Apostle Islands National Lakeshore - Articles - Zimbio

Wisconsin's Bayfield & Apostle Islands: Relaxation & Nature's Splendor

Fri, 14 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

posted by nautical4
Some vacation destinations tout "more," but Bayfield, Wis., entices visitors with "less." Located in Wisconsin at the threshold of the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, Bayfield has found the town's strength is that it does offer less crowds, less lines, less traffic and less tourist hype and that it's a uniquely relaxing place to visit. After a two-year re-branding effort, the scenic community is setting itself apart from other destinations with this promise -- Bayfield and the Apostle Islands ...where the water meets the soul.

Bayfield, Wis. (PRWEB) June 13, 2008 -- "Where the Water Meets the Soul" is how the scenic community of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands seeks to re-introduce itself to potential visitors throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Chicago and beyond as part of a comprehensive re-branding effort. The new branding is the culmination of a two-year process to define and differentiate Bayfield in the minds of potential visitors, in an effort to boost its growing tourism business.

Conducted by Platypus Advertising Design, in Milwaukee, for the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau (CCVB), the branding process led to the discovery that the town's strength is that it offers less - less crowds, less lines, less traffic and less tourist hype, and that its uniquely relaxing environment serves as a kind of a "day spa for the soul."

"We have unspoiled beauty," says Larry McDonald, Mayor of Bayfield. "We have the lake, the Apostle Islands and wilderness. For the market we are going after, it's what our visitors want and once they arrive they find endless activities and events to enjoy".

Located in the northernmost part of Wisconsin at the threshold of the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, Bayfield's biggest industry is tourism. In the research conducted, which included interviews with visitors in Bayfield, surveys with consumers who had had visited Bayfield's website, and in-depth interviews with the members of Bayfield community, the findings revealed that empty nesters, ages 50 or older, represented the majority of visitors to Bayfield. Above all else, these visitors are drawn to Bayfield to escape the stresses of their daily lives and to reconnect with nature.

While the findings were not altogether surprising to Bayfield CCVB Executive Director Cari Obst, the branding process did help reaffirm to everyone what they believed about their community.

"There's a lot to be learned by the branding process," says Obst. "We wanted everyone to feel they had input in the process, so we included business owners from every industry, city officials and our marketing team. We built consensus before moving on to the next step, and in the end we had a much bigger picture of who we are and why visitors are drawn to Bayfield as a tourist destination."

The Bayfield Experience.

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Building Your Company Image Around Recreation as a Focal Point

Tue, 28 May 2008 22:40:37 GMT

posted by MadelineBroker

One of the biggest challenges to an independent real estate company is creating a unique company image that reflects your service area and the type of business in which you specialize. Ideally, that image shoud be part of your entire marketing strategy, including print and Web marketing and even in the way your office is decorated

We started a company on Madeline Island, in La Pointe, Wisconsin (just off the south shore of Lake Superior) in 2001. Madeline Island is a recreational/second home community that is popular with summer residents and tourists from all over the country, especially the Midwest. The Island is also home to over two hundred year-round residents who live and work there.

[Note red arrow: Location of Madeline Island Realty waterfront office in La Pointe, Wisconsin]

Our first goal was to create an image that speaks to the public about recreation. We wanted to build our marketing image around nautical themes.

Our business card was the first place we chose to build a recreational real estate image. We use a stylized line art sailboat logo that is part of our business card and letterhead.

Our logo and company contact information is reversed out of a seafoam blue background.

Our Website was the next logical place to expand on the themes of recreation and waterfront living.

Our homepage banner uses a waterfront image that bleeds off the page to a deep blue background. We use banners on each page in an attempt to communicate leisure and recreation through appropriate recreational images.

I Found a Lump of Native Copper Ore on The South Shore of Lake Superior!

Tue, 14 May 2008 21:20:37 GMT

posted by MadelineBroker

This was pretty cool.

