Autumn In West Michigan

I'm pretty sure there is nothing more beautiful than Autumn in West Michigan.  Watching the leaves change from vibrant green to reds, yellows and browns, even pinks.   Forests look they they are on fire with the ever changing colors of fall.

Anywhere in Michigan is stunning in the fall, but especially on the West side of the this great state.  For a list of great color tour ideas, please click here.

Here are some of my favorite West Michigan Autumn photos...please share some of yours with us, we would love to see them.

These photos were taken on The Thornapple Trail in Middleville (Barry County).

Wurst Festival Ever - Review

Its that time of year again, time for the Wurst Festival Ever!  We were at the very first festival in October 2010...what a blast!

The festival is held in a little town called New Salem, in Allegan County.

My kids love brats in general, but it was really nice for them to be able to pick out their favorites.  The decision was a difficult one, especially since there were brat makers from all over the West side of the state competing for the title of the Best Brat in Michigan.   In 2010, that honor went to Dicks Market in Dorr.  Way to go Dicks!

Because it was the first year, the festival was pretty basic, which is part of what made it a fantastic day!  My kids loved the experience of running around, playing and having fun in a farm setting.
The animals were a big hit with my kids...so fun to see the goats, pigs and calves.  We don't live in the city, but we don't have farm animals either, so this was fun.


There were fun rides, games and other activities that were perfect for kids of all ages.  W and J really enjoyed the Pig-go-round.  

The festival has certainly grown a bit over the years, but I hope you enjoy the review from our first visit.  Let me know if you decide to visit this years festival...we certainly do.

My kids had an absolute blast and still talk about our visit, several years later.  That's what making memories is all about!

For more information about the festival, visit: http://witchesofnewsalem.com/index.php?page=wurst-festival-ever

Head out the Allegan County Fair!

If you are looking for a great family activity to end summer...the Allegan County Fair is the perfect destination.  Situated in the beautiful city of Allegan, the fair is jam packed with excitement, fun and adventure for the whole family.

Take a tour through the 4-H animal barns, seeing everything from exotic cows to fantastical chickens, guinea pigs and regular pigs.  If the animals are not your cup of tea, check out the midway with all of the wondrous rides that one would expect to see at a fair...the Ferris wheel, fun house and tilt-a-whirl.   Not to mention the mid-way games, sure to lure every child in with promises of fun and prizes.

The fair is running from Sept 6-14, there is still plenty of time to make memories. 

For more information, check out the website...http://www.allegancountyfair.com/

Heading "UP North"!

This is a recap of a trip we took to Mackinac Island last summer (2012)

 Mr. Wonderful called me at work to ask if I wanted to go on vacation...weird thing is...I did.

We took a couple of days off work, packed up the kids and headed up North.  For us, this is roughly a 3 hour car ride, totally do-able with tweens without too much prep work from Mom and Dad.   However, if your brood veers toward the younger side of life, you may want to check out these travel tips.

It has been several years since we have been across "The Bridge"...however, I don't think it would matter if we had been there last week, I don't think I would ever tire of this site.

We booked our room on Hotels.com, which was an overall great experience...however, I didn't read carefully enough and our hotel turned into a motel (I can't remember which motel we stayed at). We normally stay at hotels, so the motel was a bit of a surprise for us, but it wasn't bad for the price.

 

J wanted to be the first to use the room key...yes, the room key...neither of the kids had ever stayed anywhere that didn't use a door card...she liked the key.

Check it out...the bathroom is retro too.  It was clean, so that is the most important thing.

On the plus side, it really did have a lake view, if we stretched just right we could see Lake Huron.  Unfortunately, that you see is another part of the motel and the sidewalk at the bottom of the photo was what they used to get to their rooms...so that curtain stayed closed for our entire visit.

Our first view of Lake Huron...Nice.

Checking out the pool, again, not bad, but not what we are used to.  It was clean though.

After checking in and unloading the Jeep, we headed across The Bridge.  I have heard that crossing Mackinaw Bridge can be a bit nerve wracking.   I have never had an issue with it, but know a lot of people who do.

J was NOT thrilled with that idea...W told her that we were going to blow off the bridge.

But the views were amazing...it had been a long time since I had been across. Lake Huron is on the right on the way to the UP.

Yay!  J can finally breathe a sigh of relief...we made it across.

There is a really neat visitors center just across the bridge that is definitely worth the time to stop and look around.  They have several animal skins, a wolf that was hit by a car (its HUGE!) and a really nice model of the bridge itself, which really drives home just how long the bridge really is.

Stay tuned for more UP adventures!

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