Visit West Michigan

Home sweet vacation spot. I may be a NC girl now, but my roots are in West Michigan. Obviously a lot has changed over the years, but some of my childhood favorites are still around today! These spots are great for families.

• Michigan Adventures - This is a must visit in Muskegon, Michigan. A theme park and water park rolled into one. We took our boys on our last trip to Michigan and it was pure joy. I loved watching them ride some of the same rides I did as a child. If you are going for the whole day I recommend looking into their meal deals and buying tickets online to save time and money.

• John Ball Zoo - Okay I have to admit I may be biased on this one, but the zoo has come a long way since the 90’s. It holds some very special memories; it is the location where my husband and I got married (YES we got married at the zoo!) I also volunteered there as a teen and worked there during the summer in high school. They have added some wonderful activities for children like the treehouse at the top of the zoo, gem mining and the always favorite petting zoo.

  • Add on items at the zoo include

    • The Funicular (a tram that takes you up to the Bissel tree house)

    • Gem mining where you get to pan for gems.

    • Budgie feeding (the exhibit is free but feeding has a small price)

    • Camel Rides

• The Grand Rapids Children’s museum is a hands on learning center in downtown Grand Rapids. This educational fun park is filled with different exhibits to satisfy children (and adults) of all ages. Pull yourself inside a bubble, build with magnets, shop in the shopping center, visit the hands on rotating exhibits or put on a show in the theater. This is a great rainy day activity for all!

• Meijer - Okay, maybe this last one is a little funny, but hear me out. If you are not from the Midwest you need to visit Meijer. It is the one stop store for everything you forgot on your trip. Think of it as Walmart meets Target. Now the real reason I added this is because growing up we always rode Sandy the horse at Meijer; it was a single penny to ride and it remains that way today. Meijer is also committed to serving the community and raising funds and awareness for different causes.