Discovering the Fox Cities: Outdoor Fun, Festivals, and Local Flavor

Howard Fox [00:00:38 - 00:01:38]

3, 2, 1. Hello, everyone. This is Howard Fox, and welcome back for another episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series. Today's episode was facilitated by Travel Wisconsin, who, along with Destination Madison, our host of the 2026 Outdoor Writers Association of America's annual conference. During today's episode, we hope to share with you why Wisconsin and communities like the Fox Cities are the perfect destination for family vacations, couples getaways, outdoor adventures, meetings, conferences, and conventions. Kathy Trebatowski is our guest today. Kathy is the marketing communications director for Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau, the sales and marketing team that attracts leisure, meetings, and conventions and sports tournament visitors to the Fox Cities. I think we've aligned this perfectly, Kathy.

Howard Fox [00:01:38 - 00:01:40]

Welcome to the podcast.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:01:40 - 00:01:43]

Thank you. I'm so excited to be a part of this today.

Howard Fox [00:01:43 - 00:01:57]

Fantastic. Now, growing up in Michigan, I used to— when I, when I would— people want to know where I lived, I'd always hold my hand up and say, I'm down here cuz I grew up in the Detroit suburbs. Do y'all do anything like that in Wisconsin?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:01:58 - 00:02:18]

We do the exact same thing. Yes. We use our, we use our hand and, and, uh, we point right at that little crook between the, between the, the thumb and the first finger there. Uh, yeah, same, same exact thing. The other usually reference we make is we're about 30 minutes south of Green Bay because everybody seems to know and love the Green Bay Packers.

Howard Fox [00:02:19 - 00:02:29]

Of course. I, uh, well, I grew up in Detroit, so it's against the law. It's on the back of my birth certificate. You must root for a Detroit team.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:02:29 - 00:02:30]

That's right.

Howard Fox [00:02:30 - 00:02:53]

No matter what. And living in Chicago, that was— trust me, that was hard as well. But I'm so glad you're here with us today because, one, I'm excited, uh, because I, I love interviewing, uh, destinations and CVBs, and I love the fact that you're also going to be participating at the annual conference in Madison later next month. So that is fantastic. Will you be there?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:02:54 - 00:03:10]

I will be there. I'm very excited. I have never done a Speed Connection table before, which is where we get to meet all the fine folks who do all the writing and content. And I'm so happy to be a part of it and have a new experience and meet some great people.

Howard Fox [00:03:11 - 00:03:36]

Excellent. It's a little like speed dating, and that's a great reminder today. I need to go out to our website And register for the, for the Speed event. And because it's fun to talk to other destinations and providers about— because we all, all the journalists, we come from different spaces. And so it's an exciting time and we are an exciting group to be with. So you're going to have a good time down there.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:03:36 - 00:03:44]

I'm getting the feel for that already. It's going to be great. It's going to— it's coming up quickly now. We're almost August. So yeah, it's right around the corner.

Howard Fox [00:03:45 - 00:03:53]

And it's really hard to believe, but it's like, okay, do I have all the clothes I need? Because I have no idea what's going to happen. There could be a snowstorm in August for all I know.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:03:53 - 00:04:00]

But, uh, usually pretty safe in August. You hit October, it might be a little, a little more iffy, but, but August, you're usually pretty safe.

Howard Fox [00:04:01 - 00:04:26]

Okay. So tell us about the Fox Cities Convention and Visitor Bureau and, and what, what you're all doing and how are, who are you attracting up in this area? And, and what's the, I mean, we talked about it in the intro, but It's, it's a big deal to have a convention and visitor bureau. And you are up in Wisconsin in the northern parts and you want to attract people there. So tell us a little bit about this organization.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:04:27 - 00:05:07]

That's right. So we are separate from a chamber of commerce. We are a freestanding organization. We are the Convention and Visitors Bureau. So as you mentioned, we attract the leisure traveler, the sports tournament traveler, and the meetings and convention groups. And we do have a beautiful downtown area, our largest city, which is Appleton, about 77,000 in the city of Appleton. All told, with the 19 communities that we do represent, well, maybe just shy of 240,000 for population altogether. But yes, we, we try to attract those various types of visitors.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:05:08 - 00:05:55]

We have something for everyone, which is, which is fantastic. I don't think every destination can say that. And probably one of our most exciting endeavors over the last few, few years now especially is we have just an absolutely stunning sports complex. It was completed in 2019. It's a 164,000-square-foot facility. It has a field house that can hold 1,000. It has an NHL-sized hockey rink, and then it has a seasonal arena that can do either the volleyball, basketball type sports, or it can also be a skating rink. So we are a big, big destination for sports tournament travelers.

Howard Fox [00:05:56 - 00:06:04]

Okay. So the sports tournaments. So these are, you know, the high schools, the junior colleges, the universities are just—

Kathy Trebatowski [00:06:04 - 00:06:04]

Exactly.

Howard Fox [00:06:05 - 00:06:05]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:06:06 - 00:06:29]

Your club, your club sports, and those fill the facility every single weekend. They also have camps all throughout the summer and then the local club and high school teams do often have their practices at this facility as well. So we are super proud. It's called the Community First Champion Center, and it's really been a very strong economic driver for our region.

