Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WISCONSIN SHANG
Known locally as “shang” or “sang,” Wisconsin's ginseng
(Panax quinquefolim)
is
amongthemostvaluable—economically andpharmacologically—intheworld.First
cultivatedbyGermanfarmers,itwasfirstcommerciallyraisedbyapairofMarathon
County brothers around the turn of the 20th century.
Some big thorns have arisen. Local overproduction, newer competition from
British Columbia, and—worst of all—piracy (putting the Wisconsin seal on cheap
Chinese shang in Chinatowns) caused prices to plummet from highs of $80 a pound
to $22 a pound (the state also had a mere 200 farmers, down from 1,600 in the
1990s).Pricesreboundedto$50perpoundasof2012.ThestateorganizedaGinseng
Board to coordinate efforts and protect the Wisconsin product.
Worst of all are wild ginseng poachers, who devastate the wild plant, since it can
command more than 10 times the price of its cultivated version. Despite the seem-
ing impossibility of actually catching someone in the act, the state had some 36 con-
victions in 2012. (One poacher was actually shot and killed in Ohio, for which the
landowner was prosecuted.)
The city convention and visitors bureau (exit 185 of I-39/U.S. 51, 888/948-4748,
www.wausaucvb.org
)
has excellent maps.
Snowshoeing
Rib Mountain State Park is one of the few in Wisconsin to offer trails specifically designed
for snowshoeing—five miles total. The sport is so popular in the Wausau area that you
shouldn't have any trouble finding rentals at downtown sporting-goods stores.
Under $50
The junction of Stewart and 17th Avenues on the west side of town, essentially the inter-
change of U.S. 51/WI 29 and Highway 52, has the largest grouping of accommodations.
Here you'll find most rooms around $50. Buyer beware. That said, you expect generic but
you get solicitous service at the local
Super 8
(2006 W. Stewart Ave., 715/848-2888, $55
and up). Great management here and rooms not at all dated.
