Wolf River Trips & Campground is hoping visitors take as much pride in the property and the river as its employees. They are encouraging people to pick up their garbage, be respectful of others and aware of their surroundings. PC: Fox 11 Online
NEW LONDON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Summer is in full swing in Northeast Wisconsin, and the warm weather is leading many people to find ways to cool off.
But after years of being known as party central, one refreshing place is looking to refresh itself with help from its patrons.
For decades, tubing down the Little Wolf River in the summer has entertained thousands.
“It’s hot and it’s great and it’s fun. It’s an experience that you can’t find in the city. You can always do the pools and so much, but this just kind of changes it up a little bit and lets you have a good time,” said Lisa Stucke of Appleton.
Katelynn McClintock of Appleton added, “It’s a really good time to spend with friends and lots of fun experiences. Usually a couple of accidents happen when we come, because we’re all clumsy, but just a really good time and we always share a lot of laughs.”
But tubing down the Little Wolf River has also been known as, “Wild. Lots of drinking, partying, posting up on rocks,” according to Ashley Buss.
It has racked up a bit of a reputation.
“This place became known more as a party place, and by all means, everyone can party. But we’re trying to keep it in a little more control of the party central,” said Lexi Smith, campground manager at Wolf River Trips & Campground.
Under new ownership, Wolf River Trips & Campground is working on cleaning up its reputation and grounds — both on property and the river.
Smith said, “Garbage belongs in the garbage. The amount of garbage we found, the amount of swear words we’ve heard. We’re just trying to get people to be more aware of your surroundings and there are children around you. We are trying to be a little more family oriented.”
Signs on the property lay out the rules, reminding people bad behavior won’t be tolerated. The owners also took to social media to remind people this is a family-focused activity.
With more than 125 campgrounds on the property for both seasonal stays and weekend getaways, along with 4,000-5,000 tubers on the river every weekend, Wolf River Trips & Campground wants everyone to enjoy their visit.
The team doesn’t want to discourage fun; they just want visitors to take as much pride in the adventure as they do.
“It’s not hard to take your garbage. It’s not hard to bring your tube up for the kids. It’s not hard to do anything malicious on the river, in front of kids. And it’s not hard to be nice. It’s not hard to clean up after yourself, so just do your part,” said Smith.
And then everyone can, “Just relax. I didn’t bring my phone with me or anything, so I can just unplug from everything,” said Doug Lanning before hitting the river with his wife.
Playing off that family oriented vibe, Wolf River Trips & Campground has declared Wednesdays as “Family Day” — a time when kids under 12 years old can float for half price.
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