes on that walk?

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Mm-hmm. So good to know. Pave path, yeah. We were just talking about e-bikes before. Yeah, it's uh a paved path. So we're definitely activating it too with a lot of public art right now. And we just installed Wisconsin's largest mural along the Oshkosh Riverwalk, too. So people can enjoy that by the Oshkosh Riverwalk. You can't drive to it, you have to experience it on that riverwalk.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

So very nice. Yeah. I've been doing some projects out in the west uh on murals, and and I've seen them before, but it never really dawned on me until last year because I had a speaking engagement in Indiana, uh Danville, and they had murals all around the community. In Barstow, California, off Route 66. There's murals about Barstow, and I and it never dawned on me and how powerful those types of projects are to attract people into the community. And in this case, this this bureau is on the trail. You actually have to give a little exercise. Hopefully, we'll see it when we kind of tour your website in just a minute.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Okay. Definitely.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

You said something before the some of the sports which lends itself to seasons. Would you call, would you say that Ashkosh is a four-season destination?

SPEAKER_00 12:50

Absolutely. Yes. So I was gonna say too, there's lots of experience in the summertime, but um, in the wintertime we have Sturgeon Spearing, which is a very um unique, unique thing to us. If you haven't seen Sturgeon, it's those very large prehistoric-looking fish. Yes. And um, people will drive their trucks out onto the onto the ice of the lake and um carve a hole out, put shanties out there, and go sturgeon spearing. So definitely a unique experience that way. Wintertime, summertime, there's definitely fishing and um outdoor recreation that way. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

So now I have to ask, the the fishing that I've been used to, uh when as I only learned little like two years ago when I went to Tennessee for a conference. When you are out there on the lake spear fishing, I mean, you're not giving this fish back. So I'm assuming you're eating this the sturgeon afterwards.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yeah, people will get really creative with their recipes for that. There's a guy that I interviewed last year, and he actually makes sturgeon bites. So there's lots of different ways to eat and prepare and enjoy these fish. So yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

Okay. Okay. Well, we're in in Madison, we on that Friday evening before the conference started, we were I was looking for for, and a friend of mine was looking for it as well, is the the fish fry, obviously. But walleye, it had to be walleye, it couldn't be anything else. Fortunately, just up the street was a bar restaurant. So we we got our fish fry, walleye and oh good. Yes. Do you guys have farmers markets as well?

SPEAKER_00 14:31

We do, yes. Our farmers markets are um year-round as well. So obviously in the wintertime when it's below zero, um, we're indoors at our Oshkosh Arena. But our outdoor farmers markets um are very well attended um with over 160 vendors, so lots to choose from. But that happens right in our downtown um of Oshkosh. And the outdoor ones run through October. So about the time to, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Nothing, nothing quite like a Midwest farmers market. I just I it brings back great memories from Chicago. But uh you guys had a great one, even like in Madison, again, right up the street from the hotel that Saturday, I got got a chance to visit the farmers market again. So that that made me feel very good.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

It is, it's homey feeling.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Yes. I mean, especially in the fall when you start to get the uh the ciders and the apples coming in.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

Ah, okay. I could talk food and coffee all day.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

I hear you, me too.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

So if you could like a paint a picture for who your target visitors are throughout the year, who are they? What's which who are you trying to attract into the Ashcrash area?

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Yeah, we definitely have um a demographic of family-friendly visitors. So, you know, young adults with younger kids, as well as um kind of like that adventurous spirit demographic. So, what I mean by that is we have um we host one of the largest aviation celebrations here, which is EA Airventure. So lots of aviation enthusiasts will come um visit us year-round. So that adventurous spirit um with aviation, outdoor recreation, um, and everyone alike. So I would say kind of those two worlds are our families that are looking for a lot of affordable uh Midwest kind of vacation experience, and then also that adventurous um type as well.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Okay. You know, I was just thinking as you were sharing that, and for our listeners, that was the big reveal is the Oshkosh Air Show. It just dawned on me though, we should have had a merch giveaway. So whoever comments to this episode on either on the website or Facebook or LinkedIn with the word Oshkosh Air Show gets a gets a free piece of merch. I think I don't know if that's too late, but I just thought that's what we should have done. Yes. I would love if we could maybe take a little tour of the the website and just kick the tires a little bit. And yeah, uh I'll hopefully the miracle modern technology it'll work. And just you you you kind of tell me where you would like me to navigate to, okay?

