From freshwater surfing to ice fishing, East Central Wisconsin takes leisure pursuits to the next level. The region features Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago, among other watery delights, and its lakeside locales are also complemented by golf courses and cultural offerings ranging from art houses to theater.
Whatever diversions groups choose, Green Bay, Door County, Lake Winnebago, and Sheboygan brim with scenic options for business and pleasure.
Green Bay
The names Green Bay and Packers go hand in hand, but there is more to this waterfront city than its beloved NFL team. From historical and cultural outlets like the National Railroad Museum to outdoor activities such as boating and bicycling, Green Bay welcomes visitors of all interests.
“It’s a very safe community, the citizens are friendly, everyone is very welcoming to our guests, and we’re very affordable,” says Beth Peters, director of sales for the Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Green Bay’s main group facility, the KI Convention Center, has more than 46,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space. Connected to the convention center, the Regency Suites Hotel was recently sold and is undergoing a major renovation. The upgrade to its 241 rooms is slated for completion early next year.
Another option, the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center Green Bay, offers more than 400 rooms and 30,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space.
Groups can also take advantage of facilities at Lambeau Field, home turf of the Green Bay Packers. It features the 25,000-square-foot Packers Hall of Fame, which houses three Super Bowl trophies, as well as the five-story, 366,000-square-foot Lambeau Field Atrium.
“People like to have a unique Packers experience,” Peters says.
The bureau can help by organizing a stadium tour and private party in a press box, and assist with requests for visits from players, coaches or other Packers personnel.
Brown County Veterans Memorial Complex, situated across from Lambeau Field, also has an exhibit hall for trade shows.
Within walking distance of Lambeau Field will be a Cambria Suites hotel, slated to open this fall with 127 guest rooms and a boardroom.
Door County
Stretching 75 miles long and nearly 16 miles wide, the Door County Peninsula strings together quaint communities and natural attractions, making the region one of Wisconsin’s most popular and scenic destinations.
“The feel of the destination is not huge,” says Jon Jarosh, marketing director at the Door County Visitor Bureau. “The package is attractive to small and midsize groups.”
One of the most expansive properties is the Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center, with 6,500 square feet of meeting space, while the 294-suite Landmark Resort, set on 40 acres in Egg Harbor, houses 11 meeting rooms. Another property, the Wagon Trail Resort in Rowleys Bay, features more than 7,500 square feet of meeting space.
Considering Door County’s aquatic surroundings, waterborne group activities abound in spring and summer, including fish boils and boat excursions. The region’s Spirit of LaSalle ferry runs between Sturgeon Bay and Menominee, Mich. Charters are available for up to 149 guests, and groups can arrange guided tours. The boat company teams up with Sunset Concert Cruises and offers live music and dinner cruises, which have earned it a spot on Coastal Living magazine’s “Top 10 Sunset Cruises” list.
Other boats open to groups include the Island Clipper, which ferries guests to Washington Island in time for a 90-minute tour on the Viking Train.
Meanwhile, the Team Leadership Center runs guided kayaking trips and also offers a ropes course and climbing facility for team-building activities.
Though water options are limited by season, small groups can rent the Door County Trolley year-round for a wine tour, stopping at several wineries along the way.
Golfers will find 11 golf courses on the peninsula, and theater-goers can organize events at Peninsula Players, which recently completed a $7 million renovation.
Lake Winnebago
Highly esteemed for its walleye fishing and sturgeon population, Lake Winnebago is a recreation haven.
Oshkosh sits on the lake and is also intersected by the Fox River. In winter, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing are popular activities, while summer marks the season for the college town’s myriad outdoor festivals.
The EAA Aviation Center is one of the destination’s biggest facilities, and another large venue, Oshkosh Convention Center, is on the books to gain more meeting space.
“We have lots of irons in the fire,” says Diane Meyer, director of sales for the Oshkosh CVB.
Current plans call for renovating the convention center and adding group space by reconfiguring the former offices of the Oshkosh CVB.
Other upcoming projects include an 80-room Comfort Suites and a development on the riverfront that will have a hotel, restaurants and retail space.
“We’ve got a lot of unique venues with very flexible space,” Meyer says. “We’re very affordable, too.”
