Festival and Ferry for the Last Day in Southwest Michigan

 

It was the final day in Michigan for my friend, Lynn, and I. It had been a wonderful adventure along the coast of Lake Michigan. We were prepared to spend the day with even more of it.

We started with a breakfast meeting with Nick Nerbonne, Media & Digital Director at Pure Michigan. We met at The Coffee Factory for great lattes and breakfast sandwiches, and to talk about the mitten state and accessibility.

Nick is interested in making the state as accessible as possible, knowing it has to be done place by place. He’s proud of the beach chair initiative and the continued efforts. He eagerly listened to my suggestions about hotels, transportation, and other accommodations.

We went back to the Delta Hotel to pack up and check out. We still had until evening in Muskegon. After leaving our suitcases with the front desk, we walked the three blocks downtown to Hackley Park, where a Polish Festival was going on. Along the way we spotted murals and sculptures throughout the well-kept city.

The Polish Festival, a yearly event in the town, was a lot of fun. It celebrated that countries heritage, food, and culture. We watched the dancing and listened to the music while deciding what to eat from the very tempting booths.

Lynn went for a platter with kielbasa, cabbage, pierogies, and potato pancakes. She said it was authentic and fantastic. I went for something a little less ordinary, but equally good: Paczki stuffed with pulled pork.

We walked back to the Delta Hotel and relaxed for a while before it was time to leave and drive to the port. Instead of driving back to Illinois, we had decided to take the Lake Express Ferry and spend a night in Milwaukee before driving to Champaign from there.

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The ferry was large with plenty of space for me to get around in the wheelchair. I didn’t go outside, though. It was windy and I decided to stay warm inside. Lynn went out for a few pictures.

The trip across Lake Michigan was scenic and much shorter than driving. We got off quickly and were ready to start our 24 hours in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It had been a few years since I’d been there, and it was Lynn’s first trip.

I was hosted on this trip, but opinions are my own. Thanks to Pure Michigan for their hospitality.

Enjoying the Day in Muskegon

I had never been to Muskegon and, honestly, it wasn’t on my radar before. I had started hearing more about it and the representatives of Pure Michigan told me it was a lakefront town making strides in the wheelchair-friendly arena.

Muskegon has had a big resurgence from the cruise industry which has led to growth in the town. In addition to the ferries that go across Lake Michigan (which we would be taking), three cruise lines are now making stops in Muskegon: Pearl Sea Cruises, Victory Cruise Line, and Ponant Great Lake Cruises.

The town was building and improving for the influx of cruise passengers and the feedback on the port stop has been positive. This town would continue to thrive.

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Since we had a late lunch and skipped dinner the night before, we were ready for a big breakfast. Mr. Bs Pancake House was the perfect place. This local favorite has been around over 50 years. The portions were huge and the omelets, pancakes, and hashbrowns we had were delicious.

After breakfast, we went to the Muskegon Museum of Art. I was extremely impressed that this seemingly small town had such a large art museum with extensive collections. In fact, it is in the process of being enlarged even more.

While we were at the museum, we were able to see an exhibition on American artist John Steuart Curry, who was a leader in the Regionalist Art Movement. Although that exhibit was temporary, they do have quite a few pieces that are permanent by the artist as part of its over 4,000 selections.

We spent a few hours at the museum, which was easy to get around in my power chair. (They also had wheelchairs available for those who needed to borrow.)

Another place with wheelchairs to use is Muskegon State Beach. These are track wheelchairs to ride on the sand. Just like the ones at the other state beaches, they were free to use, though I suggest reserving them in advance. We had another clear day for the beach, and I was able to ride a smooth path that went almost to the actual water.

After the full day, we decided not to go back to the Delta Hotel by Marriott and instead went straight to dinner. There were many options in Muskegon, but we had passed the Bear Lake Tavern, and it looked like a popular spot. As soon as we walked in, we could see it was filled with a lot of locals. That’s always a clear sign of a good place to eat.

Lynn ordered the steak sandwich and said it was delicious. I went for their beef stroganoff, which was also incredibly good. I had it with a Cucumber Mule, which Bear Lake Tavern made perfectly.

There was a place in town we hadn’t made it to yet that was on our schedule, and it seemed like the perfect time on this warm evening, Norm’s Ice Cream. They had a wide selection of soft serve flavors, and I had my favorite parfait, with peanut butter and hot fudge!

We headed back to the hotel in time for yet another stunning Muskegon sunset. What a way to end a day.

Recap of the day...

A Sweet Day Through Holland, Grand Haven and Oz to Muskegon

My Southwest Michigan trip with my friend, Lynn, had been going well. We were enjoying the waterfront along Lake Michigan, the Dutch heritage, and lots of tasty food. We were excited to explore even more places in the region, but first we had a couple more things to see and do in Holland.

We started with breakfast at Deboer Bakkerij. This popular spot has been a staple in Holland since the original owner came from Nederland in the 1950s. Five generations later, the authentic Dutch recipes are still being made.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious. Lynn had an omelet and I, as I typically do, leaned toward something sweeter with the Blueberry Bliss pancakes. It was the perfect choice. I did my best to finish them, but it wasn’t possible since the portion was so big.

When we were done, we headed to a spot I was looking forward to while planning the trip. It is a little-known fact that L. Frank Baum, author of the Wizard of Oz, was a frequent vacationer to Holland, Michigan. Rumors have swirled around the possibility that he actually wrote that infamous  book here. A tribute to that is the Wizard of Oz Sculpture Garden in downtown.

Although the brick isn’t quite yellow, we followed it through Centennial Park and across the street to the library. There we found bronze sculptures of all the main characters in Oz. It was a whimsical way to start our exit from this creative town.

First there was another attraction to see. Windmill Island Gardens is a beautiful display of Dutch heritage among a perfectly manicured landscaping of flowers and windmills. I found it to be a picturesque site that was accessible for me to easily wheel through.

We didn’t have a tight schedule and decided to take advantage of the spare time to stop at Grand Haven State Beach after leaving Holland. It was another warm summer day along Lake Michigan. Lynn walked the beach looking for shells, stones, and gems. The heat was getting to me, and I decided to enjoy the scene while staying in a shady area.

It was already into the afternoon, and we stopped at my favorite Michigan chain, Grand Traverse Pie Company, for lunch. I could never get enough of their food, and I was excited about the stop. I had made a habit of visiting one of their locations whenever I was in the state.

Grand Traverse Pie Company has a Combo special that can’t be beat. It includes a pot pie or slice of quiche, salad or soup, and slice of pie. We both decided on the Chicken Pot Pie,  Chicken Noodle Soup, and Cherry Ganache Pie. It was all as good as I remembered. I couldn’t finish it all and saved the soup for later.

We were only a half hour from our next stop, Muskegon, where we would spend the next two nights at the Delta Hotel. It was a huge property in this small town, which offered a different atmosphere, though still on the lake.

By the time we got settled in the room, we were exhausted. We decided to skip going out to dinner and stayed in to rest. It turned out to be the ideal night to do it as we had an incredible sunset right outside our window.