Howard Fox [00:06:30 - 00:07:03]

Excellent. And I, I have become aware as I have been producing the Outdoor Adventure Series and working with the DMOs and Convention and Visitor Bureau that tourism and these types of experiences are, are extremely essential for the economy because as other facets of our economy go up and down, tourism and bringing people in to experience or take part in an event is a huge economic driver.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:07:04 - 00:07:30]

Absolutely. And, and to have a unique offering where people can't find in every location. It's really been, been fantastic for us. But I— as good as sports does for our area, you know, I have to say the leisure traveler. We do run a front-facing visitor center and they'll— we'll have visitors stop in from really across the country and they're just—

Howard Fox [00:07:30 - 00:07:30]

Yeah.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:07:30 - 00:07:57]

They're blown away by what we have to offer here. They're, they're Often stopping by because they're maybe traveling to another destination, maybe somewhat larger destination, maybe a better known destination. And the comments that I get that, wow, we didn't know you had all of this here. This, this is, this is really cool. We wanna stay a couple extra days. And we, we love to hear that. That absolutely makes our day. And we really do.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:07:57 - 00:08:00]

We really are a destination that checks all the boxes.

Howard Fox [00:08:01 - 00:08:24]

Excellent. Now, I would imagine that you're attracting visitors perhaps for the sporting events from a certain, I don't know, geographic area. Kind of here's Appleton and the Fox Cities communities and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 circles, 6-hour circle, you're bringing people in.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:08:25 - 00:08:25]

Yes.

Howard Fox [00:08:25 - 00:08:49]

But the visitors, the casual visitors, is that within that same circle or? I know you mentioned in the show notes and I caught it as we were preparing, there's, there's a, there's a small regional airport in Appleton. Green Bay is up the road a piece and then farther down south is Milwaukee. But right, are you truly bringing people in from all over?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:08:50 - 00:09:27]

We truly are bringing people in from all over. I, I think our largest numbers would definitely be that 5 to 6 hour drive market, the visitors from Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, the Upper Peninsula, Minneapolis, Dubuque, Iowa. But you would be surprised the number of people we get from down south, specifically Texas and Florida, that come in the summer to escape their heat. So we're here and we're sweating and it's because it's 80 degrees and they're here in jeans and long shirts and maybe a light jacket because it feels cool to them.

Howard Fox [00:09:28 - 00:09:28]

To the cold front.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:09:28 - 00:09:54]

105 or 110 degrees that they're feeling in the area that they're coming from. So they love it here. They, they, I, it surprises me every year and it shouldn't. I've been here 5 years now. And every year we'll have groups of people coming through specifically from Texas. Like, it's too hot by us. We come up north in the summer so we can get some cooler temperature and actually be able to get outside and do some activities.

Howard Fox [00:09:55 - 00:10:17]

That, you know, it, I have some friends that come, they live in, in Phoenix and that's exactly what they do. They come up actually to the southern part of Wisconsin and I should know it because I interviewed that DMO, uh, as well. But I, I, you're making me think now as I prepare my clothing for the trip, I probably do need to bring my fleece with me just in case.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:10:17 - 00:10:40]

You know, the good rule of thumb for Wisconsin is layering. So have something, you know, have your t-shirt on, but have a button-down or have a flannel or have some type of lightweight jacket just in case. Because this morning when I was coming into work, it was 68 degrees. Now we'll probably hit, you know, probably low to mid-80s today.

Howard Fox [00:10:41 - 00:10:41]

Oh gosh.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:10:42 - 00:10:45]

But the mornings and the evenings can be cool. So you do have to prepare for that.

Howard Fox [00:10:46 - 00:11:58]

I love that. When I was chatting with the— again, it's early in the morning, I haven't had enough coffee, but I was chatting with Wigwam Socks the other day and the alpacas and the wool socks and the hats. And I'm thinking, I love wool. And so it's just like the weather you just described in the morning, you know, when it gets 60 degrees, it's like, I mean, you know, just give me my wool sweater and I got my cup of coffee sitting outside. So because we are members where I'm part of this, this event with the, the conference of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, I know you've— you're going to be participating in the, the, the, the, the, the speed networking, but what other activities are being planned for our members and maybe perhaps expand You have a lot of outdoor nature and opportunities around. You've got this beautiful lake right in town and the river. But what are some of the— what are you planning for our members? And then also, again, extend beyond that to the offerings of why people are coming into the area.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:11:58 - 00:12:30]

Sure, absolutely. So we're hosting a, what they call a pre-fam tour. So we have 4 individuals that are coming to our area prior to the conference. And we're actually doing this in collaboration with Discover Oshkosh, which is the DMO just to our south. So those 4 members who have signed up, they are going to spend a day and night in Oshkosh and a day and night in the Fox Cities right before the conference. And I know in Oshkosh they will be doing, I believe, some fishing.

Howard Fox [00:12:30 - 00:12:31]

Mm-hmm.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:12:31 - 00:12:52]

And they are also going to go on a tiki boat ride in the evening. Which is, I'm really jealous. I wanna be part of that. And then gonna have some, have a great meal, I believe, at one of the supper clubs in that area. And then when they come see us, they're gonna have kind of have their choice. We're gonna either present to them, they can do some kayaking.

Howard Fox [00:12:52 - 00:12:53]

Mm-hmm.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:12:53 - 00:13:30]

On the Fox River, or if they'd like, we can set 'em up with a catamaran sail and for a beautiful sunset tour in the evening. They will also enjoy a great meal and then a really nice breakfast the next morning. So yeah, we'll, I think we'll also try to get them out to High Cliffs State Park. That is the borders, the largest inland lake in Wisconsin. That's Lake Winnebago. And there are beautiful hiking trails, all limestone bluffs. It's part of the, like the Niagara Escarpment that runs all the way to New York.

