State Trunk Tour

In this State Trunk Tour episode, we cover the latest on the Ice Caves on Lake Superior and go over a few of the events this weekend before taking a deeper dive into Kenosha Restaurant Week, which kicks off Saturday, February 21st and runs through March 1st this year. Joining us will be Meridith Jumisko from Visit Kenosha to discuss the 80+ restaurants, bars, diners, drive-ins, and more across Ken...

It’s December, and you probably have holiday shopping on your mind. Kenosha is a great place to road trip to for their downtown holiday markets right now! They also have some great events at their major museums downtown Saturday, December 6th and at other points during the holiday season, PLUS you can interact with REAL reindeer at Paris Deer Park in Kenosha County near Union Grove! Throughout the...

The World’s Tallest Glass Tree is once again going up at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. It’s the centerpiece of science, art, and holiday fun that can be had the weekends of December 5-7 and 12-14, 2025. Rob Elliott and Jason Mack join host Eric Paulsen for a quick, fun, informative conversation on how they seek to break the world record yet again building this glass tree with the...

Holiday Lights are getting full swing across Wisconsin for the season, and it’s also a great time to see the stars - the real ones in the sky - and take in some amazing shows at Wisconsin’s planetariums! In this episode, we talk with Dr. Teri Gee from the Barlow Planetarium in Menasha about their Holiday shows, including Family Astronomy Night on Friday, November 28th with NorthEast Wisconsin Star...

In this episode, we preview Marshfield's Maple Fall Fest, which promises tons of tasty fun this weekend, with Visit Marshfield's Matt McLean. Looking ahead, we check out Seehafer Acres for fall fun in the area, the Marshfield Rotary Winter Wonderland holiday lights show with up to 2 million lights and a dazzling array of light, light shows, and a ton of festive activities, running just after Thank...

August is a busy time in Wisconsin with State Fair and so many other fun events. Sheboygan really gets into it with events like Johnsonville Brat Days, back for Saturday, August 2nd; Bookworm Gardens Fairyfolk Festival August 5th-10th; and then the BIG Mercury Racing Midwest Challenge Friday, August 8th through Sunday the 10th. We get together with Shelly Harms of Visit Sheboygan to discuss these...

Meredith Jumisko from Visit Kenosha joins host Eric Paulsen for a look at Kenosha's Homecoming Car Show, hosting classic cars and showcasing the city's amazing history of automobile manufacturing. AMC - American Motors - cars take center stage but many other classics will be on display. It's part of the larger event that also includes a cruise-in, a parade, a Gremlin event, a Block Party. Swap Mee...

Flag Day is a national holiday, celebrating the United States flag every June 14th. But did you know it started in Wisconsin? We learn the history with Dave Janik, President of the Waubeka, Wisconsin-based National Flag Day Foundation, as well as discuss the annual celebrations in town commemorating Flag Day and discover the often under-the-radar Americanism Center Museum that you can visit in tow...

Kenosha is Wisconsin's 4th largest city, right in the state's SE corner smack dab between Milwaukee and Chicago. This dynamic city has flavors of both Wisconsin and Illinois, with Lake Michigan fun, a dynamic downtown, and unexpected gems to boot. Museums showcase Kenosha's history from Wooly Mammoths to dinosaurs as well as the making of cars, mattresses, underwear, tools, and more. It's still a...

Real Racine is now Visit Racine County... but the whole county is real. Real fun with a lot of real options! In this State Trunk Tour Podcast, we cover everything Racine County with Cari Greving, Executive Director of Visit Racine County. We generally go from west to east, giving love to the small towns and their surprising array of things to see and do (much of it walkable), through the countrysi...

Wisconsin Dive Bars can be found everywhere in the state and lately they've been getting the love nd recognition they deserve. Jared Schutz is a Wisconsin dive bar authority, having catalogued over 700 visits so far on his Wisco_Dive_Bars_ accounts on socials and his WiscoDiveBars.com website, which maps them all out. With several thousand visits to go, State Trunk Tour Host Eric Paulsen joined Ja...

Host Eric Paulsen is joined by Matt McLean from Visit Marshfield to preview the Central Wisconsin State Fair, which kicks off August 20th through the 25th. National artists performing live, rodeo, demolition derby and all the other fun Fair activity (including the "Kiss A Critter" contest), food, kids' events, and more. We also preview some of the great events leading into fall and winter includin...