Noteworthy off-site venues include the Paine Art Center and Gardens, the Grand Opera House and the Oshkosh Public Museum.
For large groups, the Gruenhagen Conference Center at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and the Sunnyview Exposition Center at the Winnebago County Fairgrounds are available.
The city’s main hotels include the Oshkosh Park Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, connected by skywalk to the city’s convention center; the Hilton Garden Inn Oshkosh, adjacent to the EAA Aviation Center; and the Oshkosh Hawthorn Inn and Suites, connected to La Sure’s Banquet Hall.
Fox Cities encompasses 18 communities, numerous biking trails and Wisconsin’s second-largest shopping mall, Fox Cities Mall.
At the region’s core is Appleton, with a variety of cultural offerings, such as the Fox Valley Symphony, Appleton Art Center and Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. The life of Harry Houdini, Fox Cities’ native son, is chronicled at Appleton’s History Museum at the Castle.
“The city of Appleton is doing a nice job keeping its downtown alive,” says Pam Seidl, director of marketing for the Fox Cities CVB.
Fox Cities attracts associations and a number of military groups, according to Seidl. The region offers more than 2,900 guest units and more than 90 meeting rooms.
The Best Western Bridgewood Resort & Conference Center in Neenah has 20,000 square feet of meeting space and a golf course. The Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton offers more than 37,000 square feet of meeting space.
Two new Appleton additions are the Settle Inn Corporate Suites, with 81 rooms and 650 square feet of meeting space, and the Cambria Suites, with 100 rooms and 1,000 square feet of meeting space.
Fond du Lac takes advantage of its Lake Winnebago setting with opportunities for biking, windsurfing, waterskiing, and ice fishing. It is also home to the historic Octagon House as well as Lakeside Park, a 400-acre green space with lagoons, gardens, covered bridges, and a lighthouse.
“We have a little different pace of life,” says Michael Schmal, CEO of the Fond du Lac Area CVB. “We’re a few shy of 50,000 people but have all the amenities of big cities.”
The town’s main meetings properties are the Holiday Inn Fond du Lac, which has a 27-hole championship golf course, and the Ramada Plaza Hotel. West of Fond du Lac at Green Lake, another inviting group option is Heidel House Resort, which is set on 20 lush acres and offers 17,000 square feet of function space, a spa and 99 holes of golf nearby.
Large shows can be held at the Fairgrounds Expo Center at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds, and the Stayer Center for Technology & Executive Learning can host groups of up to 200 people.
Last year, the Lakeside Spirit started operations on Lake Winnebago, with space for groups of up to 49 people from May through September.
Sheboygan
Game geeks might remember Sheboygan as the victim of the 1979 board game The Creature that Ate Sheboygan, but today Sheboygan is more known for its fishing, golfing and waterside location along Lake Michigan.
“I like to think of us as having big-city amenities with a small home-town flavor,” says Kim Swisher, tourism manager for the City of Sheboygan Tourism Division. “You can have a five-star dinner or bratwurst and beer.”
The tourism division is producing a DVD for fall release targeting meeting planners.
Sheboygan County’s top three meetings properties are the Blue Harbor Resort and Conference Center, set on the shores of Lake Michigan and featuring more than 14,000 square feet of meeting space; The Osthoff Resort, located at Elkhart Lake and offering function space for up to 1,000 people; and Destination Kohler’s AAA Five Diamond American Club, featuring the world-class Whistling Straits golf course.
Unique off-site venues include the Stefanie Weill Center for Performing Arts, a 1920s Colonial Revival theater, and the outdoor sculpture gardens and indoor facilities of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Sheboygan is also the “Freshwater surf capital of the world,” according to Swisher. The city hosts the annual Dairyland Surf Classic.
For More Info
City of Sheboygan Tourism Division 800.689.0290
www.visitsheboygan.com
Door County Visitor Bureau 920.743.4456
www.doorcountymeetings.com
Fond du Lac Area CVB 920.923.3010
www.fdl.com
Fox Cities CVB 920.734.3358
www.foxcities.org
Oshkosh CVB 920.303.9200
www.oshkoshcvb.org
Packer Country Visitor and Convention Bureau 920.494.9507
www.packercountry.com
Wisconsin Association of CVBs 608.837.6693
www.thinkwisconsin.com
