We are in the metro Detroit area and want to take a 2 to 3 day getaway to the western side of the state on Lake Michigan. We are thinking about spending time at Michigan's Adventure but I am also wondering what other fun things anyone can suggest (beaches, etc). We have our almost 4 year old and my 16 year old stepson will be visiting with us as well. I grew up in SE Michigan but have never spent any time in that part of the state so I have to admit, I'm not very familiar with the area. Any other ideas? Or have you been to Michigan's Adventure and how did you like it? Any suggestions on where to stay? TIA!
I went to Sleeping Bear Dunes as a kid and I loved it, but we are not planning on going that far north this time - I'm thinking about other things around Grand Haven, Muskegon, etc.
Grand Haven is a wonderful spot for families. They have a wonderful public beach and a boardwalk with food, ice cream, shops. They have a musical fountain every evening and a nice pier to walk down at sunset. We used to go there when I was a kid. We went back last summer with my kids so they could experience it too.
When I was growing up, my parents took us to Petosky ... we stayed at the Apple Tree Inn ... you could see the bay of Lake Michigan from the driveway. We'd drive up to Charlevoix one day and eat ice cream at the Haggan Daz shop and watch the draw bridge. Have fun! And Mackinac City/Island is a blast.
Check out the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury. GREAT place for all ages. We have the same issue with teens and a little one. Everyone has fun there.
The dunes at Silver Lake, just north of the Double JJ, are awesome, too. We've stayed at the ranch and at Silver Lake and have been able to combine both in the same vacation.
Michigan's Adventure is nice, too. Not so exciting for the older ones who spend lots of time at Cedar Point, but great for the little ones. The water park is better than the amusement park side to keep both ages happy. We stayed in Muskegon on that trip, so we did the great beach/amusement park vacation in one trip. Muskegon has beautiful beaches.
The Lake Michigan shoreline is beautiful! Have fun!
We just did Michigan Adventure with my 4 and 8-year-old girls, and they loved it. I think there are some dunes nearby? We've also hit the lake on other trips (although further down in Holland) and have also enjoyed ourselves too. I really don't think you can do a lot of wrong on that side of the state. Hope you have a great trip no matter what you do.
I recommend St. Joseph. There are beautiful beaches, wineries, charming downtown. Scooter and bike rentals. Curious kids and discovery zone museum. Giant water fountain for all ages to play in. I would stay in a hotel down by Silver Beach. Krasal art gallery. You can check everything out on their website. St.joesphtoday.org. Hope that helps!
D.
I went to Grand Haven last summer for a girl's weekend and LOVED it! I keep thinking how fun it would be to bring our family there. I searched online for house/condo rentals -- ours wasn't very close to the beach but if I went again, I'd spend the extra money for one close to the little dt area and beach.
Grand Haven is beautiful. So is South Haven. Both have great beaches and a lot to do at the waterfront. Grand Haven has a beautiful board walk down town with shops and restaurants. South Haven is a little more of a walk to the downtown area but they have a lot of beach rentals.
Grand Haven is a great place to walk/shop. The teenagers spend time jumping from the pier, and it is great sand to dig in for the youngsters. The state park beach and the city beach connect and are always busy.
My 4 year old like sleeping bear dunes, especially the dune climb.
I highly recommend St. Joseph. Great beach with clean changing areas, a snack bar and 2 playscapes. The small town is really nice and includes lots of restaurants, fun little shops and a small children's museum. We went there several times when my children were smaller. The Amtrak train travels through town - the train station had a very cool pizza place attached to it. The town also has a music pavillion with free concerts during the summer months.
There are plenty of other cities with beautiful beaches further north too. You can't really go wrong!
Have a great trip!
Go to Shoreline.com and find out about the free musical acts in the various towns. There's free music in Saugatuck on Wednesdays. The bandshell in Montague has great acoustics. There are concerts by students camping at the Blue Lake Music Camp. Pentwater has a very nice main street with outdoor eating. Pentwater's state park beach is very accessible. Pentwater celebrates a homecoming with a parade, sand sculpture contest and the like. Ludington State Park has fantastic recreational possibilities, with canoeing on lakes and the beach with its own lighthouse. Hoffmaster State Park has good hiking, camping and dune access. You could go on a lighthouse tour. Duck Lake State Park is a good place to swim with young children because there is a channel between Lake Michigan and Duck Lake, making watching the kids a bit easier. Stop at Ruth Ann's in North Muskegon for ice cream--be sure to order 'Eskimo Kisses." Grand Haven is very nice, but can be busy on summer weekends. Muskegon has one of two DDay ships left in existence for tour, and they show movies aboard deck on some Friday evenings. And be sure to catch the sunset every night you are there.
Have a great time!
The Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids are a lot of fun. They have a great kids area with lots of things to do. Oval Beach in Saugatuck/Douglas has been ranked as one of the best beaches in the country! Weeko Beach is really nice and family-friendly - nice, soft sand, concession store, clean water. You guys will have a great time!
The Lake Michigan shoreline is full of stuff to do. Besides the water park you talk of (my youngest loved going with a church group), there's Saugatuck with its paddle boats, there's Holland with its Dutch theme everything and it's windmill, there's Grand Haven and South Haven beaches. In Muskegon and Ludington you have the ferries to take you across the lake. Further north there's Traverse City. Sleeping Bear dunes, Interlochen, and where there are dunes there are dune buggies.
You could take the car-ferry across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin!!! While in Manitowoc, be sure to eat at Wrap-It-Up (YUM!!).
I have heard great things about mi. Adventures. My son is only 5 and some of his friends have been going for a couple years. There are sand dunes in the area too, where your youngest may enjoy walking around and playing, and your oldest may like a dune buggy ride? We are from SE also, but know plenty of people who make the trip yearly. You may want to look into saugatuck also, if you are looking for great eats, boating, fishing, museums also. Good luck!
we went to MI Adventures last summer with our 5yr old and she loved it. It is definitely geared toward younger kids though so I think the 16 yr old would be bored there.
