By Jeanette Kelley
Michigan Vacations for Kids
You have decided to head to Michigan for vacation and now you are wondering what there is for the kids to do. Michigan offers an array of activities for all ages. From islands with Native American legends and historic forts, Michigan offers exciting amusement and water parks, educational museums and zoos to lakeshore dunes where you just might find a rare stone. Your kids will have an exciting adventure while in Michigan. Michigan is a four-season wonderland. Campgrounds are abundant and only a few are open year-round. If you decide to stay at a state campground during the summer months, make sure to make your reservation early. State campgrounds located in the most popular vacation areas fill up quickly.
Climb a Sand Dune
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Courtesy, National Park Service.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is must see. The lakeshore is more than 50,000 acres on Lake Michigan in Leelanau and Benzie counties, near Empire. Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore offers a bit of history and Native American legend that kids find interesting, along with the popular dune climb that leads to Lake Michigan. Pack a picnic, float on one of the many rivers, look for a Petoskey stone, bird watch or visit nearby Glen Haven, a historic logging village founded in 1857.
See a Fort and an Island
Fort Mackinac. Courtesy, Travel Michigan.
Michigan has several historic forts throughout the state. The most popular is Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. Built during the American Revolution, Fort Mackinac is a living museum. Kids can be part of the action while they play a game from the Victorian era or be part of the reenactment.
While on Mackinac Island, make sure to check it out. It is full of Native American legends and local myths that kids will be interested in. Ride a bike around the island and see all the natural rock formations, try to skip stones into Lake Huron or head over to the Grand Hotel to sit on the world's largest front porch (more than 600 feet long). While you are there, do some ghost hunting. Local legend boasts that the Grand Hotel just might have a ghost or two.
Beaches Galore
Avalanche Bay; Courtesy, Boyne USA.
Michigan has beaches galore. Build a sand castle of the shore of the Great Lakes. Go fishing in many of the inland lakes, see a waterfall in the Upper Peninsula or enjoy a day at Avalanche Bay at Boyne Mountain, Michigan's largest indoor water park. If your child enjoys animals, take time to visit the Detroit Zoo, a 125-acre zoological park located in Royal Oak. Does your child find science interesting? Make sure to check out the Detroit Science Center, which features all types of hands on science activities for kids of all ages.
So make your vacation around your child's interest. They and you will have a good time.
About the Author:
Located in Northwest Michigan, Jeanette Kelly has been writing since 2008. She was written for regional magazines such as "Midwest Living" and "Traverse" magazines and for Examiner.com. Kelly holds an associate's degree from Western Culinary Institute in culinary management.
Photo Credits:
Courtesy Boyne USA
