When I first decided to stay in Allendale at Grand Valley for the summer, I thought I'd be bored out of my mind. Growing up on the east side of Michigan, I knew all the best beaches to go to, what day you'd get the best deals at CJ Barrymore's, and basically all the insider secrets. What in the world is there to do in Allendale? As I looked more into it and started exploring the west side of Michigan, I got more and more excited! There's so much to do out here in the summer, even on a college student budget! So if you're also staying at a college on the west side, or maybe you happen to live out here, or you're just looking for a great vacation, here's some summer must-do's in west Michigan!
1. John Ball Zoo
This zoo is located only about 15 minutes away from Grand Valley's Allendale campus and more conveniently the 50 bus will take you there if you get off at the Fulton and Garfield stop! This zoo has so much to do and they're open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. almost everyday which is great because somedays you could spend all 9 hours they're open enjoying the zoo! Not only do they have the traditional animal exhibits but they also have an aquarium, complete with aquatic animals and penguins! There's also many other things to be experienced at the zoo -- including lots of hands-on! Not only can you walk through the wallaby exhibit but if they're active you can pet them! There's also a petting farm area with goats and chickens, an aviary where you can feed birds, a stingray lagoon where you can pet stingrays, and a place where you can ride camels....yup, you read that right: ride camels. In addition to all these animal exhibits they also have high ropes courses, zip lines, and a funicular. There's so many animals here -- lions and tigers and bears, oh my! You can spend the whole day at this zoo seeing all the animals, learning lots, and having some pretty fantastic experiences. Admission is only $10 but Pro tip: slip them your college ID for a $1 discount!
2. Grand Haven
Grand Haven is such a fun place to visit, only about a half hour drive from Grand Valley! In addition to the shopping and eating there's a fantastic lighthouse and pier that gathers many tourists! You are free to walk down the pier and take as many pictures as you want in front of the lighthouse at absolutely no expense. There's also a Grand Haven State Park that does cost a few dollars to enter but if you don't want to use the public beach this is a great alternative. You can even go camping at this state park if you want to make a weekend trip out of it! The Grand Haven Train Depot Museum gathers railway enthusiasts from all over! It's entirely donation based so althogh there's no admission price it's always nice to drop a couple dollars in, especially for the experience you receive! You're guaranteed to learn something and snap a couple pretty cool pictures. When else will you get a chance to be that close to a steam engine?! One of the must see's in Grand Haven is the musical fountain. This is a 25-minute synchronized water and light show, complete with music! Before Memorial Day this fountain can be caught in action every Friday and Saturday night but after Memorial Day it's performing every single night. During your time at Grand Haven, chances are good you'll get pretty hungry. Pronto Pup is definitely a favorite for many beach goers! They serve amazing corndogs at a great price at only $1.75 and drinks being only $0.50 for a small or $1. Pro tip: They only accept cash so be sure to visit the ATM before you visit Pronto Pup. Pro tip #2: You can definitely eat more than one so might as well just get two the first time so you don't have to wait in line again. If corndogs aren't your thing then J.W.'s Food & Spirits is a favorite restaurant amongst locals! No matter where you eat I'm sure it'll be delicious!
3. Grand Rapids Public Museum
The Grand Rapids Public Museum is a great place to visit on a rainy day or a day when the temperature is hitting 100 and you can't stand to blast the AC all day because you're not ready to face that bill! A perfect alternative is to visit the museum where you can enjoy their air conditioning and all the exhibits! There's so much to learn here, including the history of beautiful Grand Rapids. This museum always has some kind of special exhibit to check out whether it's the Robot Zoo or the King Tut exhibit, it is always a unique experience that anyone and everyone will enjoy. Their newest exhibit is called "Earth Explorers" and it looks like an incredibly fun experience where you can test your abilities to survive in some crazy circumstances, such as an ice-covered world! Admission into this awesome exhibit is included with general admission which is fantastic considering general admission is only $8! This museum also another really cool attraction -- a Planetarium! Pro-tip: Purchase your planetarium ticket with your general admission ticket and it's only $4 extra to add the planetarium. If you buy the tickets separately the planetarium ticket only costs $5! With that extra $1 you're saving by buying your general admission and planetarium tickets at the same time, you can channel your inner child and take a ride on the carousel for just $1! Growing up you rushed over to the carousel to pick out the prettiest horse to ride and at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, adults can do that too because they understand that growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional and you're never too old to ride a carousel.