SPEAKER_00 17:18

Absolutely, yes.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

All right, so let's do technology is always a interesting uh facet here as I'm looking for the share button. And of course I can't find it. Yeah, one second here. There it is. All right, so we're gonna share. We're gonna go to there. Okay. Hopefully, Anna, this worked.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

I can see it.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

Yep. All right, nice logo, by the way. I like that we we'll use that in part of our banners.

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Thank you. If you click on our logo, actually, that'll take you to like our main page um of the of the um website there. So we have like a outdoor video that we shot right on Lake Winnebago. So this gives a great um example of how people enjoy the summertime in Oshkosh. So that boating experience, that's that tiki cruise that um our writers got to go on.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

Oh, very cool.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

So yeah, just kind of like a little glimpse there of um the water, the water in Oshkosh. So lots of fun that way. But um, this is kind of like our home page. But if you go under things to do, it's kind of like a drop-down of different things, and I will um take your uh attention to sports and outdoor activities, um, just because it's probably pretty sitting for us here. But there are um multiple things to do there. So we have hiking, hiking and biking, kayaking, canoeing, um, fishing, boating, all the outdoor activities there. So um we can pop into those, or um, another one would be like nature and parks that we could look at too.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

So we'll look at nature and parks too. Well, let's do hiking for just a second. See what we get. This the you know, the importance of just being outdoors in nature. There is there was a it's a growing area, a body of work on the connection between our mental health and just putting our feet on a trail, on the sand, in the water. And that's an area that I'm focusing on. And what I'm not uh podcasting, I'm also a coach, leadership development, career development. And that connection there between outdoors and nature, the our health in nature is so important. It's I mean, you can't help but be health, stay healthy and centered just by taking advantage of all the nature that's around in your area.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Absolutely, yes. So here's a little bit of a high some highlights of our trails here. We have uh lots of hiking and biking trails. People love our weow wash states or our weow wash state trail. Sorry, easy for me to say.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

I like that, yeah. Thank you for doing that.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

Yes, weow wash state trail. So people normally explore that on bike or with just on foot. But um, yeah, good length there, 20 plus miles.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Yeah, 21.8 miles on an e-bike, pedal assisted. I could do that. You could do that.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

You could, yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

I would definitely be doing that. And then just I I mean, just here, like in Nevada, you I mean, you go outdoors, you are literally outdoors, blue sky, hopefully. And depending on the time of the year, it's actually very nice or very hot. But I like the fact I there's something about these country trails, these old railroad trails that are really cool.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

Yes, yeah, definitely surrounded by that greenery, depending on the season, but um tons of trees, historic trees around you.

SPEAKER_01 21:05

Oh, very nice.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

And then this is the Ashkosh River Walk that I was chatting about before, and um kind of located near our downtown Oshkosh. So people tend to um use that, use that as their their pit stops.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Okay, very nice. And you've got uh an island trail, Carroll's Island Trail. Very nice. Yes, cross. Okay, very nice.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

A couple of trails that way that people can explore.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Okay. And let's go back to because I do want to look at where where was the national parks, the parks. Oh, nation nature and parks.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Okay. And which one? Let's pick one.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

I would click on Monomine Park.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Monomine.

SPEAKER_00 21:51

Yep. This one is a favorite in Ashkosh, and um, it is also a Zoom. So we have a free admissions zoo in Oshkosh that people can explore. But Menominee Park is a very special one. Pat, our tour guider right here, is using the kayak rentals. So people can easily hop on a kayak and paddle around.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Okay. The last time I was on a kayak, I proceeded to tip over. So I will do it again. I will do it again, but it's just like I have to get past that that that memory.

SPEAKER_00 22:31

Yes, I understand that.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

Okay. Oh, got the uh those are what are those? Those m elk, mute? Look like mute. Um elk, yeah. They are elk, okay. Yeah. Who do I know? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:45

So yeah, lots of beautiful views over Lake Winnebago at Menominee Park, um, and lots of outdoor recreation there. So Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

Now, is there a guide that uh Discover Oshkosh provides that for that the visitor can go online and get or maybe have it mailed to them?

SPEAKER_00 23:07

Yes. And you can access that. It's our um destination guide. So you can go under plan your visit.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Plan your visit, okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

And then you can go to visitor guides at the very top. Okay. Yep. And then um you can actually just request um your visitor guide through us. And we also have an online version right there that you can flip through. So Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:33

How often do you update the the visitor guide?

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Yearly.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

It's yearly. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 23:40

Very nice.

SPEAKER_00 23:41

So yeah, you can request that and we'll mail one to you with a little sticker and postcard as well. So yeah, feel free to um flip online if you want, or else you can request them from us and we'll mail it to you.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

So you've got exhibits, events. Are there any store stories in here, or is it it's looks like right now it's just kind of highlights of events that are coming up?