Howard Fox [00:13:30 - 00:13:30]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:13:30 - 00:13:50]

And a great observation tower. You can get catch a sunrise or a sunset. If you have— they— not that they will, but if you have dogs, it's a great place to take your dogs walking. You see dogs everywhere there. It's really fantastic. And if you happen to own a horse, you can actually bring your horses in and trail ride. They have horseback riding trails.

Howard Fox [00:13:51 - 00:13:51]

Nice.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:13:51 - 00:13:58]

Also popular with bikers, with runners. There's some really good hills, as you can imagine, so you can really get a workout.

Howard Fox [00:13:59 - 00:14:00]

Fishing.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:14:00 - 00:14:25]

Fishing is also an option there. They have a little beach, but it's a really special place. There's also camping. If you ever are into, to coming to the area, you want to do some camping, it's a great spot for camping. So that, for our region, that High Cliff State Park just was really a gem. It's really a standout. But to be honest, we have 3 fantastic nature centers.

Howard Fox [00:14:25 - 00:14:25]

Yeah.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:14:25 - 00:15:17]

They all offer something a little bit different. They also all host events as well, all year round. One of the fun ones I know that Boo Bolt Nature Preserve is doing is mosquitoes and mojitos. So that's a little, a little fun thing they do as well as ales on the trails. So there, there are definitely some, some fun events that some of our nature centers work around. But I was thinking of this the other day, and I actually lost count. In the Fox Cities area, which is, which is 19 communities, we have close to 60 parks. So if you want to get outside and enjoy, enjoy nature and enjoy a nice walk, play some frisbee golf, disc golf, there are ample opportunities here between the nature centers, the parks.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:15:18 - 00:15:40]

We have a lot of riverfront trails, so you can see some, um, just up close, personal viewing of wildlife. We have pelicans and eagles and, uh, during the migration season, we have, uh, wild ducks and geese and all, all those creatures as well. So lots of opportunity to get up close and personal with wildlife.

Howard Fox [00:15:41 - 00:15:45]

Sounds good. Just curious, what is your preferred outdoor activity?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:15:45 - 00:16:02]

I like biking. Yeah. Like biking and walking are probably my 2 preferred. My husband is really into biking. He does mountain biking. He does road biking. He does all the biking. And we love to go to the Waiwash Trail, which runs 20 miles.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:16:02 - 00:16:38]

And he can go as fast as he wants and it's a straight shot and I can go as slow as I want. And eventually we'll, we'll, he'll circle back or we'll catch up and meet up together. And, you know, that, that's a, it's a nice relaxing way to get out and, and use the trails and experience nature, whatever speed you like to go. Just really quiet, really tranquil. Lots of farm fields, little, little wooded areas you go through, a couple of marshes you cross over. And, uh, there is a brewery at the end of the trail if you get far enough. So, okay. Yeah.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:16:39 - 00:16:43]

But I, I do enjoy biking and that's something that we enjoy to do, enjoy doing together.

Howard Fox [00:16:44 - 00:17:03]

Excellent. As you have been describing the region and the offerings and also part of the programming that's going to be available to our members, it's dawning on me that this area of Wisconsin is truly a 4-season destination. You have a little bit of everything.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:17:03 - 00:17:38]

It absolutely is. So, you know, we— you have your bikers and walkers and runners. And, you know, you're fishermen, you're doing all those activities that you love to do in summer. But then, you know, winter comes along and we have snowmobiling, we have snowshoeing. Cross-country skiing is very popular here. A lot of our nature centers offer rentals for cross-country skiing and for snowshoeing. And ice fishing, ice fishing is huge as well. That's not my particular sport that I would like to partake in.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:17:39 - 00:17:46]

I like the warmer weather activities, but ice fishing is huge here for sure. Okay.

Howard Fox [00:17:46 - 00:18:11]

Yeah, I only learned how to fish literally a couple of years ago. We had a smaller conference in Tennessee and I went fly fishing for the first time, which was great, but I don't think I'm ready to sit outside in the middle of a lake in the middle of February, hoping that I'm going to catch a fish and thinking about staying warm and like, what was I doing? What was I thinking here?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:18:12 - 00:18:23]

Right. I think, I think people either love it or they really don't want to do it. There's really not an in-between there. But if you are into it, it's a, it's a big thing here.

Howard Fox [00:18:23 - 00:18:58]

Excellent. How is the, the conservation and stewardship Conversations these days because so much is going on around us in nature and affecting the national parks, even perhaps the state parks. But how is communities like in the Fox Cities communities, how are they stepping in to ensure that we are protecting and good stewards of this nature, the trails? The lakes, the rivers.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:18:59 - 00:19:48]

Sure, absolutely. So we are very fortunate to have an organization called Greenways Fox Cities, and they really are pushing that stewardship and that conservation. And part of the thing that they do that's really kind of neat is just getting the trail system front of mind. So they started something last year. called 31 Trails. So if you go out and you go to all 31 trails, they actually, you can win prizes, you can get earned prizes. So just even pushing that out there to keep our trail system front of mind and to make people aware of how many opportunities we do have to get outside and to appreciate that. I know that's fantastic.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:19:49 - 00:20:39]

I know our, our environmental center in Kokona, one of our communities, Thousand Islands Environmental Center, they do Eagle Days every January. That's a really special event. There are live eagle presentations where they'll have people come in and have the live birds and you can actually learn all about them. They have arts and crafts projects, but Because the water is open and flowing there, that's where the eagles come to nest and to do their hunting in, in that January, February timeframe when they can't get their food anywhere else. So that, that's a, that's a huge effort to really get people involved and aware of how special the area is and, and to preserve, you know, that piece of nature.

