RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) – This week marked the official start of fall, and North-Central Wisconsin can be optimistic for a vibrant season.
That’s according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ silviculturist, Colleen Matula. She says some parts of the state experienced severe drought this year, which is a bad sign for fall colors. “But the rest of state has been getting average amount of rainfall during the growing season, so we should see brilliant colors in the Central part of the state and the Northeast as well.”
And because this fall has been warm, the color change could last longer than usual.
All of this encourages fall tourism to the area. Krystal Westfahl is the executive director of the Minocqua Chamber of Commerce said, “We’re definitely going to see some strong color tourism coming this way.” Westfahl says fall tends to be a slower season, but this year, tourism has been strong across all seasons.
Instead of a major downturn in tourism, she says the demographics of visitors has shifted from families to couples without kids. As the town gets ready for Beef-A-Rama this weekend, Westfahl encourages visitors to plan their next trip to the Northwoods this fall.