SPEAKER_00 24:06

Yep. Mostly um, we have like different guides um for people. So like summer adventures or senior experiences. Yeah, like take this is kind of like the outdoor. You can take a hike, um, pump up your tires, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

By the way, I love the fact you're using these QR codes in the guys because then you have access to other kinds of information. So you literally in your next year's episode, just a hint, you could put a QR code to our interview. See?

SPEAKER_00 24:38

Yes. Yes, that would be awesome. That's a good idea. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

More QR codes. By the way, I I know this is on the website, but I really love this mail.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Oh, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, that's our downtown.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

Let's go to it. There it is. Yeah, I love the fact that you put your cursor over each one of the icons, and then you you either get your guide or you get information about the park and the pool, and we kind of you can kind of read more, and then it takes you to that little bit of an about. Okay. Is this excellent? Yeah, I think they the maps I'm finding are very popular. I mean, even like the the murals, if I don't know how much is it just the one oh, we didn't see the mural. We gotta look at the mural. Is that is there just one mural or or there are there other murals throughout the uh Oshkosh?

SPEAKER_00 25:35

We have a whole blog on ways to experience um all of the murals. So if you click on our blog, which is up there, we have a nice um light. If you scroll down, yep. And then you can probably go under art, yep. It should be on there. Let's see. Yep, so you can click on the explore Ashkosh's mural, and that um this Wisconsin's largest mural is the one that I was chatting about before.

SPEAKER_01 26:13

So Is that are we are we looking at pieces of it right now?

SPEAKER_00 26:18

Yep. So the first photo that you hover over right there is the um extension of it. So it's the largest mural and it um is right on the Fox River there. But there's little murals within the large mural that are owes to Oshkosh. So you see there the Oshkosh Bagash overalls that you you mentioned before. Yeah, lots of little odes to it.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

So Okay, very nice.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

Louis Kine.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Yeah, very nice, very nice. Yes. So if you were going to have some friends come in to Oshkosh to pay a visit, maybe you haven't seen them in a couple years. Again, I don't want you to get into trouble. But let's say they come in and you're gonna start up, you're gonna start the day. You have to start with coffee, by the way, whether you drink coffee or not. But yes, where where are you gonna take them for a nice cup of coffee?

SPEAKER_00 27:15

I would probably take them to one of our downtown Oshkosh locations. So we have a nice um spot called Elsewhere. Okay, and that is also a market. So you can, it's right there on the left. Yep, that's a photo of it. You can stop in and get a nice cup of coffee and then Peruse, peruse the market. So yeah, many to choose from here.

SPEAKER_01 27:43

So that looks like a good bagel. I've got to be careful of eating bagels. So I'm very I don't just eat any bagel, you know. Yeah, but uh so you got a nice coffee shop place. Where are you gonna take him for breakfast?

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Oh, lots of lots of good spots. We um we're definitely known for um kind of like a diner experience as well. I personally love Mike's place. It's like a family-owned diner breakfast. But if you're looking for like more of an upscale um breakfast, I would I would definitely take them to Anchor and Port. It's a waterfront that art waterfront Marriott Hotel.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

Oh, nice. Yeah, I like there's something about sitting outside. I'm not drinking it now because it get too dehydrating, but I like to have my coffee in a nice glass coffee mug because I want to see good coffee, but when it's accompanied by a gorgeous view, can't beat that.

SPEAKER_00 28:40

You cannot beat that.

SPEAKER_01 28:42

Can't beat that.

SPEAKER_00 28:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

And where are you gonna tour them your friends around to when you after you've had this coffee to get started, you've had breakfast? Uh, where are you gonna tour them around to?

SPEAKER_00 28:54

Yeah, I would probably take um downtown Ashkosh, um, perusing all of the shopping and um little boutiques that we have going on. So yeah, just shopping downtown, um, walking the river walk. Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 29:11

And uh is there a special place you like to go for an afternoon snack?

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Ooh, let's see here. We uh we have really good popcorn. It's called um Caramel Crisp Cafe. They have really good treats there, popcorn, little snacks that you can grab to go. And they're also really known for their cookies. So they have really delicious big cookies right there, Caramel Crisp Cafe. Okay, yeah, it's it's a staple.

SPEAKER_01 29:43

Oh, look at that.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

So that's that popcorn I was talking about. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

When I got to the hotel two weeks ago, Friday, it was it was the flights getting from here in Nevada out to Madison was horrendous.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Oh no.