Howard Fox [00:20:40 - 00:21:11]

Excellent. Excellent. I would love if you would be so kind as to take us on a little tour of your website. And while we're there, you're driving, I'm going to navigate. But while we're touring the website, I'm also curious about what are some of the newer types of travel that you're seeing? What, because we've, again, you've got the sports, you've got the outdoor activities, the state parks, you got the Lake Winnebago, the river.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:21:11 - 00:21:11]

Mm-hmm.

Howard Fox [00:21:12 - 00:21:21]

But what are some of the newer trends that you're seeing? And also, I'm going to be very interested in where can I get a good cup of coffee? Because I'm a coffee fanatic.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:21:21 - 00:21:21]

Sure.

Howard Fox [00:21:21 - 00:21:39]

But if you're okay, I'm going to take us to the site. Hopefully the miracle of technology will be in our favor today. And let me just put it there. Okay. If everything worked well, Kathy, you should be seeing your Website.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:21:40 - 00:21:41]

I see it. I sure do.

Howard Fox [00:21:42 - 00:21:42]

Excellent.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:21:42 - 00:22:25]

But I think, I think people are really looking to have experiences and create memories. And one thing that's a huge driver has, has been for a few years now, but continues to even, even be more so, are festivals. And I have to say that Fox Cities does festivals like Like no one else. We love our festivals. And with 19 communities, it seems like almost every community has their own unique little festival. And I shouldn't even say little anymore because, for example, as of today, kicking off today, running through Sunday, is our Mile of Music Festival.

Howard Fox [00:22:25 - 00:22:25]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:22:26 - 00:22:41]

It's now in its 13th year. And, and this one, this one is really quite extraordinary. It actually was even featured in Rolling Stone magazine a couple of years ago. So this is all original music. So we have 200 artists coming in.

Howard Fox [00:22:42 - 00:22:42]

Wow.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:22:42 - 00:23:07]

They play over 700 sets of live music across almost 40 venues in downtown Appleton. And this is, this is the kicker. It's no cover charge. It's completely free admission festival. So people can come in for the day, for the weekend. They can see 200 bands if you choose to see 200 bands, and it's completely free of charge.

Howard Fox [00:23:08 - 00:23:25]

That's fantastic. I love that. And I actually— so spending a good part of my life in Chicago, I lived on Michigan Avenue, a stone's throw from Soldier Field. And every year, as long as I can remember, we had this event called Lollapalooza.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:23:26 - 00:23:26]

Yes.

Howard Fox [00:23:26 - 00:23:43]

Which, and it's the southern part of Grant Park or Millennium Park. And I thought, I don't want to be around thousands of people in this constrained little— I don't know what you, how many square miles it was.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:23:43 - 00:23:43]

Sure.

Howard Fox [00:23:44 - 00:23:47]

But what you just described spread out.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:23:48 - 00:23:48]

Yes.

Howard Fox [00:23:48 - 00:23:57]

I could deal with that because I could move around. and not feel like I have to be like that. And that's exciting. I mean, it's, for me, it's comfortable.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:23:58 - 00:24:30]

They call it One Great Mile of Music because it literally spans a mile. But what, what makes it unique is they will have stages set up in a parking lot. They'll have it on the city bus. They'll have a band on the city bus that you can ride the bus around and listen to the band. Street corners. It could be a coffee shop, it could be a hotel lobby, it could be a bar, it could be a restaurant. We have Lawrence University here. Lawrence University Memorial Chapel had the concert.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:24:30 - 00:25:07]

Our outdoor parks have the concert. So it's, it's not your always your typical venue that you're expecting to see, you know, to hear music in. So that makes it, that makes it unique as well. And the other part I love about this festival and what everyone else loves about it as well, what is done for the artist when they come here. There, there is an artist lounge where they have hot meals available to them all day long. There are services. They can get free haircuts. They can meet with a dentist.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:25:07 - 00:25:08]

A dentist will look at their teeth.

Howard Fox [00:25:09 - 00:25:09]

Oh, wow.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:25:09 - 00:25:16]

They can get fitted for, um, for kind of specialized hearing pieces to protect their hearing.

Howard Fox [00:25:16 - 00:25:17]

Mm-hmm.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:25:17 - 00:25:37]

They can meet with a lawyer to go over contracts. They can get massages. It is absolutely incredible the amount of free services that the community steps forward and is providing to these artists. And that's why they absolutely love to come here. This is— these bands, they travel all over the country.

Howard Fox [00:25:37 - 00:25:38]

Sure.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:25:39 - 00:25:53]

And so it's, it's gotten out. Fox Cities, Appleton, Mile of Music Festival. You come to this festival, you are taken care of. And it's one of their favorite festivals to come to out of all that they play at. So that is heartwarming for us to hear that.

Howard Fox [00:25:54 - 00:26:09]

Now, is your— yourself and the team that supports the CVB, both the staff and the volunteers, do they have their preferences? Like, I'm going here, I'm going there. Is that already on your notebook of where you're going to be?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:26:10 - 00:26:37]

So it's really nice. Myla Music has an app and you customize it so you can build your own schedule and it lists all the artists, all the venues, the days, the time, and even links to their Spotify accounts. So you can hear little snippets of their music, but it's everything from, you know, rock, country, rap, indie, folk, every genre is represented there.

