Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer

The Buffalo National River, situated in Northern Arkansas is free flowing for more than 135 miles. It’s one of North America’s last remaining undammed rivers.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer on the banks of the Buffalo River for a conversation with National Park Ranger, Joyce Umbach, and Ben Milburn the owner and operator of Buffalo River Outfitters.

A visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum--Executive Director Kari Watkins talks about the deadliest attack in America until 9-11. 

Your new Ford might just come equipped with repurposed U.S. currency, flax, wheat, agave fibers, and a litany of organic auto parts. 

The USS Potomac served as the President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Floating White House” from 1936 until his death in 1945. How the USS Potomac came to reside in Oakland, California is a fascinating journey.

Following a ten year stint as a Coast Guard patrol boat, the Potomac saw duty as a Caribbean ferry, Elvis Presley private yacht, and a stint as a drug smuggler that ultimately led to its sinking while tied up on Treasure Island.

Gloria Calderón is the Director of the Museo de los Niños in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with Gloria as she talks about the engaging hands-on children’s museum, her passion for the country, and the work-in-progress to create an adjunct museum showcasing the former prison’s story.

The Children’s Museum opened in 1994 in a long abandoned former prison with an evil history rivaling the world’s worst hell-holes of incarceration.

Guest host, Steve Koch, is the producer of the syndicated show "Arkansongs" a celebration of Arkansas music. Koch shares insights about Arkansawyer Jim Ed Brown who was born in Sparkman in Dallas County, Arkansas, and grew up in Pine Bluff, Ark.

“J.E.” achieved fame singing with his sisters as The Browns before he went solo in the mid-1960s.

Brown charted more than fifty singles, but was nearly as famous for his TV appearances, including being longtime spokesman for Dollar General Stores. 

Associate Producer for Journeys of Discovery,  Steve Koch is host of the syndicated show Arkansongs in Little Rock. Koch shares insights about Bill Clinton's passion for music and his life in Arkansas.

The San Luis Obispo restaurant industry is facing increasing costs on multiple fronts. Current and impending issues include a rise in minimum wage to $15 per hour, a regional labor shortage, mandated health care, sick leave, along with rising food costs. Restaurant owners are brainstorming ways to modify their business models, including instituting a service charge or surcharge.

Cayden Wemple is a passionate indie-folk singer/songwriter and a senior at Mission College Prep in San Luis Obispo. Wemple describes his songwriting techniques and practices. He also shares insights about how he draws inspiration for his songs from the political world around him. 

I spent some time at the Heartland Public Shooting Park, located on the outskirts of Grand Island, Nebraska to visit with Tim O’Connor, a shooting-sport coach at the local Catholic high school. 

Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee is a more than just a megastore.

The Memphis facility works year round empowering inner-city youth and instilling outdoor conservation awareness.

The facility also hosts hands-on field trip experiences for kids from the nearby St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

The story of how Las Vegas became the 9th Hawaiian Island.  

Bill Boyd, chairman of Boyd Gaming Group in Las Vegas, shares his family’s intimate involvement in the gaming industry Bill Boyd's father, Sam Boyd (born in 1910), moved the family to Oahu when Bill was in first and second grade.

The Trump administration's support of Big Game hunts and recalling the tragic death of Cecil the Lion demanded a repost of the interview Tom Wilmer conducted with two big game, photographic safari guides recorded on location in Botswana.

Schlitterbahn Waterparks & Resorts is a trendsetter in the world of family vacations. Management philosophy is 100 percent predicated on creating experiences for kids of all ages, from literally six months old to octogenarians.

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Director, Wendy Eidson shares insights about the SLO Film Fest, March 13-18. 

Cal Poly Adjunct Professor, Katya Cengel reports from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia--long known as the land of the eternal blue sky, but rapid urban migration is changing that.

The once nomadic population increasingly  now lives in cities with approximately 45 percent of the population, or one million people, living in the capital of Ulaanbaatar. 

The world’s first family destination water park started with a dream and vision back in 1966 when Bob and Billye Henry fell in love with Landa Resort, a small 12-acre riverfront property on the outskirts of New Braunfels, Texas.

Years of sweat equity with the three Henry children slinging mud and wielding welders turned a small family resort in to the family friendly Schlitterbahn encompassing more than 70 acres. 

Tom Wilmer and his associate, Annita Thomas from Atlanta, Georgia visit with Diane Morganthaler, Executive Vice President of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. Diane shares a litany of cool things to do and see for the entire family. 

Correspondent, Tom Wilmer reports from Detroit, Michigan for an exploration of street murals and graffiti/calligraphic art.

The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee is the Mother Ship where the entire history of country music from the 1800's to present is showcased and revered in the 360,000 square-foot multi-story facility.

Pietro’s has been a favorite with Lodi, California locals since the Italian eatery for three decades. Family owned by Jim and Annette Murdaca, I stopped in for a visit with their son, Chef Pete who spent a year and a half learning the craft as an stagiaire (intern) in Calabria and Parma Southern Italy. 

Join Jim Fricke, Curatorial Director at the 130,000 square-foot Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as he shares highlights of the legendary motorcycle’s 117-year history.

Jeff Mirkes, Executive Director of Downtown Green Bay Inc., explains how the town’s waterfront City Deck redeveloped riverfront attracted an influx of new business ventures and urban dwellers into the heart of downtown.

   Racine Wisconsin has been home to many iconic American manufacturers since the Civil War. 

Case New Holland has been based in Racine since the 1840s. Racine is home to Oster, Hamilton-Beach, and Massey Ferguson.

Malted milk was birthed here in 1887. The garbage disposal was invented here in 1927--and it remains as the home of Insinkerator today.

S.C. Johnson, an integral part of Racine since 1886, produces Raid, Glade, Johnson Wax, and Windex and a litany of cleaning products.

Join Chris Paulson, Racine Heritage Museum’s Executive Director as he shares tales of Racine’s incredible history. 

It’s just a two and a half hour drive from Green Bay, Wisconsin to the tip of the Door Peninsula where the family owned Washington Island Ferry awaits to take you on a five mile, thirty minute boat ride to another world. 

A visit with Sandi Twist, owner of The Paddleboard Company, fittingly located on the waterfront in Morro Bay. Twist walks about the explosive popularity of stand-up paddling (SUP) for both the curious and serious.

A mere taste of Colonel Norman’s diverse background with the U.S. Army includes service as Operations Officer 82nd Airborne, Provost Marshall Military Reserve Command, and the Military Intelligence Readiness Command. She also served as Professor of Military Science at Seattle University.

Skid Row in Los Angeles is home to more than 2,000 homeless who sleep on the streets, in doorways, alleys, under bridges, and on streetcars. Skid Row is just a slice of a larger population of homeless in Los Angeles County with a total homeless population of around 60,000. And this does not include the cities of Glendale, Pasadena, and Long Beach—three of the County’s larger towns.

Join Gabriella Gerhardt, Development Officer at the Madison Children’s Museum in Wisconsin. It’s a hands-on engaging place where free-play is the operative. Discover why NPR ranked one of the exhibits among the top ten in America, and learn about the live chickens, the human hamster cage, the engaging Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, and more—just for kids.

Saint Vincent de Paul’s downtown Los Angeles Thrift Store, the largest in Los Angeles County and one of the largest thrift stores in America, provides quality merchandise to those in need as well as a burgeoning trade with millennials and Gen Z.

The secret is out that that this is the place to score a great bargain—and it’s a win-win as all proceeds go to support Saint Vincent de Paul’s various programs including the Cardinal Manning Center in the heart of Skid Row.