KROONSTAD

 Kroonstad, one of the most beautiful towns in the Northern Free State, straddles the Vals River. The town is an important agricultural, administrative and educational centre with a big business complex, modern shops and two co-ops that serve a prosperous farming community. The town was founded on 20 April 1855. It was reputedly named after horse called Kroon, which allegedly belonged to Voortrekker leader Sarel Celliers, the most revered of the town's earliest settlers. The town boasts various fine sandstone buildings, including the Old City Hall, the Old Market Square, Post Office Building and a Dutch Reformed Church.

Statue of Sarel Cilliers - Famous Voortrekker Leader
General View of Kroonstad, Die Hoofstraat
Entrance from the South

 

Kroonpark, a holiday resort on the banks of the Vals River, is one of the town's biggest assets. With its scenic willows, green lawns and colourful gardens, Kroonpark is one of the country's most attractive inland resorts. Kroonstad has been the headquarters of South African Jukskei since 1951. The town also has other excellent facilities for a variety sports, including tennis, bowls, rugby, swimming, gymnastics, skiing, yachting and angling.

APPLETON

 Appleton is the largest city in an urban area known as the Fox Cities - 18 communities along the Fox River and Lake Winnebago. Appleton was hometown of Harry Houdini and is the location of the world's first home lighted by a central hydroelectric station, now the elegant Hearthstone Historic House Museum. The Building for Kids is one of the largest children's museums in the Midwest. In July and August the center's Butterfly House features hundreds of live Wisconsin butterflies. A bustling economy, low crime rate and bountiful recreational opportunities make Appleton a great place to live and visit.

 

West College Avenue
With many fine stores for your shopping pleasure.
View taken from the top of the Zuelke Bldg.
 

 

For more information about Appleton, visit The Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau

COTSWOLD

 Marked by rolling uplands, green fields, and limestone cottages with prim flower beds, the Cotswolds, 100 miles west of London, make a peaceful getaway. The towns and villages set around the Cotswold escarpment - a swath of golden, creamy or gray-colored stone, stretching from Stratford-upon-Avon south west to Cirencester and beyond - owe their beauty to sheep, or rather, the wool on their backs. The wealth created by the wool industry built stately, large-windowed, light-filled churches in every town and country parish. The Cotswolds region is justly famous for tranquil, stone-built villages.  There’s little to do in idyllic villages, but that’s the point. Exquisite gardens and stately homes add further charm.

 

COTSWOLD COUNTRYSIDE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

 

 

Received from Thomas Goatherd

FOND DU LAC

The city of Fond du Lac is situated on the southern shores of Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest inland lake. The name Fond du Lac is a French term that translates loosely into "the foot of lake." The first light of dawn hits the water's surface and welcomes anglers to Lake Winnebago. A bike ride through past idyllic barns and over rolling hills ends with a story-filled lunch at an outdoor café. An evening stroll through downtown reveals art galleries, shops and classic Wisconsin supper clubs. With its convenient location at the base of Lake Winnebago and surrounded by Kettle Moraine State Forest and the Horicon Marsh, Fond Du Lac welcomes outdoor enthusiasts of all ages, any time of the year.

 

LAKESIDE PARK LIGHTHOUSE HARBOR [1960]

 

 For more information, visit Fond du Lac Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

 

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE

City of Possibilities

The town name goes back to la Verendrye's days, when it was a portage resting area between the Assiniboine River and Lake Manitoba. The small city is at the centre of some the richest crop land in Manitoba, and is a major food processing centre.

Island Park and Crescent Lake This scenic park is a horseshoe-shaped lake setting has a deer and waterfowl sanctuary with a large flock of Canada geese, golf course, tennis courts, picnic sites, canoeing and fairgrounds.

 

Poised gracefully over Crescent Lake is a R.C.A.F. T33 Jet Trainer. A gift of goodwill from the Air Force Base to the citizen of Portage. The Lake and Island park are a feature attraction for visitors to the area.

 

The Portage Arts Centre and Gallery is one of the best public galleries in rural Manitoba with new exhibitions monthly. The facility also features a gift shop, studios for classes and workshops and art rental program. 

