About Eau Claire Tours

Meet Your Tour Guide

Array of baked goods falling into basket.

Hello, I am Roger Gostomski, owner of Eau Claire Tours and I will be your tour guide. There were three main things that sparked my idea for these tours: the revitalization of our downtown, the discovery of some cool local landmarks, and a few tours I did in Minneapolis.

My Personal Tour

A little bit about myself…I grew up in Owen, a small town one hour East of Eau Claire.  I remember going to Eau Claire in the ’70s to shop at London Square Mall and driving by Woo’s Pagoda, thinking Eau Claire was a huge metropolis. (Yes, I lived a sheltered life.)

Sweet pastries on stacked on tabletop.

I attended UW-Eau Claire and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. While going to school, I lived near campus but never really ventured outside the university realm, although there was not much reason to do so at the time. After graduating I moved to Madison, during which time I married my wonderful wife, Jenny.

After five years of living there, we decided it was time to come home. We moved back to Eau Claire where we have lived the last 30 years and raised two great daughters, Rachel and Nicole.     

I’ve Seen So Many Positive Changes to Eau Claire

Over these last 30 years, I have witnessed numerous positive changes to our city, especially how the downtown has taken off. Wow! It has an energy that you can feel when you are there. Whether you are a 2-year-old playing in the splash pads at the Pablo Center, a UWEC student going for a jog, or a retired couple relaxing on a park bench, everyone feels at home here. There is a festive atmosphere when the weekly summer bands are playing and the farmers market is in full swing. On the other hand, if you want some time to reflect, you can sit quietly in Phoenix Park while watching the Chippewa River flow gently downstream. To me, the downtown is a magnet that keeps bringing me back and is the major reason I started these tours. 

Inspired to Show Off Eau Claire

Over the last few years, I began going for runs downtown to enjoy the beauty and energy of the area. While on my runs, I noticed interesting landmarks that I had heard about, but never truly seen before, such as the High Bridge and the Planet Walk. About this same time, my daughter Nicole was living in Uptown Minneapolis. While visiting her, we took a couple of tours in the city and I realized that Eau Claire has a lot going for it, as well. Those tours, my recent “discoveries” in a city I’d known all my life, and my love of showing off our downtown, inspired the idea for Eau Claire Tours, and so, here we are! 

Thank you for your interest in my tours, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed putting them together.

Roger Gostomski, Owner/Founder of Eau Claire Tours

Phoenix Park footbridge 2.jpg

Fun Fact

Eau Claire Tours, though focused on Eau Claire, is a world-wide company. I obviously, am right here in Eau Claire; however, the VoiceMap app company is based in South Africa, and my daughter, Nicole, who has helped fine-tune everything, is living in New Zealand.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the leaders of Eau Claire, who over the last 10 years have turned Eau Claire into a vibrant, energetic city, with a wide variety of first-rate activities to enjoy. These tours would not be possible without their vision and passion to make Eau Claire an outstanding city.

A huge shout-out should go to Visit Eau Claire, who did a survey for me, introduced me to valuable contacts, and supported me in the making of these tours.

Harlie, with the Small Business Development Center at UW-Eau Claire, has been a great asset in all aspects of the business, especially with connecting me with talented UWEC students who have done a great job in helping me market the tours. Thank you.

The Chippewa Valley Museum has been instrumental in making these tours “Pop” with their awesome collection of historical pictures.

My daughters have also added a lot of value throughout the process. Their business degrees have really paid off and I have been very impressed with their knowledge regarding all aspects of the business. We definitely did not raise any "yes" women, as they were more than willing to tell me if something needed improving, and they were usually right.

A special thank you goes out to my wife, Jenny, who somehow found something to do without me while I spent numerous hours making these tours. You’re awesome!