Rotary Gardens

Tesla Wurtsel, 5, runs through the hedges of Janesville’s Rotary Botanical Gardens during an Earth Day celebration in 2022.

As the COVID-19 pandemic eased last year, visitors to Rock County started spending tourism dollars again. And, that mirrored a statewide trend.

In Rock County, direct tourism spending totaled $270 million in 2022, up 14 % from $237 million in 2021, according to new figures released by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.