Howard Fox [00:26:37 - 00:26:37]

I love it.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:26:38 - 00:27:15]

Some years I'm like, what kind of music is that? I've never even heard of that type of music before. So it's, you know, really expansive in what they're offering. But there are definitely— you can't beat a concert in Jones Park. It's just a gorgeous setting. It just— it's almost— the park's almost like in a bowl. It's hard to explain, but there's, it's down in a valley and, and, and there's cliffs on each side and it's right off of downtown, uh, downtown Appleton off of College Avenue. Jones Park is a really fun one. It's a really fun one to experience, but to jump on the city bus.

Howard Fox [00:27:15 - 00:27:16]

Yeah.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:27:16 - 00:27:25]

You have a couple of 2 or 3-piece bands on the city bus and take a little bus ride around. And to even say that you've done that is this kind of Kind of fun.

Howard Fox [00:27:25 - 00:27:35]

That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. I love it. So I was just starting to navigate. You got things to do, original experiences, food and drink. That's always good for me. You got to watch what I eat though.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:27:36 - 00:27:38]

Why don't you click? Why don't you click on food and drink?

Howard Fox [00:27:38 - 00:27:53]

Okay. So I don't want to put you on the spot, but if you had visitors coming in and, and maybe family, friends, Yeah. Where are you going to take them for breakfast?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:27:53 - 00:28:04]

Oh, for breakfast. So probably my 2 favorite spots. Uh, one is Weathervane. That's in the community of Menasha. I think they serve 80,000 people a year.

Howard Fox [00:28:05 - 00:28:05]

Oh, wow.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:28:05 - 00:28:28]

Yeah. They're like a little mom and pop shop and just fantastic breakfast. The other one would probably be Sap and they're, um, just really a really modern kind of elevated take on breakfast. That one you can actually make, make reservations at, which is fantastic because we are often— you, you get there Sunday morning and you're gonna wait for a while.

Howard Fox [00:28:28 - 00:28:28]

Sure.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:28:28 - 00:28:36]

Because they're that popular. But yeah, love those 2 for breakfast. We have a lot of really great coffee shops. Okay.

Howard Fox [00:28:36 - 00:28:37]

You're speaking my language.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:28:38 - 00:28:51]

All right. Acoca is fantastic. Copper Rock Coffee, Lawless, The Globe. I mean, Chalates. I mean, I could go on and on and on and on. There are just so many fantastic—

Howard Fox [00:28:52 - 00:28:53]

There's Chilates right there.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:28:53 - 00:28:53]

Yeah, Chilates.

Howard Fox [00:28:54 - 00:28:55]

Very good. Very good.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:28:55 - 00:29:15]

Well, yeah, we actually got a James Beard finalist restaurant just, just this year. So our food scene is, is really, it's really quite elevated. You know, if you want, like I said, a mom-and-pop style diner, you can get that. Or if you want something a little more fancy, We have that as well.

Howard Fox [00:29:16 - 00:29:32]

I love it. And one thing I've— that I have noticed is recording the podcast episodes wherever the DMO, CVB is, or even the chamber is, there's a lot of great mom-and-pop locally owned restaurants. I mean, chains are great.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:29:32 - 00:29:32]

That's right.

Howard Fox [00:29:32 - 00:29:53]

They're there for a reason. But the uniqueness and the regionality of these mom-and-pop restaurants are pretty Pretty spectacular. And it's not lost on me that looks like that's a piece of fish. Yep. Yeah. And it's like the Wisconsin fish fry. Remember that? Do y'all have the fish fry too, where you got—

Kathy Trebatowski [00:29:54 - 00:30:10]

We sure, we sure do that. Uh, yeah, Friday fish fry. It's a staple. You don't do anything else on Fridays but go for fish fry. That's just, that's just what you do. It's, it's just the culture. So a lot of great options for that. I love Scuba's Poorhouse.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:30:10 - 00:30:32]

For a good fish fry, Mark's Eastside is also a good, good option. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Scuba's is neat. They, you always get your, you know, usually your rye, your fish, you get your rye bread, you get some coleslaw. Yeah. And Scuba's is neat because they do theirs with sweet, sweet peppers and more of a vinegar base.

Howard Fox [00:30:33 - 00:30:33]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:30:33 - 00:30:41]

Versus a coleslaw base for their, or Versus a mayonnaise base for the coleslaw. So that one's, uh, that one's kind of fun. Little, little something different.

Howard Fox [00:30:42 - 00:30:47]

Excellent. And I do know it's not lost on me. You can— great place to watch the Packers play.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:30:47 - 00:30:58]

Watch the Packers. That's right. So kind of a fun fact is the visiting NFL team for, for game days, they stay in Appleton.

Howard Fox [00:30:58 - 00:30:58]

Oh, really?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:30:59 - 00:31:26]

They do not stay in Green Bay. So, and, and we do, we do fill up, we do fill up for game days. Our hotels fill up. And we do offer a lot of shuttles to bars or restaurants or hotels. There are a lot of shuttles that go, go up to the game, which is kind of a kind of fun experience. You can, you can stay a little bit further out and not be necessarily in all the chaos and, but have a quick little easy shuttle ride in and out. And yeah.

Howard Fox [00:31:27 - 00:31:31]

Very nice. Very nice. So where, where else should we go on the site?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:31:32 - 00:31:37]

Let's see here. You want to go back to the homepage? Oh, let's go to the events page.

Howard Fox [00:31:37 - 00:31:38]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:31:38 - 00:31:51]

Events page is our most, our most visited. Oh, and the one thing we really didn't touch on at all is the arts and culture scene that we have here.

