Things you may not know about the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center

When people think about the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center at Freedom Park in Prescott, they often think of the spectacular view of the Mississippi River, the beautiful bluff line or perhaps stopping in to pick up a map before continuing their journey along Wisconsin's Great River Road.

But there is so much more to this special place than meets the eye. Here are a few things you may not know about the Great River Road Visitor and Learning Center and Freedom Park.

The 4-acre bluff overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers has been a special place for more than a century. The park originally opened to the public in 1918 under the name Scenic Tourist Park. In 1981, the park became the release site for a rehabilitated bald eagle named Freedom. The eagle became a symbol of conservation efforts to restore the declining bald eagle population. In 1982, the park was renamed Freedom Park in his honor....