It’s that time of year again. You know it. Only a week left and we’re on spring break, ten glorious days away from school and stress. Sadly, this is also a week I’m not all that excited about. While everyone goes to Florida, Mexico or anywhere else fun in the sun, I stay in the freezing tundra we call home;
Michigan.
So I’m here to help and come up with ideas we can all do to try and forget the fact that we couldn’t go somewhere with a little sunshine and warmth.
Chicago
You can either take the train or drive your car. I prefer the train because lets face it, unless you know someone in the city, parking is unbelievable.
Chicago is probably my favorite close to home place to go whether it’s just for a day or, if I’m lucky, a couple more. There’s so much to do and I think that’s the best part. I’m half shopaholic and half nerd so Chicago satisfies both my needs.
The Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave is the best place if you have the money to spend or you just thoroughly enjoy window-shopping. Then there are places like the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and the Lincoln Zoo that you can visit too.
Check out a list of FREE Chicago activities and fun at http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/free-city/chicago-text/6
I absolutely love Frankenmuth, which is known for being Michigan’s Little Bavaria. It has everything from dining to wonderful hotels like the Bavarian Inn Lodge.
I would definitely suggest that Frankenmuth is more of a one-day stop. You can only do so much shopping and eating before you realize you’ve seen the entire city. If you’re a huge Christmas fanatic though, I highly suggest going to Bronners where it’s Christmas 361 days of the year.
Head towards Northern Michigan
I was reading about how camping would be a fun thing to do over spring break, but then I remembered we live in Michigan and there’s snow on the ground until April. So why not live in a cabin versus sleeping in a tent?
Grab a couple friends and go somewhere fun up north. There are so many little towns to go to that are near a lake. Even though you can’t enjoy the lake, the environment of being in a small little town with some of your friends to just have fun and explore can turn into a really good time.
These are just a couple ideas to spend your spring break while you’re stuck in Michigan and remember, you’re not alone.
Here are some other ideas for fun day trips in Michigan if you can’t get away or afford to take a week off somewhere:
Ann Arbor
Enjoy this little metropolis about two hours away from Kalamazoo. Ann Arbor offers a collection of little shops and diverse restaurants to check out for people of all kind. Grab a movie at The Michigan Theatre, browse some used book stores, or find an old beloved record at one of Ann Arbor’s many record shops.
Check out http://downtownannarbor.org/ for a list of businesses and eateries for a day of fun.
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is rapidly becoming the next big city in Michigan next to Detroit. What’s great about that is it’s only an hour away and there’s so much to do here! Like Ann Arbor, it’s downtown area is expanding and the area has lots to offer including museums, restaurants, and other fun attractions. Make sure to head to www.visitgrandrapids.org for a full list of city events and other cool stuff to do.