Howard Fox [00:31:51 - 00:31:51]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:31:52 - 00:32:01]

So we've, we talked about the outdoors. We have 100 miles of trails. We have 60-plus parks. We have 3, you know, major nature centers.

Howard Fox [00:32:01 - 00:32:01]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:32:01 - 00:32:16]

The High Cliffs State Park we talked about, but our arts and culture scene, and that, that's really going back to how our destination checks all the boxes. We have a performing arts center. It is one of the first in the state to get new Broadway releases.

Howard Fox [00:32:17 - 00:32:17]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:32:17 - 00:32:22]

Because we have one of the largest number of ticket holders in the entire state.

Howard Fox [00:32:23 - 00:32:23]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:32:23 - 00:32:43]

So we get the Broadway releases generally, we get them first. So We have the beautiful Performing Arts Center. We have a symphony orchestra. We have Lawrence University, which I mentioned, and they are a big music school. So they have a full offering of, of concerts that they put on all year round.

Howard Fox [00:32:44 - 00:32:44]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:32:44 - 00:33:08]

We also have world-class museums. We have the beautifully redone, reopened in a new space, Trout Museum of Art, to put contemporary arts facility. We have History Museum at the Castle, uh, which has a permanent, uh, Harry Houdini, uh, exhibit because Harry Houdini claims this as his, uh, childhood home, Appletip.

Howard Fox [00:33:08 - 00:33:08]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:33:09 - 00:33:19]

We have the Hearthstone Historic House Museum, and they are, have, uh, the first house to be powered by hydroelectricity using the Thomas Edison system.

Howard Fox [00:33:20 - 00:33:20]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:33:20 - 00:33:50]

Berkshire Muller Museum of Glass, which is a, uh, has the largest paperwork glass paperweight collection in the world. The Grignion Mansion, which was called the Mansion in the Woods. Uh, that was all back in the day when, um, the French explorers came here and set up fur trading, a trading post on the Fox River back in the 17th century. And the Grignion Mansion, the Mansion in the Woods, was built to attract a Grignion bride to come and live in the woods of Wisconsin. So.

Howard Fox [00:33:50 - 00:33:50]

Wow.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:33:51 - 00:34:09]

Lots of really great history and museums. And the Trout Museum for the entire year is free admission. And Berkshire Mahler Museum of Glass is also free admission. So you can enjoy the arts and enjoy it for free.

Howard Fox [00:34:09 - 00:34:38]

You know what I love about what you're sharing is there's, there's no loss for something to do and to get out and be around, be around as many people as you want, be cultured. Just get immersed in the, in the art, the music, the, you know, the anything else that kind of strikes your fancy. And then you take advantage of the outdoor spaces when you want to. And I did notice as I was going through some of the pages, you have a lot of farmers markets, which—

Kathy Trebatowski [00:34:38 - 00:34:39]

We do.

Howard Fox [00:34:39 - 00:34:44]

Besides coffee, farmers markets are my absolute favorite.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:34:44 - 00:35:14]

Oh, I love that. We, yes, we actually have 4. Farmers markets in the area. So Neenah and Appleton have theirs on Saturdays and Greenville and Kokona have theirs on Wednesday evenings. So lots of chances to get out and visit the farmers market. The Appleton one is one of the larger ones in the state. That, that's a really fun one. Besides all the normal vendors that you would have, the produce and the flowers and the arts arts and crafts.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:35:14 - 00:35:37]

They also do have live music, they have food trucks. And boy, I think you could, you could eat your way through that, that farmers market for sure. There's no shortage of offerings. The other thing you might be surprised to learn is we were actually for many, many years, first and foremost known as the shopping destination.

Howard Fox [00:35:38 - 00:35:38]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:35:38 - 00:35:56]

And really, That hasn't changed too much. We still have people who come in from 2 or 3 hours away to do their shopping here because they don't have a shopping mall. And ours is, I believe, the second largest, second largest in the state.

Howard Fox [00:35:56 - 00:35:57]

Okay.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:35:57 - 00:36:23]

So we have people from Upper Michigan, from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, driving down to buy their prom dresses, to go to Costco, you know, to hit the mall and see the retailers in person versus ordering online. So, okay, surprising fact with, with all the online options now, people do still like to touch things and see things and experience in person. And we're that for a lot of people. I love it.

Howard Fox [00:36:23 - 00:36:57]

I just moved from renting some rooms at a house up in North Las Vegas. I now live in Boulder City. And I'm looking for a— it's a small one-bedroom, half my own, half my living room is, is my coaching and podcasting setup. And I need a small loveseat with an ottoman. I don't want to— I don't need electric and massage things. Just give me a nice loveseat and an ottoman. But I don't want to buy it online. I want to sit in it.

Howard Fox [00:36:57 - 00:36:57]

I want to know—

Kathy Trebatowski [00:36:57 - 00:36:58]

You want to sit in it.

Howard Fox [00:36:58 - 00:37:10]

If I can spend some time in this and read a book or watch, watch a movie, drink a beverage, and entertain friends. And, but I want to sit in it. I want to sit in it. Very good. Well, there's our hand and our thumb.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:37:11 - 00:37:12]

Right? Yeah. That's what we talked about.

Howard Fox [00:37:13 - 00:37:17]

Yeah. Now, before we head back, anything else you'd like to draw our attention to?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:37:18 - 00:37:39]

I would like to say that if you are interested in learning more about our location or you'd like to visit, feel free to request our destination guide and it's free. We'll mail you a copy. We'll get it right out in the mail. You have it within a week. And yeah, definitely, definitely request our destination guide. We'd love to send you a copy.

