Appleton is home to Lawrence University ( www.lawrence.edu), a small liberal arts school with a good reputation particularly for its music program.  Historically Appleton's industry was built around paper making, and paper and printing are still vital parts of the economy.

Downtown features include a new Performing Arts Center, a good public library (www.apl.org) with Internet available to visitors, a Paper History Museum, a Children's Museum, and Historical Society.  Good downtown hotels include the Radisson Paper Valley and the Copper Leaf.  There is a broad range of coffee houses and numerousrestaurants include Thai, Korean, Indian, Mongolian, Japanese, as well as Chinese, Italian, Mexican and American cuisine.

Appleton was the boyhood home of magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, and the Outagmie County Historical Society Museum has an extensive Houdini exhibit as well as a display on writer Edna Ferber, who got her start in Appleton. 

Green Apple Folk Music Society meets monthly except during the summer at nearby Bulbolz Nature Center, and showcases local, state and national talents.

Visitors might wish to check websites for the community newtwork Fox Cities Online ( www.focol.org) and the Convention & Visitors Bureau ( www.foxcities.org).