The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute

Where Are We Going?

By George Lightbourn

Those of us raised in Wisconsin know all about the Up North myth. In grade school we overheard fellow students tell of cabins and lunkers and lures. We heard cousins talk about the lakes – there musta been a million of ‘em – and our parents wistfully tell us that someday we’d all pack into the Chevy and just go. Of course they were all talking about Up North, the land of blue skies and clear lakes.

Yep, those of us raised in Wisconsin couldn’t wait to get to that bucolic place, the place with the tent, the campfire, blackened weenies and golden marshmallows. We just love, love, love the outdoors. After all, it’s why we live here, isn’t it?

Apparently not, at least not as much as the Up North myth would have us believe. An article in last week’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted a recent decline in tourism – down 15%-20% for some businesses. Some of the decline can be blamed on soaring gas prices and a general economic malaise. True, our friends and neighbors are more careful with a dollar this summer, yet the decline in state tourism could also be a reflection of the ultimate demise of the Up North myth.

Last year, before the cost of gas began to rival the cost of bottled water, the industry was already seeing a decline in the Up North experience. Campsite occupancy in 2007 was off by 6% and tourism employment was down by nearly 8%. Clearly, something is going on.

What seems to be happening is that our recreational tastes are taking a decided turn toward the upscale. We want our outdoor experience to be, well, indoors. We’re willing to experience nature during the day but we need our A/C, our cable TV and a reliable wireless connection at night. And we really don’t want charred weenies, in fact we don’t want weenies at all. We’d rather have a nice pork chop, preferably prepared by someone other than moi. And we’ll consent to fishing as long as we don’t have to come in contact with either fish or bait.

Up North is so yesterday. We’ve changed. We’re no longer the gullible rubes that bought into the myth. We’ve become savvy, sophisticated travelers. The Economist, in writing about the decline in usage of our National Parks, noted that we will visit stunning, pristine scenery as long as we can do it on our terms. We are increasingly unwilling to put up with the bathroom down the hall and pit toilets – forget it.

The final nail in the coffin of the Up North myth might be found in the statistics collected by the tourism industry. The average age of the typical camper is trending - well, it’s trending old. That groan you heard from the next camp site is coming from the 47 year old (the average age of Wisconsin campers) trying to get up off of the cold, damp ground to stumble to the pit toilet. The good news is that camp sites should be easier to come by. The bad news is that camp sites will probably be more expensive as the cost of running parks is spread over a smaller population.

What are the prospects of our campgrounds going younger? Not good. You’d have more luck selling burqas on Venice Beach than selling the old Up North experience to Gen Y. Their ranks are increasingly filled with minorities who have never seen the charm of sleeping bags or grommets. And Gen Y will insist on a clear signal in order to text at will and “facebook” their thousands of friends several times a day. Now you might get them outdoors if there happens to be a rock wall to climb or if there is the prospect of a bungee jump off of a really high place – something we don’t have many of in Wisconsin. No, this skateboarding, texting crowd simply finds fishing and camping too pastoral, too outdoorsy.

So let’s toast the memory of the Up North myth. It was good while it lasted and I’m sure the tourism industry will figure out a way to somehow lure Gen Y in the direction of Wisconsin lakes and streams. But we all have to adjust and we will. Now where can I get a ticket to see the Cubs play the Brewers?

-July 28, 2008

Where Are We Going?

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