Howard Fox [00:37:39 - 00:38:12]

Excellent. Well, we'll do that. We'll have all the backlinks, especially the venues and the events that you had shared. I'm going to stop. Oh, I I know there was the question I was going to ask about, and we can go back to just you and I chatting, so I'm going to stop sharing right now. Just the idea of the new trends that you're seeing of travelers. I mean, I like— there's a small little town about 2 and a half hours north. It used to be an hour and a half north.

Howard Fox [00:38:12 - 00:38:44]

Now it's 2 and a half hours because I moved. An hour away, but there's a ghost town in your— you have a road to Death Valley. And to me, I just like to get away and explore. It's within a couple hours drive, but, and I'm not gonna— I know I'm gonna have fun for a day, maybe 2 days. What are the trends you are seeing for folks that are just coming into the community? They just want to get away and they want to come because they know there's so much to offer. So what are those trends that you're seeing?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:38:45 - 00:39:41]

Yes, definitely an uptick in health and wellness and a quiet experience going back to nature, going back to trails. And they, they really want to create memories. And I know, for example, we have an organization or not an organization. We have a place here called Givens Farm, which is a beautiful Tuscan-styled estate. And they do really fun things. like they'll do an outdoor sauna experience that you can, that you can go and do, or they'll have a class where you can go into the woods and you can forage and you can grab, you know, gather mushrooms and, and other edible plants. And they'll take you back and they'll, they'll show you how to cook with them or how to, how to make herbs or spices. And they'll do things like cooking classes where you'll go in and you'll do handmade pasta, and then you'll get to eat each your creation.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:39:41 - 00:40:38]

So really, those experiences where you're immersed, you're hands-on, you're maybe learning a new skill, you're maybe getting out in nature. And like I said, you're foraging and taking things back that you can, you can use and learning a new skill. So I think that quiet adventure, that experience, the wellness trend for sure. People, people are really, you know, love the outdoor yoga in the park. They, they love ales on the trails, like I'd mentioned earlier, where you can get out and you can enjoy a beverage with friends, but you're still outside and you're experiencing nature on a short little hike. So that, that for me, I'm really seeing kind of that wellness, wellness travel, health-conscious travel. And speaking of health-conscious, Just having the food and restaurant option of being able to have a healthy meal. Yes, we all love our Friday fish fry.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:40:39 - 00:40:58]

Not good for us to eat 7 days out of the week, but people like to come in and they like to have their protein shakes. They like to have food that's healthy and natural and organic. And we do have those offerings here as well. And I've seen actually quite a few of those pop up in the last couple of years, and they've been wildly popular.

Howard Fox [00:40:59 - 00:40:59]

Nice.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:40:59 - 00:40:59]

Nice.

Howard Fox [00:41:01 - 00:41:11]

As you think back to your time with the CVB, what's been your, what I would call your aha moment? Like, wow, I get to do this.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:41:12 - 00:41:48]

Sure. I think actually I can, can reference back actually just to, to last week. We, we have a great working relationship with our airport, our regional airport. It's Appleton International Airport, ATW. And last week we were able to host Jessica Cox from Arizona. She is the first, uh, licensed pilot in the world to fly without her arms. So she flies her airplane or flies an airplane with her feet.

Howard Fox [00:41:49 - 00:41:49]

Oh.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:41:49 - 00:42:10]

So she is quite an incredible lady. is a motivational speaker, has a foundation, and she was in town last week for the EAA AirVenture, which is the largest airplane show in the world in Oshkosh, just to the south of us. They attract over 700,000 people.

Howard Fox [00:42:10 - 00:42:13]

That's why Oshkosh is so familiar to me.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:42:13 - 00:42:13]

Sure. Yes.

Howard Fox [00:42:13 - 00:42:14]

The big air show, right?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:42:14 - 00:42:24]

That's where the air show is. And so Jessica was in town last week. We were able to host her at the airport. We put on a breakfast for her.

Howard Fox [00:42:24 - 00:42:24]

Mm-hmm.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:42:25 - 00:42:30]

And it was a meet and greet for Limitless Wisconsin.

Howard Fox [00:42:30 - 00:42:30]

Yeah.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:42:30 - 00:43:11]

Which is a group, a disability group that came in from all over the state just to meet Jessica and to hear her story. And, you know, we had adults, we had children. I think we ended up having over 50 people. who attended and got to meet Jessica and share their stories with her, and she shared her story with them and able to host that breakfast. And that for me was just, it was, it was just an incredible experience to meet somebody so inspirational, but then also to be a very small part of being able to get this group together, especially the, the children with the disabilities and what they experience.

Howard Fox [00:43:11 - 00:43:11]

Sure.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:43:12 - 00:43:18]

And, and just to see their faces light up when they saw her and And know that they can do, do all the things that they want to do too.

Howard Fox [00:43:19 - 00:43:45]

Excellent. Excellent. Before we go, one last feature I love to include in our episodes is this Insight to Go. And this is, could be a book, a quote, just an experience or an idea that you want to share with our listeners about why the Fox Cities, why, why this area. And what the, what the impact is going to be.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:43:46 - 00:44:32]

Sure. You know, I have to say, I love living here. I love telling about, I love telling people about the Fox Cities. And for me, if we can get you here, you're going to have a great time. And if, if you have a few moments to spare and can stop into our visitor center, our staff is always super excited to interact with the visitors. And tell them all the hotspots and where they need to grab dinner on the, on the riverfront or what museum they need to check out or, or to hear about the cheese festival that's happening this weekend. So for me, if we can get you here, I guarantee you will love it. But please stop in and see us or please reach out, call us, email us, get, get in contact with us somehow.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:44:33 - 00:44:36]

And we can, we can share all the insider tips and tricks with you.

