| Tourism corner Feed your senses this spring in Wisconsin by Valeria Davis |
| The transition from winter to spring is usually a welcomed change in Wisconsin. Though snowy landscapes are at times some of the most beautiful, spring's new growth and a fresh start are just two of the rewards earned for our patience during the long, cold winter. While you may have indulged in some outdoor activities like skiing, ice skating, and winter festivals, the majority of the winter was likely spent in the warm indoors. This spring get up, get out and enjoy the start of our warmest season. Great moments await in Wisconsin. Sting rays, and sharks, and quilts, oh my This spring, museums around the state offer exciting exhibits and programs for everyone. The Building for Kids (formerly Fox Cities Children's Museum) will showcase an exhibit called "En Mi Familia," a bilingual, interactive exhibit that teaches about Latin culture. The exhibit offers "hands on" opportunities from learning how to make tamales to creating traditional Mexican paper art. This exhibit runs from February 1 through May 5. Parents can finally share their toys with their kids. The Wisconsin Historical Museum presents, Toy Stories, featuring toys and games dating from the 1940s to the present, including favorites such as Etch A Sketch, Lionel trains, Cooty and Twister, American Girl dolls and Trivial Pursuit. This exhibit runs through May 26, 2007. For another "hands on" experience, visit the Milwaukee County Zoo this May to get in touch with two of the most misunderstood ocean creatures. The "Sting Ray and Shark Lagoon" exhibit features two large interactive touch pools with barbless sting rays and two species of harmless sharks. This fun exhibit starts May 19, and goes through September 9. The Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh will host an exhibit featuring what the New York Times called, "some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced." Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, &Beyond, celebrates a group of African American women from Gee's Bend, Alabama, as artisans of bold and colorful quilt work. These artists from Gee's Bend are currently being highlighted in a set of United States postage stamps. The exhibit runs from January 20 to April 15. Check out www.travelwisconsin.com for more information on state museums and other cultural offerings. Since its opening in September 2006, Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin has been educating visitors on the ecological importance of our Great Lakes. With programming fit for adults and children alike, Discovery World offers something for everyone. Hands-on experiences are plentiful through interactive labs and studios, educating visitors on everything from human DNA makeup to concepts of thermodynamics, material and water chemistry, and even printing and publishing. Wisconsin is home to the world's only traditional Great Lakes schooner, the S/V Denis Sullivan. This impressive schooner offers two-and-a-half hour public sails with opportunities for riders to raise a sail and take a turn at the helm. For land-lovers, you can still experience the Denis Sullivan up close on a dockside deck tour. For more information, log on to www.travelwisconsin.com. Stop and smell the flowers Spring foliage begins to bloom and re-color the landscape of the state at orchards, arboretums and farms. To celebrate this transformation, revel in Door County's "Festival of Blossoms," May 19 in Sister Bay, featuring endless fields of apple and cherry blossoms, daffodils, tulips and wildflowers. The cherry blossoms are expected to bloom in early to mid May, with blossoms first popping up on trees in the southern portions of the peninsula, then moving to the orchards of northern Door County. Apple blossoms start appearing in mid-May, again in southern Door first, and moving northward during the latter parts of May. Engulf your sense of sight and smell at the Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners, where blooming begins in late April, while spring flower shows and sales abound at Madison's Olbrich Botanical Gardens from March through May. Don't forget to schedule a visit to Milwaukee for the opening of Villa Terrace's Italian Renaissance Garden on Sunday, June 3. Visit www.travelwisconsin.com to learn more about the natural beauty of the state. Food, glorious food! You don't have to endure competitions of extreme cooking, or be screamed at by an angry chef because the top of your crème brulee wasn't browned to satisfaction. No reality television here -- there are many enjoyable and relaxing opportunities in Wisconsin to learn to create culinary experiences. Many of Wisconsin's finest restaurants offer wine and cooking classes using organic produce from local farms and wine from Wisconsin wineries. Their pupils have a chance to learn how Wisconsin fits into world cuisine while experiencing the beauty of the state as a tourist. For a brief list of cooking schools and classes, please refer to the event list, or log on to www.travelwisconsin.com. To begin making great moments and memories in Wisconsin, log on to www.travelwisconsin.com for free planning guides or call the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's live operated toll-free number 1-800-432-TRIP (8747). Visitors also can obtain guides and information at Wisconsin Travel Centers, which are located in select state-border cities. Remember, Wisconsin is "All that ... and then some!!!" |
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