With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games underway, we're here to talk about the Olympics – and Milwaukee and Wisconsin. As in, could Milwaukee host an Olympic Games? Even if it could. why? What’s in it for the city and the greater region? Answers exist in a fascinating book called  Greater Than The Games, Volume 1: MKE2028 , created by broadcaster Jay Sorgi. He began researching the topic out of curiosi...

We preview the last weekend of June in this episode and then dive deeper into Sheboygan, where Eric Paulsen has a discussion about upcoming events with Shelly Harms from Visit Sheboygan. The 4th of July celebrations coming up kick off Wedmesday the 3rd with live music on City Green (part of the weekly Levitt AMP Concert Series happening all summer) and the Venetian Boat Parade, plus more events ca...

The World's Tallest Glass Tree is going up right now at Yerkes Observatory along Highway 67 in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Under the inspirational guidance of Rob Elliott and glass maker Jason Mack, this endeavor is in its second year. They take donated glass from all over, spin it onto a pole, and create a 31-foot tree that will get topped with a huge star on December 17th in an event that you MUST...

Marshfield, Wisconsin's "Hub City," continues to grow and offer more for visitors to experience. It starts with Central Avenue, the main artery offering some fantastic shopping, great restaurants and more to explore along with the Jurustic Park Downtown Walk. Within blocks, a wide variety of other attractions abound year 'round. This city of 20,000 is anchored by Marshfield Clinic, a world class m...

Oconto County, tucked into northeastern Wisconsin, offers a lot on your road trip. In the episode, host Eric Paulsen talks with Oconto County Tourism Director Sammy Boucher to discuss it all. We begin with the county's extensive trails for motorized recreaton, especially with Gillett laying claim to the "ATV Capital of the World" (with a stop there at OJ's for pie being a must!) Amidst the beauty...

Milwaukee's legendary Summerfest turns 55 this year, and 2023 brings new experiences, changes and upgrades, and another amazing lineup of artists across multiple genres - over 600 performances to choose from. Running June 22-24, June 29-July 1, and July 6-8, 2023, Eric Paulsen and Sarah Pancheri cover all aspects of the festival, including select performances, the return of the "hole in one" golf...

Port Washington is awash in history and both natural and architectural beauty. But the variety of things to do and see - and the events you can experience - are growing rapidly. Eric sits down with Wayne Chrusciel, Executive Director of Port Washington Tourism, for an update on what's happening in this charming, often serene but increasingly busting little city with the big harbor on Lake Michigan...

Lake Geneva has always offered a dizzying array of great options for winter fun, and this year they up the ante with the World's Tallest Glass Tree at the newly-reopened Yerkes Observatory. Eric joins VISIT Lake Geneva CEO Stephanie Klett to cover a lot of ground for all the activities you can experience and enjoy from world-class attractions, arts, events, and shows to boutique shopping and food...

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is BACK this year! It runs across Wisconsin on the CP tracks, stopping in 13 places from Sturtevant to La Crosse December 8-10 in 2022. Here's where and when you can see the train, enjoy the beauty and entertainment, and help local community food banks - perhaps on a fun holiday road trip! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sheboygan offers plenty of great options - including surfing, of course - as we head into fall and winter. The increasingly vibrant and diverse restaurant (and food truck) scene is complemented with new museums, parks, and plenty to explore. We check in with Shelly Harms from Visit Sheboygan to discuss all of this, plus updates on 3 Sheeps Brewing and events from folk music this weekend (9/10/22)...

Marshfield - Wisconsin's "Hub City" known for medical care and advancements, also has a vibrant downtown with unique shops, a great zoo, historic sites, crazy sculptures with Jurustic Park, new activities with outdoor plazas, and a number of great events coming up. Find out all about it with host Eric Paulsen and Matt McLean from Visit Marshfield! U.S. 10 and Highways 13, 80, and 97 bring you ther...

Chippewa Falls and Chippewa County are packed with fun things to do and see as we go through summer. Events from the Northern Wisconsin State Fair and Rock Fest to Pure Water Day and Leinie's Oktoberfest, plus a ton of always-on options from breweries to bike trails all await as we discuss fun options with Tourism Director Jackie Boos for your next road trip to Chippewa County. You'll definitely w...

Manitowoc County features food trails, cave exploration, unique museums and maritime fun, all with cool stories behind them. Join host Eric Paulsen and guest Jason Ring to dive into Manitowoc, Two Rivers, and points throughout the county to find fun for everyone, including events that salute everything from ice cream sundaes to space. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.