4. Treetop Adventure Park
Grand Rapids has recently opened a new adventure park! This park includes safe obstacles meant to challenge you emotionally and physically! From swinging logs to Tarzan swings, ziplines, and rope bridges, Treetop offers it all. These high ropes courses are perfect for your inner adrenaline junkie! Treetop provides all the equipment and training necessary to make sure you have a safe trip, all you have to do is listen to their instructions and be ready to have some fun! Pro tip: If you visit before 5pm it's pretty pricey at $39 but if you visit after 5pm the price is only $29!
5. Double JJ Ranch
Located about 45 minutes away from Grand Valley's campus, Double JJ ranch is one of the coolest places I've visited and there's something for everyone! Whether you're camping, staying in a cabin, lodging in a nearby hotel, or just visiting for the day there's so many things you can pack into one visit. Double JJ Ranch has a fantastic waterpark, a golf club, horseback riding, and a summer rodeo. The waterpark is great to visit on a rainy day or if it's just too hot outside for horses! Adult admission into the water park is $25 but you get so much for your money because they have four water slides, four pools complete with water guns, basketball, balance walk, and a wave pool, a lazy river, hot tubs, body slides, and an indoor/outdoor hot tub! The golf course at Double JJ ranch has a hole that is voted one of the hardest in Michigan! Pro tip: this hole is hole #2 and it's important to remember it's one of the hardest in Michigan. Since it's the second hole you're golfing it's easy to get frustrated and throw off your whole game but if you're aware of how challenging it is you'll be able to brush it off and continue playing a great game on their 17 other championship holes! Pro tip #2: Try to plan your visit Monday-Thursday. In the summer (May 27-September 5) they raise their prices (from $30 to $49 on weekdays and from $35 to $74 on weekends). By visiting during the week you're saving $25 by only paying $49 to golf instead of the $74 you'd pay during the weekend! Double JJ Ranch wouldn't be a ranch if they didn't have horses! They offer two different experiences-- lessons and rodeo. During the lessons they have beginner rides (walking), intermediate rides (trotting), and advnaced rides (cantering). For $30 you receive a 40 minute lesson which in the equestrian world is a really good deal! With the rodeos, it is exactly what you'd expect-- pig roast, barrel racing, roping cattle from horseback, and the event that has everyone on the edge of their seats: bull riding. Tickets to the pig roast are $15, tickets to the rodeo are $12, but pro tip #3: buy the combo ticket for $24 which will save you $3 in the end and you get to partake in both the pig roast and rodeo!
6. Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park
They do not sell food for you to eat at the park but do sell soft drinks. You can bring your own picnic lunch to enjoy at the park!
7. Windmill Island
For only $9 you can spend the day at Windmill Island in Holland. There is a 250 year old working Dutch windmill, over 115,000 tulips, and a house that is an exact replica of a 14th century inn. Girls in traditional costumes and wooden shoes provide entertainment with old-time dances and there's also world famous fudge made with real Dutch cocoa! There's so much to experience here and it's perfect for a relaxing, educational day! Pro-tip: If you're visiting during Tulip Time allow yourself at least three hours to visit Windmill Island because it's much more crowded. When it's not Tulip Time it takes about two hours to complete Windmill Island although you can spend as long as you want there!
8. Farmer's Market
Fulton Street Farmer's Market is the oldest and largest farmer's market in Grand Rapids! It is open Tuesday, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and it's open regardless of the weather. Over 37 farmers contribute to this market, meaning you're guaranteed to find at least one thing you're interested in! Farmer's Markets are a great way to spend part of your day, for walking around or shopping for your weekly groceries! There are farmer's markets all over Michigan so you should be able to find one regardless of how far you want to travel. Pro-tip: some of the best foods you can purchase at farmer's markets instead of grocery stores include: tomatoes, carrots, berries, onions, asparagus, peaches, grass-fed beef and dairy, and anything organic!