 

City of Portage la Prairie 

HERMANUS

 Fashionable seaside resort Hermanus dubbed 'the Riviera of South Africa'. Stretching along the shore of Walker Bay, a much favoured resort, renowned among fishermen and watersport enthusiasts. A collection of old fishing boats, some more than 100 years old, have been restored and may be seen at the Old Harbour Museum, a national monument, constructed on the slipway. Semi-precious stones, jewellery and ornaments are sold at a manufacturing outlet in Arum street. Beaches are safe for swimming and surfing, especially at Voëlklip and Grotto beaches. A yacht club is situated on the Kleinrivier Lagoon. Fernkloof Nature Reserve offers a number of signposted walks, an abundance of wild flowers and a prolific bird life.

 

Voëlklip Beach, Grotto Beach, Kleinriviervlei, Hermanus Yacht Club [1994]

CORK

Cork City is now the third largest city in Ireland. It derives its name from the marshy land on the banks of the River Lee – its Irish name Corcaigh means marsh –  on which St Finbarr founded a monastery around AD 650. The narrow alleys, waterways and Georgian architecture give the city a Continental feel. Since the 19th century, the city has had a reputation for political rebelliousness. Today this mood is reflected in the city’s attitude to the arts and its bohemian spirit, much in evidence at the lively October jazz festival.

 

St. Patrick's Street, Bridge and Hall, Cork City

 

One of Cork’s great attractions is that it is a city built on water. Its heart lies on an island between two arms of the River Lee and many of today’s streets were in fact once waterways lined with warehouses and merchants’ residences. Cork city offers a more cosmopolitan atmosphere, with its art galleries and craft shops.

Official tourism website for Cork, Ireland

GREEN BAY

 Green Bay is Wisconsin's oldest community, settled by the French as a fur-trading center. Today the city is most famous for its namesake Green Bay Packers, whose legendary past can be viewed at the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame at Lambeau Field. Yet, the city's appeal rests on a blend of many more elements that combine small town charm with big city excitement. South of town, the history of the Oneida Nation is displayed at the Oneida Nation Museum. Green Bay is famous for football, but it’s all the hidden treasures that make Greater Green Bay a special place to visit.

 

Boating On The Fox River 

 

 

 Quality of life, family-friendly values, a strong business community and a distinct Midwestern personality all make Green Bay a great place to call home... and a great place to visit.

 

 

For more information, visit greenbay.com

SWIFT CURRENT

Swift Current is the base for western oil exploration in Saskatchewan and a regional trade centre for livestock and grain. Part of the HorseShoe Region, it is with easy driving distance of such HorseShoe attractions as Grasslands National Park and the Great Sand Hills. The city reflects the old west traditions of the region in such popular events as Frontiers Days in June and the Old Tyme Fiddling Championships in September. It is also the new home of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Visitors can relive in a frontier community in Doc's Town located on the fair ground. Swift Current is one of the few Saskatchewan communities with a nickname: Speedy Creek. The city takes its name from Swift Current Creek, or Riviere Au Courant, as the early fur traders knew the waterway.

Looking North on Central Ave., in the city of Swift Current, Sask

 

 

For more information on the city, contact Tourism Swift Current

KENOSHA

Located on Lake Michigan, Kenosha's crown jewel is its lakefront HarbourPark. The parkland setting along the waterfront blends beautifully with the adjacent historic downtown featuring shops, galleries, an outdoor market and eateries all linked by a vintage electric streetcar system. The city's lakefront  museum campus includes the Kenosha Public Museum, Dinosaur Discovery Museum, Kenosha History Center and the Civil War Museum, which examines the connection between the home front and the battlefront during the nation's bloodiest conflict. Outlet shopping, family festival, charter fishing and four historic districts round out the area's diverse attractions. The waters off the Kenosha shore have been listed as the highest catch area for big game fish in Lake Michigan over any other Wisconsin area.

 

SIMMONS BEACH MARINA [1973]
This beautiful boat marina is one of many recreational facilities available. It offers easy access to the many  boating events in Lake Michigan.

 For more information, log on to visitkenosha.com