I had never been to Arizona — now the 35th state I have checked off my race to all 50 — so you can imagine my excitement as I first laid eyes on the sign that read: “The Grand Canyon State Welcomes You”. My main objective was to visit that gargantuan hole in the earth that has entranced visitors for centuries. So, after finally making a stop at the damn dam and a nearby overlook of Lake Mead, I instructed the Google Maps machine to take me to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Read MoreWe’re here to talk shop, and by that, I mean volleyball. Specifically, the kind played on the sand in the summertime, which is the best kind in my opinion, and the preferred version of the sport for Chicagoans when the warm weather washes up on the shores of Lake Michigan. Visit any of the beaches mentioned below for yourself during the summer and you'll likely come to the same conclusion.
Read MoreAt the start of 2020, national travel publication TripSavvy declared Michigan an “underappreciated outdoor playground,” naming it the year’s top travel destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Provided this planet is full of all kinds of natural wonders, anyone unfamiliar with the Great Lakes State might balk slightly at such a designation. But those of us “in the know" aren’t the least bit surprised.
Read MoreWhile it could nearly be considered part of West Michigan, Pentwater still gives off that “up north” kind of vibe, and it is for that exact reason that people come from all over to take it in. It’s the kind of place you visit to quiet your mind, to let life slow down for a little bit.
Read MoreMusic festivals are generally synonymous with a few things. Live music played at a high volume is a given, but other words and phrases and terms that might fit right in include: a weekend off the grid, lots of free spirits (or hippies, if you prefer), and perhaps a teensy bit of excessive alcohol consumption. The Beaver Island Music Festival has these things — but it also has a little something more.
Read MoreThere are plenty of beaches worth a visit along Lake Michigan, not the least of which would include those found in Grand Haven, but just south of there, tucked in between some absolutely gorgeous homes on Lakeshore Avenue, is a little spot called Kirk Park.
Read MoreAfter working overnight and getting a scant two hours of sleep or so, I piled into my little Chevy Cruze with my brother and my son and we took off from West Michigan. Our route saw us through rural parts of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as a KFC boasting a buffet, before we arrived in the Queen City, home of the Reds, the Bengals, and the Bearcats, not to mention the American Sign Museum and the Purple People Bridge.
Read MoreLocated in between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, Beaver Island, the largest island in Lake Michigan, has hosted its increasingly-popular music festival since 2003. That was the year a few people got together and said, “We want to bring some musical talent to our neck of the woods.” And so they did — literally.
Read MoreWhen it comes to Michigan's east and west coasts, there's really no contest in my estimation: the west coast, the one that hugs Lake Michigan for miles and miles, is the better coast, hands down. And of all the places you could visit along the west coast, you could do much, much worse than Grand Haven.
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