Howard Fox [00:44:37 - 00:45:21]

I love it. One quick question. I'm curious, you mentioned the staff at the visitor center. This business, this work that you all do, I mean, you have paid staff, but I imagine you have volunteers that are there for you. And even out in the community, I mean, I remember in Chicago, somebody standing on a corner looking at a map, and I would just instinctively, maybe that's the wanting to help people part of me and the work I do, but You have the local brand ambassadors who are there. So you've got the volunteers, the brand ambassadors. I imagine they play a huge part in really sharing what Apple— what this area of Appleton and the Fox Cities communities have to offer.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:45:22 - 00:45:56]

They absolutely do. We love our volunteers. We have a really, really great group. They help us at registration tables at our conventions. So the, you know, the business travelers coming in there, they're going to the registration table to get their badge and to check in. And you have this friendly, welcoming face that is going to answer all your questions and point you in the right direction and hand you your badge and get you signed in and get you all set up for your day or week or weekend, whatever you're in for there. So they're invaluable. They also help us during EAE.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:45:56 - 00:46:13]

That is really one of our busiest weeks of year— of the year because we do fill up our hotels. And just such an influx. We're the closest airport for, for the travelers coming in for the AirVenture show. So we do staff a visitor table in the baggage claim at the airport.

Howard Fox [00:46:13 - 00:46:13]

Mm-hmm.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:46:13 - 00:46:49]

We staff it Saturday through Thursday, and we have some late night shifts. So we're there sometimes until 11, 11:30 at night and back at it at 8 AM in the morning. And I know personally when I was there the other weekend, I met a group of pilots from Korea. That had had come in. They were so excited to be there. Their first time, they were first time traveling. And I know we'll have large groups from France, from Brazil, from we have Australia, New Zealand. People from all over the world travel in for the Sea Vads, and we get to interact with them.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:46:50 - 00:47:05]

Our volunteers get to interact with them, and it's really their highlight of of their volunteer efforts is is to work that table and and. meet all of these national and international travels and travelers and welcome, welcome them to the Fox Cities.

Howard Fox [00:47:06 - 00:47:18]

I love it. I love it. Kathy, in addition to the website foxcities.org, which we will have up on our show notes, what other social sites should we include in our show notes?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:47:19 - 00:47:29]

Sure, absolutely. So we have Facebook, we have Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. LinkedIn. So you can pretty much find us anywhere. It's Fox Cities WI.

Howard Fox [00:47:30 - 00:47:52]

Okay. Very good. Well, we will have all those links, uh, plus some of the businesses that you, and the sites, the state park sites and the trails that you shared. And even perhaps even where you get that brew at the end of the trail. That's right. In our show notes. Kathy, it's been a pleasure to have you on the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast. I look forward to meeting you in Madison.

Howard Fox [00:47:53 - 00:48:03]

later in August. And I wish I could have taken the pre-tour, the fam tour. There's too many things and moving parts going on.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:48:03 - 00:48:03]

That's right.

Howard Fox [00:48:03 - 00:48:25]

But I know our members that are going to be joining you and the folks in the Fox Cities and in Oshkosh are going to have a fantastic time. And I'll look forward to hearing all about it when I break bread with them. But again, I'm looking forward to seeing you and And I'm gonna sit at your table. We can have some more conversation. But again, thank you for taking the time today. It was great.

Kathy Trebatowski [00:48:26 - 00:48:32]

Oh, thank you so much for having me. Can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks and it's gonna come up fast. So looking forward to it.

Howard Fox [00:48:33 - 00:48:38]

Yes, it is. Thank you. Listen, stay in the line. We're gonna do a very quick close and you and I can have a final chat. Okay?

Kathy Trebatowski [00:48:38 - 00:48:39]

Sounds good.

Howard Fox [00:48:39 - 00:49:27]

All right. All right, folks, we have just been chatting with Kathy Trebatosky. She is the marketing Communications Director for Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau. Very excited that they're going to be at the OWAA's conference in Madison later in August. And whatever families are going on the tour up in the Fox Cities and Oshkosh area, you guys are going to have a good time. But, and to my other peers who are going to be at the conference, you know, make sure you're taking part in our speed networking and have a great conversation. Uh, with Kathy. Now we're going to provide backlinks, uh, to the, uh, CVB's website, and we're also going to provide links to the social sites and some of the businesses that were mentioned, uh, during our conversation today.

Howard Fox [00:49:28 - 00:50:11]

As for us, you can find this episode up on our website, outdooradventureseries.com. We are also on LinkedIn and Facebook on our Outdoor Adventure Series pages. You can also find us on YouTube. And of course, you can listen to this podcast wherever you get your podcasts from. And we love likes, comments, and sharing. And if you know a destination that needs to be given a good shout out on the Outdoor Adventure Series, please send us a message and we're happy to reach out to them. Thank you again to Travel Wisconsin and Destination Madison, who are collectively hosting the OWAA at our annual conference in Madison. Later in August.

Howard Fox [00:50:12 - 00:50:34]

Without their support and helping to facilitate these conversations, I think I'd be podcasting, but I wouldn't be having as much fun because I get to talk to folks like Kathy. Until next time, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there and 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 now.