9. Fruit Picking
Starting in July, Reender's Blueberry Farms opens for the season with 800 acres of blueberry plants. You can choose to do U-pick where they provide you with buckets and you can spend as long as you want in the fields picking blueberries. When you're done picking you bring the buckets in, weigh your berries, and receive containers to take them home in. If picking berries isn't for you then you can just visit the store and buy pre-picked berries or other local fruits too! Their store also sells jams, honey, syrup, souvenirs, and homemade pies and muffins; in addition to candy, shirts, air sprays, and much more! Pro-tip: Their website has lots of recipes they've tried that work well with their berries!
10. West Michigan Whitecaps
The Whitecaps are West Michigan's minor league baseball team and their games are actually fun to watch! Watching baseball games is such a fun experience, especially when you have a ball park hot dog in one hand! This team has been in Grand Rapids since 1994 and before they came to Grand Rapids, no professional baseball team had been in GR for 40 years. There's a lot of history with this team and for only $7-$15 a ticket it's a great way to spend the day or evening! Pro-tip: Check their website for promotions! You can buy tickets for cheaper due to certain vendors or buy tickets to specific events such as the Planet of the Apes Night or the fireworks! Pro-tip #2: If you order tickets over the phone there is a $3 convenience fee but if you order online there is only a $2 convenience fee. Order online and save a dollar!
11. Escape Room
Being locked in a room doesn't sound very fun but in this scenario it is! In a real life Clue game you're like in a room with nine other people and must search for your way out by trying to find secret compartments, passageways, and clues! You have one hour to try and escape and while you're not guaranteed you'll escape you will definitely learn much including teamwork and bonding! Pro-tip: During the week tickets are $23 each but on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the tickets are $28 each. Visiting during the week will save you $5! Pro-tip #2: Only about 20 percent of groups are able to escape in time and the groups that are most successful are usually groups of strangers instead of groups of friends.
12. Go Karts
Craig's Cruisers has multiple Go-Kart tracks, indoors and outdoors! For only $6 you can race your friends around this track over and over! This place is fantastic because they don't just have Go-Karts, they also have laser tag, bumper cars, bumper boats, mini golf, ropes courses, and much more! Pro-tip: Every Wednesday from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Grand Rapids location you can buy a wristband for $25 for unlimited activities, not just limited to go-karts! Grand Rapids, Muskegon/Holland, and Silver Lake all have Craig's Cruisers so you'll be able to find a location all along West Michigan!
13. Laser Tag
If you don't hit up laser tag while you're at Craig's Cruisers or you just want more laser tag time, The Lost City is a perfect place to visit! This laser arcade, located in Holland, has a 5,000 square foot laser tag arena. One of laser tag in their awesome arena is only $8 per person but they do offer many different deals so you can enjoy all they have to offer. Just like Craig's Cruisers has many activities so does The Lost City; their activities include laser tag, video games, mini-golf, and mini-bowling! Pro-tip: Visit on a Tuesday. Tuesdays are "buy one, get one free" for laser tag, mini golf, and mini bowling. For example, if you buy one round of laser tag, you get a second round completely free! Out of all the specials they offer this one is definitely my favorite!
14. Putt Putt Golf
One of my favorite summer activities is putt putt golf! It doesn't require any golf skill and the putt putt courses are always a lot of fun. Personally I recommend AJ's Family Fun Center in Comstock Park and Ludington for a good game of putt putt! They have different challenges on certain holes where you spin the wheel and are placed with a task to golf that hole with. For example, you may have to hit your first shot with only one hand! In addition to putt putt golf, AJ's also has go-karts, bumper boats, an arcade, batting cages, and laser tag. You could check go-karts, laser tag, and putt putt golf off your summer bucket list at this place alone! Pro-tip: Groupon is a great website to join, especially because AJ's accepts Groupons! So be sure to check out Groupon before you head over to AJ's for some summer fun!
15. Boat Tour
Now for those special date nights when it's time to splurge, the Holland Princess is definitely the way to go. It does cost $50 per person, however cruising from Lake Macatawa into the channel and then into Lake Michigan is a great experience. What makes this an even better time is the fact it includes food, specifically a meal, beverages, and of course, dessert. Pro-tip: If you go for lunch instead of dinner you save $10 since lunch is only $40 per person and still includes a two hour cruise, lunch, beverages, and dessert.
Whether West Michigan is a place you call home or just a vacation destination there's so much to do here. From rainy day activities to spending all day on the beach there's something here for everyone, all ages, regardless of weather. So it's time to log off the Internet and head out to get started on completing the West Michigan Summer Bucketlist!