SPEAKER_01 29:59

And all I did, like the first thing I got in the hotel, I went to the little kiosk there and I got my cheddar cheese popcorn bags. Oh but uh I got up to watch eating popcorn and carbs, but this looks really this looks really good. I I would have to take the hit and do this, but uh just a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

It's a good treat. It's a good treat, yes.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

Okay, and where are you gonna go for dinner?

SPEAKER_00 30:26

Oh, we just got this um new restaurant in town. It's called Truffle Peg.

SPEAKER_01 30:32

Truffle peg.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

And it is an authentic Italian experience. So definitely known for it's um Italian. They have um a big Parmesan pasta wheel that they'll spin the the pasta in. So definitely uh a super well-known. So yeah, it wouldn't be downtown, it would be or yeah, perfect or whole take.

SPEAKER_01 30:59

I don't think done okay, no results. If you scroll up to the let me just get rid of that. Now I'll do a search.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

If you go, I think you're in the downtown tab still. So if you go on to the right, the top search bar, all the way up.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

Restaurant, perfect restaurant, dining on the water, outdoor dining?

SPEAKER_00 31:27

You can just actually search it in the top right if you want to at that little search bar.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

Okay. I can follow directions in, I really can.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

No, you're good. It's super delicious though. They do brunch and lunch and dinner, so really good. There we go. There it is. They're and it's cool because it's it's in our um historic Ashkosh Northwestern building, which was the newspaper. So it's uh historic and also um great, great dining.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

So very nice. I've always wanted to do the I mean again, I don't eat that much pasta anymore, but I always wanted to do the pasta that's kind of twirled in the big uh Parmesan wheels. I think that is they do that here at the kind of the couple of the upscale restaurants in Las Vegas, which I won't invest in. Uh but I would love, I would certainly love to have experienced that in kind of like one one of your restaurants.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Very good. I like that logo truffle pig.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

If you click on it too, there's yeah, if you click on that, you can flip through some photos of kind of the food and the experience that you would get there. Yeah, super tasty.

SPEAKER_01 32:43

I uh Italian, I'm oh look at that. Ooh. All right, very good. So you uh your friends are gonna be dining really well during this trip to visit you. Where are you going to go and unwind with them?

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Like for like a drink?

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Could be drinks, could be some entertainment.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Oh, that's a that's a good question. So it probably depends on the time of year, but okay. I would maybe do Beckett's for like a drink afterwards on the water, or if there's events going on, I would maybe take them to um one of our events going on at the Ashkosh Arena or um The Grand if they have a player musical going on. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 33:31

There is literally something for everyone all throughout the year. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

That's right. That's exactly right. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

We're big for our music here too, so that you can find live music any any given day here in Ashkosh at any at uh any venue.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

Well, you guys are firmly on my list of possibilities for next place to live, I have to say.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Oh yay!

SPEAKER_01 33:57

Yay, and come come hang out.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

We are we're always taking people.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

I love it. I wish I could afford a home up north in the summer because when I get it was like this year got to like 110, 115 degrees.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:12

We we finally dipped below 100. I think we're gonna pretty much be staying there for the rest of the year. Yep. But 95. Oh, this is this is kind of cool, you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:22

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

Oh my god. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

It was, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:28

Well, very good. And uh let's see, we've got meetings, groups, weddings, sports, and I know I saw the social sites as well, like Facebook, Instagram, yep, yep, Twitter, YouTube. Okay. And we'll provide the back links to these uh in our show notes as well. Awesome. Okay. Well, let me stop sharing. Hopefully, this will work again. Excellent. So I am curious now if if you had the opportunity. Well, actually, there is a question. I'm looking at my my show notes. What is it with these geese on porches? Did we see we didn't see that? Yeah, porch geese.

SPEAKER_00 35:09

So we have become kind of unintentionally um brand ambassadors for these geese because um our team is obsessed with them, and we take them to a lot of our events, we dress them up. We have this company here called Silver Star Brands, and one of their brands is Gaggleville, um, which are the porch geese. So um we just kind of connected with them in town, and um, we've become obsessed. We've become obsessed with them. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:42

So I I you and I had chatted at the show, and we'll talk a little bit more about it after we end the episode about getting some photos of Oshkosh and headshot for you that we can have it for our banners and show notes. But I definitely want one with the geese.

SPEAKER_00 36:01

Oh, we can make that happen.

SPEAKER_01 36:03

Even if there's a team photo with the geese, that's even better. And we'll provide, we've got the media links, we'll provide those in the show notes. Yeah, but I had to ask of there, I mean, all I know of geese is they they they make a lot of noise, they fly over and they they occasionally leave a uh a gift for you. But I get it now. Thank you for sharing. I we don't have to go any further into my description. Just curious too, your the team. I know you're a small but mighty team, but how many folks volunteers help to make Discover Oshkosh a really an enhanced experience for folks that are coming into the community and just want to take advantage of everything you guys have to offer? Who's how do you support each other in getting this accomplished?

