Photo by ALTVRA, Sarah Greening Photography.
2021
Rediscover Racine County May 2 – 8, 2021 is National Tourism Week! What does this actually mean? Well, this annual tradition is a time when national travel and tourism professionals throughout the country unite to celebrate the value travel holds for our local economies and businesses.
the travel and tourism industry. Established in 1983 as the Greater Racine Convention and Visitors Bureau, we have played a prominent role in promoting Racine County attractions, businesses and events, and bringing visitors to area for more than 38 years.
All About Your Friendly Local Destination Marketing Organization
Rebranded as Real Racine in 2009 we are a 501c 6, private, not-for-profit corporation and not affiliated with Racine County or the State of Wisconsin. In addition, the Real Racine Sports
We here at Real Racine are excited to be a part of
and Event Commission was incorporated in 2019 as a 501c 3 and is also a private and not-for-profit organization. We are funded in a large part by a portion of the 8% room tax which is collected on all lodging stays of less than 30 days. The hotel room tax is currently collected from properties in Racine, Caledonia, Yorkville, Burlington, Sturtevant and Waterford. We also eagerly seek out available grants for an additional funding source.
Celebrating Racine
Real Racine check out realracine.com or find us on youtube Video production by Matt Binetti, Reservoir Video Co.
Discover More Outdoors at Riverbend Nature Center
Adventure Big in Burlington
The River Bend Nature Center is a year-round destination for outdoor enthusiasts! From snowshoe trails in Winter to kayaking on the river during warmer months, there’s more to explore outdoors in Racine County..
The City of Burlington’s is the hub for culture and entertainment in western Racine County and has become an exciting destination for residents and visitors alike. This walkable community is filled with visitors, residents, students, and business professionals who contribute to the city’s positive energy.
Franksville Craft Beer Garden
The Arts in Racine County
The Franksville Craft Beer Garden is an exciting community gathering spot at Caledonia-Mt. Pleasant Joint Memorial Park that serves a rotation of craft beers on tap in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere. You’ll find yard games and lively conversation every day. Adjacent playgrounds, shade pavilions, and sports fields offer something for everyone to enjoy.
From fine art to fairs, discover our thriving arts community in Racine County featuring the Racine Art Museum, 16th Street Studios and more.
The beer garden also hosts events and activities such as food truck nights, movie nights, night markets, fish frys, yoga classes and more.
e County Every Day Tourism plays an essential role in our county’s economic development. Our focus and goal at Real Racine is two-fold; which is to bring in visitors (and their money) to Racine County via events along with promoting local attractions and businesses. In 2019 visitors to Racine County brought in $260.7 million dollars of new money into the county’s economy and $28.7 million in state and local tax revenue. We love to promote and create special events and festivals such as Pro Water cross, Australian Rules Football, the American Junior Golf Association and numerous youth regionals and volleyball tournaments. The events not only showcase our great county but bring in thousands of visitors and much valued and appreciated revenue to our local businesses. With a weekly reach of more than 300,000 viewers, Real Racine’s blog articles and social media accounts including Facebook and Instagram, help us reach visitors from far and wide and helps promote and market attractions, events and businesses at no cost to our community partners. We also spotlight and promote this information on our website: realracine. com At our core we are the county’s accredited destination marketing organization, which means that we are the pros. We’re a community resource responsible for programs which promote Racine County as an attractive travel destination. We strive to enhance our public image as a dynamic place to live and work. We work hard to strengthen our community’s economic position and vitality beyond the travel and tourism industry which provides opportunity for all of our residents.
Photography by ALTVRA, Sarah Greening Photography, Azure Mahara.
Staying in touch
realracine.com
Facebook.com/realracine
Twitter.com/realracine
Instagram.com/realracine
Be aTourism Expert
in Your Own Town
Photo by ALTVRA, Sarah Greening Photography.
Did you know that 42% of people travel to • Explore a local outdoor tourist hot spot like the Racine Zoo, North Beach, visit loved ones? When you have friends or the Wind Point Lighthouse with your guests and family staying in the area, there are • Attend Racine County events and attractions that support local businesses plenty of activities for you and your guests • Embrace Racine County’s culture and history at one of our local museums, or taking a walking tour of one of our beautiful downtown districts that will show off your local expertise.
Get
the Guide
Visitors love our FREE Activities guide! Present at more than 200 locations around Racine County, any area business is welcome to display this guide at their location at absolutely no cost. We’ll supply a rack if needed and replenish automatically, or at your request. Call us at 262 884 6400 if you’d like a copy for yourself or your business! Want to send one to a friend visiting? Visit RealRacine.com to order!
Where to Find Us The Real Racine Visitors Center is located at 14015 Washington Ave., just .02 miles west of I-94. We welcome visitors and travelers 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, six days a week and offer free Wi-Fi and free local and statewide attraction information, along with Free State and county maps. Stop in and check us out sometime.
governance We are governed by a 19-member volunteer board of directors from throughout the county.
Your Racine County Tourism Experts Real Racine is currently staffed by four full-time employees and four part-time employees, along with close to a dozen volunteers. • • • • • •
Dave Blank – President/CEO Peggy Anderson – Director of Guest Services Cari Greving – Director of Marketing and Events Brianna Wright- Director of Digital Marketing Bill Sorensen – Activities Guide Delivery Travel Counselors - Merri Dalby and Bobbie Reed
Staying in touch
realracine.com
Facebook.com/realracine
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Jeff Van Lysal – Board Chair/Burlington Lodging Laura D’Amato – Vice Chair/at large Dave Titus – Treasurer Kathy Lindbloom – Secretary Ron Coutts – Past Chair/at large Ralph Malicki – at large Randy Isaacson - Caledonia Lodging Kevin Wangaard – at large Kristen Beglinger – at large Lori Jaime – Racine Lodging Jeff Hintz – Racine Eric Olesen – at large Jeff Towne – at large Doug Nelson – Yorkville Hasan Ali – Mount Pleasant Lodging Dr. Art Cyr – at large Open seats– Waterford and Yorkville lodging Jonathan Delagrave – Racine County Executive
Twitter.com/realracine
Instagram.com/realracine