By Laura Nowak
When visiting Michigan, tourists have several options about where to spend their vacation. Some visitors may enjoy Christmas shopping or visiting Oktoberfest in Frankenmuth, while others want to blossom their
romance while riding horses and eating chocolate in Mackinac Island. Some tourists travel to Michigan for legendary festivals, such as Holland's Tulip Festival or Traverse City's Cherry Festival.
Frankenmuth
River Place Shops
Tourists visit Frankenmuth because of the Bavarian-themed shops and restaurants and Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth's Christmas store that remains open 361 days a year. Christmas enthusiasts can enjoy picking their decorations and ornaments from an unlimited selection. After touring Bronner's, visitors may wish to explore some of the Bavarian shops at Bavarian River Place. Visitors should complete their visit to Frankenmuth with a complete chicken dinner at either the Bavarian Inn or Zehnder's Of Frankenmuth. Both establishments also provide fine accommodations and pools, though Zehnder's includes an indoor water park. Frankenmuth hosts Oktoberfest every fall where visitors can enjoy German cuisine, music and beer.
Frankenmuth
www.frankenmuth.org
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Tourists often travel to Mackinac Island to taste some of its' famous fudge. The island hosts a fudge festival every August, where visitors get special deals on fudge, have chances to win a vacation package to Mackinac Island the next year, and delight in watching the Children's Ballet Theatre of Michigan perform. Besides fudge, tourists can rekindle their romance by riding around the island in a horse drawn carriage or riding horses through the woods. They also will appreciate the beauty of the two butterfly exhibits where they watch butterflies mature before their eyes. Tourists will be amazed and scared by the Haunted Theatre and Wax Monsters, where they will be greeted the Phantom of the Opera, and several other monsters of Mackinac's history. There is baby sitting provided, as this experience may be frightening for young children.
Mackinac Island
www.mackinacisland.org/index.html
Holland
Tulip Festival
Visitors enjoy exploring Holland during two seasons, early winter and late spring. While beautiful the rest of the year, they can truly appreciate the town's Dutch heritage and architecture during Dutch Winter fest, which runs from late November to early January. The town is decorated with thousands of lights, and in true Dutch tradition, guests may buy gifts from open-air shops, while St. Nicholas arrives on his white horse. Tourists may enjoy exploring the Settlers House Museum, which demonstrates how settlers worked in the 1800s. When the weather is warmer, visitors travel to Holland to see the Tulip Festival the first week of May. During the festival, guests can view millions of different tulips throughout parks and gardens, while enjoying entertainment, parades and arts and crafts for the entire family.
Holland
www.holland.org
Traverse City
Cherry Rhubarb Pie at Cherry Festival
Visitors travel to Traverse City every summer to participate in their Cherry Festival the first week of July. During the week-long extravaganza, guests partake in more than 150 family activities, including carnival rides, parades, musical concerts and sampling homemade cherry desserts and treats. If traveling during the summer, tourists may also wish to explore the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which allows them to gaze out at Lake Michigan atop sandy dunes or swim in freshwater beaches. If visitors enjoy sampling wine, they can visit several wineries and vineyards along the Leelanau Peninsula and the Old Mission Peninsula, located north of Traverse City. For convenience, the Grand Traverse Hotel offers entertainment, a casino, and fine accommodations.
Traverse City
www.visittraversecity.com
Resources
About the Author:
Laura Nowak is a freelance writer who combines her love of travel and research to write travel articles. She has been published in various print and online publications, including the "Western Herald," where she wrote arts and entertainment articles. Nowak earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in practical writing from Western Michigan University.
