Milwaukee County Parks: Another Reason to Visit

The Milwaukee County Parks Department has won the 2009 National Gold Medal for Excellence in the Park and Recreation Management Program. The National Gold Medal Award is the most prestigious and highly esteemed award a park and recreation agency can receive. Milwaukee County Park's Director and VISIT Milwaukee executive committee member Sue Black a ccepted the award at the National Recreation and Parks Congress & Exposition in Salt Lake City.

Milwaukee County Parks offer nearly 15,000 acres of recreational enjoyment - according to the Rand McNally Places Rated Almanac, that's more acres of parkland per person than anywhere else in the country. The Milwaukee County Park System offers year-round activities, including 16 outdoor and indoor pools, five beaches, nine community and recreation centers, 122 tennis courts, 15 golf courses, two family aquatic centers and more than 200 athletic fields for a variety of sports, including baseball, softball, rugby, soccer and volleyball. The Park System's 90-mile Oak Leif Trail is used for biking, in-line skating, cross-country skiing, running and walking.

"This award is affirmation that when it comes to an urban park system - Milwaukee County is a jewel," said David Fantle, vice president, public relations for VISIT Milwaukee. "For visitors looking to combine an urban experience and still take advantage of some of the best outdoor recreational opportunities, it's all here in the Milwaukee area."

To determine a winner, the finalists were required to submit a 12-minute video featuring the department's programs and services as well as a copy of its strategic or master plan. The video can be found at: www.dwpinc.com/mcp/milcntyprks.html.

VISIT Milwaukee markets Greater Milwaukee to tourists, convention and meeting planners nationally and internationally and is dedicated to ensuring our guests are warmly welcomed and enjoy an enriching experience in this jewel of the Great Lakes. VISIT Milwaukee has more than 620 members, including hotels/motels, restaurants, attractions, services and area businesses. Tourism generated $2.7 billion in spending in Greater Milwaukee in 2008 and supported about 66,000 local jobs. The City of Wauwatosa, Midwest Airlines, Potawatomi Bingo Casino and the Wisconsin Center District are strategic partners with VISIT Milwaukee, providing funding support for conventions and tourism programs.  For more information call 1-800-554-1448 or visit http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/.

Spooky Milwaukee

Lakefront Brewery's Pumpkin Lager and Sprecher Brewery's Oktoberfest beer aren't the only "spirits" in Milwaukee this fall. 

With so much to do and see around town, even some of our former residents don't want to leave. 

Captain Fredrick Pabst, hotelier Charles Pfister and the "Balcony Ghost" are a few of Milwaukee's immortal friends still hanging out around the city.  Don't be surprised if you can hear the echo of Captain Fredrick Pabst's footsteps during your tour of the elegant Pabst Mansion.  No need to worry about hospitality at the Pfister Hotel-some have seen an apparition of Charles Pfister still greeting guests and making sure they are well taken care of during their stay at this historic Victorian-era treasure.  Be on the lookout at several other landmarks, such as The Rave/Eagles Ballroom and the Modjeska Theatre, deemed "America's most haunted theater," where legends of paranormal activity abound. 

Want to find out more about haunted Milwaukee?  Here are some spooky options to experience the real spirits of the city this Halloween:

• "David Seebach's Illusions in the Night Halloween Magic Show." Experience a fright-filled Halloween extravaganza held at the Modjeska Theatre, a majestic, vaudeville theatre/movie palace on Milwaukee's south side. Oct. 23, 24, 25, 29, 30 and 31.

http://www.modjeskamilwaukee.com/

• "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Enjoy food, a scavenger hunt and stories of haunted Milwaukee at Villa Terrace, an Italian

Renaissance-style house museum and garden.  Oct. 31 at 7 p.m.

http://cavtmuseums.org/vt/events/

• "Bloody Third" walking tour. Hear ghost stories and tales of true crime during the one-mile walking tour of the Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee's

turn-of-the-century warehouse and manufacturing district. 

Fridays and Saturdays 7 p.m. http://www.milwaukeeghosts.com/milw_ghosts_brochure.pdf

• "Haunted History Tour of ‘Old Grand Avenue'" walking tour. Take a walk back in time to the Gilded Age of Milwaukee when beer barons built castle-like mansions on Wisconsin Avenue. Tour features ghostly stories about familiar sites and places you probably didn't know existed.

Fridays and Saturdays 6:30 p.m. during October. http://www.hauntedwisconsin.com/events/haunted-history-tour-grand-ave/

         Halloween would not be complete without a cemetery tour.  The 200-acre Forest Home Cemetery has more than 110,000 burials, including former Milwaukee mayors and prominent business leaders including the beer barons.  From sunrise to sunset, the cemetery is open for self-guided walking and driving tours.  Maps are available in the cemetery's main office and at http://www.foresthomecemetery.com/historical.html.  In the spirit of the season, the Milwaukee Beer Museum hosts a free guided walking tour, "Ghosts of Brewers Past," through Forest Home Cemetery on Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. 

         VISIT Milwaukee markets Greater Milwaukee to tourists, convention and meeting planners nationally and internationally and is dedicated to ensuring our guests are warmly welcomed and enjoy an enriching experience in this jewel of the Great Lakes. VISIT Milwaukee has more than 620 members, including hotels/motels, restaurants, attractions, services and area businesses. Tourism generated $2.7 billion in spending in Greater Milwaukee in 2008 and supported about 66,000 local jobs. The City of Wauwatosa, Midwest Airlines, Potawatomi Bingo Casino and the Wisconsin Center District are strategic partners with VISIT Milwaukee, providing funding support for conventions and tourism programs.  For more information call 1-800-554-1448 or visit http://www.visitmilwaukee.org/.

Dave Fantle, VP of Public Relations

414.287.4253

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Jeannine Sherman

Public Relations Manager 414.287.6230 

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