I was "beachcombing" near the Port Wing Marina in northwestern Wisconsin a couple weeks ago. I'm like a kid when I'm walking the beach up here. There's the usual assortment of nature's unique driftwood sculptures, twisted by the blustery winds of Lake Superior and polished by waves. There are flat sandstone slabs, agates and miscellaneous rocks shaped by the action of sand and water.

But what caught my eye was the gleaming edge of a piece of rock embedded in the sand.

I knew it was metallic by its weight and density. And it was clear from the glint of metal in one corner of the rock that there was some sort of ore present.

I took it home, cleaned it up with a little vinegar and showed it to a friend, who informed me that it was a piece of basalt containing a sizeable quantity of native copper.

Lake Superior is a mineral-rich region. For decades, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was the source of a significant percentage of the copper mined in North America. In addition to copper and iron ore, silver and gold have been found along the shores of Lake Superior.

My mentor in the real estate business, R. E. Waide, once showed me a large chunk of native copper he found on a beach on Madeline Island. It weighed several pounds and was mostly copper, slightly larger than a tennis ball. He wound up donating it to the Madeline Island Historical Museum.

I'm keeping this one for my own collection.

A second home is an affordable luxury.

Discover why a vacation retreat on Lake Superior is the ultimate indulgence!

Contact Broker Eric Kodner today at 612.670.2539.

Eric Kodner is a luxury property specialist and real estate educator with a unique perspective on the Madeline Island real estate market. Madeline Island Realty is a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com luxury properties network.

12% of Americans Plan to Spend Economic Stimulus Money on Vacation Travel - Come Visit Madeline Island!

Wed, 22 May 2008 02:37:15 GMT

posted by MadelineBroker

According to the news services, the Federal Government estimates that twelve per cent of Americans plan to spend their "economic stimulus" rebates on vacation travel.

The local television news reported this eveing that the average gasoline cost will be about $58 round trip for someone in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota) to vacation in Duluth. That's about five dollars more than last summer.

So I'd estimate it would cost a little over $60 for the same Twin Cities resident to make the round trip to Bayfield, Wisconsin for the ferry journey to Madeline Island. That's not as bad as I thought.

My "pitch" here would be to encourage you to come to Madeline Island this summer. Don't let a few extra dollars keep you away! And if you do, let me know you're coming and stop by my office. I'll do my best to help you make your visit as enjoyable (and affordable) as I can. Maybe I can even save you a few bucks by giving you tips on where to eat or shop. I know my way around the Island and I can help!

Enjoying Madeline Island doesn't have to be expensive. You can camp here, take a lighthouse tour, visit a few of the Apostle Islands, ride the ferry and hit the local restaurants without breaking the bank. Big Bay Town Park has some of the nicest beaches on Madeline Island and it's free to enjoy! Campsites there are inexpensive too.

Last summer, a couple arrived at my office late one evening in June. They had reserved a campsite, but couldn't find any firewood. I went out behind the office and returned with a small bundle of cut oak for them. They offered me five bucks, but I just told them to keep it and have a good evening. They weren't buying real estate and I figured I'd never see them again. There was no sales pitch and no ulterior motive. I just wanted them to enjoy themselves.

A couple weeks after that happened, I received a very nice thank-you card in the mail from them.

I'm not the only person on the Island who will be glad to help you. Come visit and give us a chance to show you what a beautiful place this is!

Memorial Day brings gasoline at $4.25 per gallon to Madeline Island

Sat, 1 Jun 2008 02:52:10 GMT

posted by MadelineBroker

Gasoline prices have reached the $4.25 mark on Madeline Island.

The price of 87-octane unleaded regular gasoline at the pump next to the Madeline Island Marina & Yacht Club, in La Pointe, Wisconsin, reached $4.25 over Memorial Day weekend.

Boat fuel at the Marina is expected to approach five dollars per gallon when summer arrives. It's too early to determine whether or not high prices will have a significant impact on recreational boating in the Apostle Islands region.

At the small craft marina in LaPointe, across from the Yacht Club, there are still few boats in the water. The late arrival of spring and prolonged cool weather seems to be slowing the beginning of boating season.