Blue Bridge - Grand Rapids, MI

Central Michigan is home to Grand Rapids, the Wolverine State’s second largest city. With winter’s snow Central Michigan is transformed into a seasonal wonderland. Grand Rapids' Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park lights up with the Christmas and Holiday Traditions exhibits and visitors explore the Miejer Sculpture Park aboard horse drawn carriage. Wyoming, Grand Rapids' largest suburb, draws model train enthusiasts for the 2012 Riverbend Model Train Show January 7th. Grand Haven residents and visitors find winter fun at Mulligans Hollow with the lighted ice ring and downhill ski and snowboarding area. Outside Grand Haven, Lake Michigan’s sand dunes make premier terrain for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

East Central Michigan is home to the Tri-Cities of Midland, Mount Pleasant and Bay City. Midland, birthplace of Dow Chemical Corporation remains home of Dow’s world headquarters. The ideal place to head inside for winter entertainment, the Midland Center for the Arts, hosts an exciting blend of art, science, history and performing arts. Join music fans February 18th for Simple Gifts performed by the Midland Symphony Orchestra. Theater Fans mark February 10th through the 19th on your calendar, for Treasure Island or March 9th through the 18th for Always Patsy Cline.

Celebrate your favorite brew back in Grand Rapids at the 7th Annual Winter Beer Festival. Held north of downtown Grand Rapids at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, visitors sample Michigan’s best craft beers. Dress warm, the festival is held in the outfield parking lot. Don’t let winter stand in the way of a great time, as Michigan Brewers Guild brings out the best brews for Grand Rapids and surrounding communities.

Fashionistas, don’t miss “All Dressed Up-1950’s Style” at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. This exhibit of mid-century party gowns and memorabilia is a must-see. The exhibit runs through the end of February at the Grand Rapids Public Museum on Pearl Street.

Of course it’s not winter in Michigan, without a visit to Winterfest in Grand Haven. The 2012 Winterfest is January 26th through the 29th at various venues in and around Grand Haven. Beat Michigan’s winter blues with Glow-Bowl at Mulligan’s Hollow, the Intergalactic Human Sled Race down First Street in downtown Grand Haven or the Cardboard Sled Races also at Mulligan’s Hollow. Top off the weekend at Winterfest Luau Extravaganza – enjoy the heated tent with Sons of Beaches entertaining, while you sway among the tropical décor in short sleeves.

It is worth the quick 15-mile drive east to Coopersville for the 2012 Coopersville Annual Outhouse 500. An outrageous festival featuring teams with outhouses decorated parading down Main Street Coopersville. Join the fun February 25th, as outhouses race down 500 feet of Main Street. Events include a 5-k Run, live music and Chili Blast in addition to the outrageous Outhouse 500 Parade and Race. Nothing beats winter like fresh air and a good laugh in Western Michigan.

Northern Michigan

Northern Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, now draped in snow, if full of winter fun. From the the top of Interstate 75 and Sault Ste Marie, south across the Mackinac Bridge past Saint Ignace and Mackinaw City to the Northern Region of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula it’s all about outdoor winter fun. Cross Country skiers explore Sleeping Bear Dunes, now a sparking winter wonderland. Petoskey, to the south of Traverse City on Little Traverse Bay claims some the Midwest’s best downhill skiing. Take a dog sled tour through the Traverse City State Forest, snowshoe through Petoskey State Park, but be sure to enjoy Northern Michigan’s winter fun.

Kick off the New Year with fun in Petoskey at the Bay Harbor Ice & Spice Festival. The 2012 festival, January 13th and 14th, features ice carving competitions, Snowboard and Ski Acrobatic Shows and Sled Dog Musher Rides. Enjoy Martin Luther King weekend in Petoskey with amazing activities, live music and an Ice Bar. See the spectacular ice carving creations by both professional and amateur contestants, and enjoy the chili from the Pro-Am Chili Challenge. Petoskey is the place to be for the Bay Harbor Ice & Spice Festival.

Downtown Petoskey hosts the 2012 Winter Blues Festival February 21st through 27th. The fourth annual festival brings a weeks worth of fun to downtown Petoskey businesses and venues. Load up the children and come out for Kids Day Downtown on February 20th, where stores with feature games, puzzles and arts and crafts for the kids – don’t miss the Snowman Building Contest at noon in Pennsylvania Park. Thursday February 23rd features the Blue’s Brews Pub Crawl through downtown Petoskey and runners enjoy the Chase the Blues 5K Fun Run/Walk on Saturday February 25th.

Shanty Creek Resorts, in Michigan’s Chain of Lakes region, features Summit Ski Area and Schuss Mountain Ski Area. Shanty Creek makes an ideal getaway near Traverse City for winter skiing, tubing and snowmobiling. Just outside downtown Traverse City, Mt Holiday and Hickory Hills are convenient options as well – you can be on the slopes just five minutes out of Traverse City. The Boardman Valley and Jordan River Valley east of Traverse City make snowmobilers happy with lots of wide-open spaces and pristine snow conditions.

Intrigued by Dog Sledding? Kalkaska, a half hour east of Traverse City hosts the 2012 Kalkaska Winterfest January 14th. Held at the Kalkaska County Fairgrounds, winterfest features a variety of dog sled races and events along with other festivities. Watch dog sleds race through the Pere Marquette State Forest and also compete in weight-pull contests moving large cargo loads. Kalkaska Winterfest is a delightful way to get outside and enjoy Michigan’s winter fun.

