Welcome back! The Fall Travel Series starts in Mosinee!
The feel of autumn is in the air. The leaves have shifted from bright and vibrant green to a softening of olives as they descend into a color display worthy of taking an entire road trip to admire. Festivals will be ramping up tourism in small towns with pumpkins on every street corner. But for today, and to kick of the next 3 months of fall travel inspiration, I am on the humble streets of a town I drive through for work. A town that I am sure if I had more than an hour I could find even more charm and reason to stay awhile. On this particular day I only wanted to see the street corner garden and and fantastic mural advertising the town.
If you are someone who loves a good mural and has a bucket list to take as many pictures as you can in front of them- this would be a great one for the memory books. I like the ones that feel like a postcard or vintage advertisement.
Now, I will acknowledge that a part of me knows that it is likely I am standing where something other than a park once stood. An old building inevitably came down for this open area to be here.
I don’t know much about this downtown’s history but I have mourned the loss of so many cool old buildings that fell into disrepair and received a similar fate. I wanted to walk a little more and appreciate some of the other structures around the corner.
My eyes are drawn to brickwork now, as I have been learning my own version of masonry through my commercial project.
I also keep noticing these stacked textured glass windows that were prevalent for a while in buildings of this era. I especially noticed all the interesting glass at a recent visit to one of my favorite destinations, Ripon.
What made me turn the corner and want to explore more was not only the interesting architecture but also the combinations of color: the reds and terra cotta mixed with a dark blue or grey or black. Then add in a natural element: the distressed wood beam, the grasses of the potted plants…
There’s a difference between a downtown that is maintained with clean store fronts and decorated with hanging baskets and one that feels like it is designed. One will look nice and presentable and might be a stop if you are in the area, the other is engaging and draws you in. You want to be standing in front of that mural taking your picture. You want to visit the brewery because you know that sign looks fantastic at night when it is all lit up.
And that’s the biggest difference between simply “having” a downtown versus “earning” one. The old adage- “If you build it they will come” only applies if you have put effort into piquing the interest of the people you need as visitors and patrons.
And today’s average person is “piqued” by what they see on the internet, by doctored and altered photography and completely imaged AI scenery. To compete you have to draw them in with the right colors and universally beautiful things.
Then keep them there with businesses that feel unique to the area and create a memorable experience.
So here’s your Fall Travel Series first stop, if you are heading up north for a weekend. Take a moment to get a photo in front of the mural or a drink at the brewery. I’m sure there’s more to discover and I look forward to finding that out now that my interest in this little town has been… “piqued.”
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