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Yeah, so we have a team of five here. So small but mighty, we we make it happen. But other than that, we just have such strong partnerships and connections with a lot of local businesses here. So we often um will connect with like our um Ashcash United Way here or other local nonprofits to help with volunteering experiences or just making things happen. We're in it's crazy to think about this in September, but we're in um holiday parade mode. And so we're we're gathering um volunteers for that already. But it's it's easy when your community is so proud to be here and um there's just so much pride and happiness with with Ashkosh.

SPEAKER_01 37:33

So Okay. So if you had to leave our listeners with a compelling argument, a good argument, you know, positive conflict, uh, not even conflict, positive argument, we'll leave it at that, of why they should come and make Oshkosh a destination, whether any time of the year, whether it's a long weekend or a few days, why Oshkosh?

SPEAKER_00 37:59

Yeah, I think um just something here is that it is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. And we like to say it's everything but ordinary. So lots of uniqueness to it. It's got that small town um feel, but tons of big city activities to participate in. So if you're looking to unwind with that outdoor recreation, we have that space for you. But also if you're looking to get top-level entertainment and um maybe an air show in, um, you can do that as well. So lots of large-scale events in a in a small town.

SPEAKER_01 38:35

Very good. By the way, when is the air show? Uh when does it take place?

SPEAKER_00 38:40

It happens in July of every year. So this year it's gonna be July. I can get the exact dates here, but July of 2027.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

July of 2027. So your air show is before the like when I was in Chicago, we used to have our air show like in August time frame. So you're you're probably right before ours, then I would imagine.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

Yeah. Okay. We're usually end of July and it takes place for a week.

SPEAKER_01 39:07

Okay. Very nice. Yeah, it's one of those things, it's been so many years in Chicago, and it's like I never got out.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:15

But uh, and there's so much to do in in Wisconsin, whether it's Milwaukee, Madison, there's a the National Marine Sanctuary that's up on on the lake on Lake Michigan, and it's just so many cool places. So you guys definitely are in my next place to live with. So thank you for that, Anna. So just a reminder for our guests if they would like to learn more about uh Discover Oshkosh and the community and everything it has to offer, where are the best places to go?

SPEAKER_00 39:45

Yeah, so just like we were perusing before, discoveroshkosh.com is a great site to check out all of our information, things happening, events. And then you can also follow us um on our social media channels, we're Discover Oshkosh kind of um consistently throughout the social media channels. And then we're always open um to if you want to call too. We uh we have an open visitor center if you want to stop in or call.

SPEAKER_01 40:13

So very good. Well, Ann, I really appreciate you taking the time to uh join us today on the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast. It was uh pleasure to pleasure to meet you at the conference, but really to know you're gonna be here this morning and help taking us uh not only chat about Oshkosh, but also take us through kind of a tour of the website. So we really appreciate your time.

SPEAKER_00 40:37

Yeah, likewise. So great to meet you. And um, it was a pleasure being on the show today. Thank you for helping highlight Oshkosh.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

Fantastic. Listen, stay in the line. We're gonna do a quick close and then you and I can have a final chat, okay? Sounds great. All right, all right, folks. We've just been chatting with Anna Murphy Pochask. She is the marketing coordinator for Discover Oshkosh. Listen, if you as you listen to this episode, if you have a reason to visit Wisconsin, you need to get up there and visit Oshkosh. And really, these communities that we have been introduced to during the series with uh Destination Madison and visit Wisconsin. There's some great communities in here to visit. And Oshkosh is just another example. They've got it all. They've got water, they've got trails, they've got culture, food, coffee, and they've got those cute little geese that are on the uh porches. And really, there's just so much to uh take advantage of and experience uh when you come for a visit. So whether it's a day trip or a long weekend, um couples, families, this is definitely a location that should be on your list to visit. Now we do hope you enjoyed this episode. As a reminder, we're gonna have backlinks to the Discover Oshkosh website and their social sites on our show notes. And the video of this episode will be up on our Outdoor Adventure Series uh YouTube page. You can also find us on our website, outdooradventures.com, and we have pages on LinkedIn and Facebook as well. And once again, we do want to thank Travel Wisconsin and Destination Madison for helping to facilitate uh these interviews with these wonderful locations and their very uh stellar representatives and folks just like Anna here. Okay, folks, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there, have a fantastic day, and we look forward to having you join us on a future episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series Podcast. Take care.