Are you ready for some football?!?! It’s so exciting to hear the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers will be hosting the NFL draft in 2025! Wisconsin has long been a premier sports destination and hosting the NFL draft is another legendary experience I know we are all so proud to add to the list. This is a huge opportunity to drive economic impact while helping football fans from near and far make countless memories as they discover the unexpected in Wisconsin.
Congratulations to the team at Discover Green Bay, the Packers and all others involved for landing this BIG event! Green Bay is the smallest city to ever host the draft and this is a fabulous opportunity for Wisconsin to show off our world-class hospitality, fresh spin on food and drink, and countless activities for visitors.
2023 Wisconsin State Highway Map
Who doesn’t love gazing at a map and dreaming about your next great road trip? Once again, road trips are expected to be big this year, and the 2023 Wisconsin State Highway Map is ready to help travelers discover the unexpected throughout the state. Anyone who has ever worked at a travel booth or Welcome Center can tell you, the map is wildly popular. The first run alone is always a million copies, and it moves like hotcakes, usually requiring a second run.
Each year we help prepare a section of the map, but this year – for the first time – we’re proud to say that the map is fully integrated with the Travel Wisconsin brand and is working to drive visitation to our website, so travelers are right where they need to be to gain travel inspiration statewide. The map highlights a shortlist of Wonders of Wisconsin, a crowdsourced list of some of the most unforgettable and awe-inspiring places to visit throughout the state.
Also, the map marks the Wisconsin Welcome Centers for the very first time! The new maps are available now in Welcome Centers and can be ordered on TravelWisconsin.com/order-guides. For bulk orders, see the Department of Transportation’s online order form.
Joint Effort Marketing (JEM) Grants
We want to help you boost your marketing and public relations budget! The Wisconsin Department of Tourism invests $1.13 million each year to support Joint Effort Marketing. Check out a few of our grant recipients below to see how they’re driving more visitation to their communities with help from these designated funds and make sure to put the upcoming grant deadlines on your calendar.
Upcoming JEM Grant Deadlines:
New Events, Existing Events, Sales Promotions and One Time/One-of-a-Kind Events August 1 and November 1
Destination Marketing September 1
Left: The Driftless Writing Center in Viroqua was awarded funding for the Ridges and Rivers Book Festival. Senator Brad Pfaff, planning committee members Richard Running, Tanja Birke, Lisa Henner, Trina Erickson, Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator of Vernon County Christina Dollhausen and Travel Wisconsin Southwest Regional Tourism Specialist Andrew Nussbaum gathered for the big check presentation. Middle: Art64 in Wauwatosa is a two-day interactive live painting bracket-style tournament created by Discover Wauwatosa. Chair of the Wauwatosa Tourism Commission Dave Amoroso and Tourism Specialist Beth Gleesing were presented a check by Travel Wisconsin Southeast Regional Tourism Specialist David Spiegelberg. Right: Travel Wisconsin Northeast Regional Tourism Specialist Jeff Anderson delivered a check to ArtStart in Rhinelander for Project North: Music + Art + Sustainability Festival including Community and Cultural Development Director Melina Childs, WXPR General Manager/President Jessie Dick, Program and Operations Director of ArtStart Ashley McLaughlin, WXPR Development Director Emily Irwin and Nicolet College Arts and Events Manager Jenny Bonardelli.
Chicago's Union Station Takeover
It’s not every day we get to witness the moment when travelers realize that Wisconsin is where the unexpected is ready to be discovered, but that’s exactly what happened when commuters traveled through Chicago’s Union Station last week. More than 20 Wisconsin tourism partners took over the Great Hall with free food, beverages, entertainment and giveaways to showcase to Chicagoland residents the wealth of fun and accessible vacation memories waiting to be made just a short train ride north. The day also included a private event for media and meeting planners to build relationships and further communicate everything Wisconsin offers.
A huge thanks to the team at VISIT Milwaukee and Amtrak for coordinating this exciting and memorable event. Travel Wisconsin was thrilled to help connect our tourism partners from around the state to participate and reach this critical Chicago target market.
Left: Travel Wisconsin Regional Tourism Specialist David Spiegelberg shares travel inspiration with a curious commuter. Middle: Performances by dancers from the Ho-Chunk Nation and local Milwaukee bands brought energy, education and entertainment to the day-long event. Right: Travel Wisconsin Communications Officer Amanda Weibel took a break from media meetings to check out the Harley on display.
Wisconsin Trail Report Widget
I’m all a-boot that hiking life and the Wisconsin Trail Report is my go-to resource. Created by the Office of Outdoor Recreation in partnership with Travel Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Trail Report lists current conditions for hiking and biking trail networks throughout the state and includes basic trail descriptions as well as links to additional resources to round out a day on the trails.
We also have a widget available so you can embed the report on your website. The widget can be customized to show a particular geographic area (one county, for example), or you can host the whole statewide report. No other resource showcases the vast trail offerings in Wisconsin with regularly updated condition reports, so take advantage of this great tool to help visitors and residents plan a great day on the trails in your community.
