Destination: Holland, MI

It's "Tulip Time" in Holland, so my kids and I packed up the van to spend the day viewing the spring colors. In almost 11 years of living in Michigan I have never gone to Holland in the spring when the tulips are in bloom. What a shame! I'll definitely be going back year after year.

It's an hour and forty-five minutes of driving from Lansing. As a side note, we have used a DVD player in our van for our five kids, which works like a charm. However, for our last road trip the DVD player was on the fritz. We decided to use books on tape like we do for our driving around town. It worked reasonably well and we will continue with books on tape as our entertainment of choice. We'll get a lot of books "read" this summer as we tour Michigan!

When we arrived in Holland, we went straight to Veldheer's Tulip Farm (they also have delft and a wooden shoe factory, but I didn't think that would be kid friendly enough for five kids!). The entry fee was reasonable enough at $7 for adults and $4 for kids over 3. I could never have imagined how wonderful the farm would be beforehand.

Right at the entrance I pulled my camera out as I had planned on taking hundreds of pictures...nothing. What? I ended up having to buy one of those disposable cameras and later I remembered to use my cell phone. (When I got home I found out I had only to push the on/off button on my camera, but since I've never had to do that, it didn't even occur to me.)

The tulips were breathtaking. Row after row of lovely and different types of bulbs met our eyes. My kids and I had a hard time picking favorites. Just when we thought we had, we'd start down a new row and be wowed by something new.



After we left the farm, we headed to Holland's Tunnel Park. This is a wonderful park. Upon entering you will see many picnic tables and a large playground. You can choose from climbing stairs over the dune, or go to the right, past the bathhouse, and go through the tunnel. We chose the tunnel and the baby ran under it over and over yelling to hear the echoes. We ate lunch overlooking the lake and then spent an hour wading and running up and down the dune. The water was COLD!

Tunnel fun!

The lovely beach at Tunnel Park.

We left in time to go downtown and see the wooden shoe dancers. Downtown is a splendid sight with tulip lined streets and boulevards. The dancing was at the civic center next to the food stands and carnival. I realized then and there that I was in Holland for what the natural world could offer. The dancing was fine, but the rides and carnival I could do without!

We went back to Veldheer's to snap a few pictures. Some of my kids bought wooden shoe "seconds" and had their names burned into them, a nice keepsake. We were about to head home when the kids begged to go back to the beach. I decided that we'd try out Holland State Park. At the entrance, for only $24, we bought an annual pass to the State Parks (which adheres to the inside of the windshield). Holland State Park has a very deep beach, a lighthouse and a jetty. We enjoyed watching the waves splash against the jetty, but didn't stay long because of the cold wind.




All in all, a wonderful day!

NOTE: Make sure you have good directions to the beaches. We didn't see many signs directing toward the beaches.

A Michigan Mitten Geography Primer

Take a look at a map of North America, then look to the border of the U.S. and Canada. Can you see the distinctive mitten shape surrounded by water? That's Michigan's lower peninsula! I think Michigan's mitten rivals even Italy's boot! It is perhaps more fitting because without a good pair of mittens, you can't survive the winter here.

When I moved to Michigan, I wasn't aware of the land Michigan claimed which is sandwiched in between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, the upper peninsula, affectionately called da U.P. The lesser-known upper peninsula can be seen as a hand as well, and in the last few years I learned that people use their hands to show where they live not only in the lower, but also in the upper peninsula.

Each of Michigan's two peninsulas jut out into the Great Lakes, which is why the state is known as "The Great Lakes State." Four of the five Great Lakes surround the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie). How lucky we are!!

We are transplants to Michigan, so I didn't grow up pointing at a location on my hand to show where I live. But, it is one of the most endearing Michigan oddities that I can think of. When my husband first came to Michigan, he asked a room of people where Lansing was in Michigan. Thirty hands raised in unison, and did the following:


If you ask me where I live, I would now hold up my hand, palm facing out, point to the center of my palm, smile and say, "I live in Lansing."

Construction Zone

This newly created blog is under construction. We hope to share family friendly Michigan. Check back often for updates!