Don’t miss the 2012 Cherry Capital Winter WoW!fest in Traverse City. February 17th through the 19th, join the fun in historic downtown Traverse City for ice sculptures, Winter, Wine and Wow! and the Downhill Dash. There will be live entertainment, Frozen Bed Races and the Frozen Pit Spit Contest among the fun. Beat Michigan’s winter blues in Traverse City.

Detroit, Michigan

The greater Detroit area is Michigan’s largest metro area. Detroit could be called the soul of America, a region filled with US auto industry heritage, along with a rich music culture grown from the roots of Motown. Genuinely American, gridiron action fills Ford Field in Downtown Detroit, the Detroit Pistons heat up the court at the Palace in nearby Auburn Hills and downtown Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena is home ice for the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit remains home for America’s “Big Three” automakers, General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. Downtown Detroit’s population swells daily, as employees fill downtown Detroit office buildings, while metro Detroit suburbs light up as residents return home in the evening.

Roseville, 20 miles north of downtown Detroit, is at the intersection of Interstate 94 and Interstate 696. Roseville City Hall Plaza lights up December 1st at the 25th Annual Roseville Christmas Tree Lighting & Sing-A-Long. The holiday season kicks off with an evening of Holiday carols, refreshments and a visit from Santa with his live reindeer. Join family and friends for a special holiday evening in Roseville.

North of downtown Detroit, along Interstate 75, is the suburb of Madison Heights. Enjoy winter sledding at Madison Heights Civic Center Park on 13 mile road, or Ambassador Park is better with smaller children. Ice skating is an ideal winter activity at 12/Sherry and Rosie’s Park and join friends for pond hockey at Ambassador Park. Enjoy classic Michigan winter fun in Madison Heights.

Wayne County west of Detroit is home to Livonia and several other popular Detroit suburbs. Be sure to load up family and friends for a holiday drive through Wayne County Lightfest. Each evening through December, Wayne County Parks light up the longest drive-through light display in the Midwest. Start your drive at Hines Drive and Merriman Road in Westland, and be dazzled as you proceed down Hines Drive to Dearborn Heights.

Plymouth, 6-miles east of Livonia, hosts the 2012 Plymouth Ice Festival, January 21st through the 23rd. Celebrate winter as you watch spectacular Ice Sculptures being carved right before your eyes. See dueling chainsaws speed carve at Penninman Avenue and Union Street and browse professional sculptures throughout the festival. Michigan celebrates winter cold at the Plymouth Ice Festival.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is South of Interstate 94 in Southern Wayne County. With a revitalized historic district at its core, downtown Romulus is a charming and quaint destination to browse shops and enjoy a meal. No such thing as being 'stuck' at Detroit’s airport – find your way to Vino Volo in the airport terminal for a glass of wine and some tapas, or head to downtown Romulus for dinner at Beirut Restaurant on Merriman Road.

St. Joseph Lighthouse
Benton Harbor, MI

Saugatuck, less than an hour from Kalamazoo, is located on the shores of Lake Michigan. With the warm weather population diminishing, it’s time to cozy in for fall and winter on Michigan’s Art Coast. From New Year's Eve Fireworks, the Saugatuck Women’s Club hosting of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, to the annual tree lighting at Wicks Park on Water Street - Saugatuck is a charming place for a visit during the holidays. Saugatuck and neighboring community Douglas collaborate and share talents and resources for a full calendar of events – load up family and friends for the 2011 Halloween Harvest Festival among others.

Sponsored by the Saugatuck-Douglas CVB, the Halloween Harvest Festival on October 29th is a full day of live music, holiday arts and crafts, and kids' fun. Get in the spirit of the season early at the Saugatuck-Douglas Halloween Harvest Festival. Later that evening, grownups drive an hour south to Douglas for the adult costume parade beginning at 10pm.

The Saugatuck Center for the Arts is a great indoor destination when the weather is bad. The mainstage and performance studio presents performances by the Yamma Ensemble and Second City in November; October classes feature a paper mache haunted house workshop and Halloween Boo Banner workshop; and be sure to check out current exhibits at the Bertha Krueger Reid Exhibition Hall. Enjoy an fall or winter visit to Saugatuck this season.

As cool weather invades Southern Michigan, the Western Michigan Broncos heat up the field at Waldo Stadium. Action continues through November 25th when the 2011 season ends with a home game in Kalamazoo against Akron. Men’s and Women’s basketball begin competition in November at the University Arena in Read Fieldhouse. Hockey fans enjoy a long season at Lawson Arena, beginning in October.

Racecar fans, be sure to catch the action at the Kalamazoo Speedway before the close of the season in October. Enduro Race #6, Belle Tire’s Pumpkin Patch 200 is Saturday October 15th. Bring the family; admission for kids 9 and younger is free at Kalamazoo Speedway.

The Kalamazoo Nature Center, 5-miles north of downtown Kalamazoo, is an ideal spot to enjoy Michigan’s fall colors. Located off North Westnedge Road, enjoy guided hikes through brilliant autumn trees and learn why and how the changes occur. Hikes and walks are scheduled weekends in October and November. The Nature Center hosts the 2011 Buy Local Art and Gift Fair on December 10th – a great opportunity to browse and purchase local arts and goods. The Kalamazoo Nature Center is the place to find that unique gift on your holiday shopping list.