Summertime in Michigan is something to celebrate! From beaches to forests, Michigan has an abundance of natural beauty. If commerce is more your style, we’ve got great options for that, too.
While you’re in East Lansing furthering your studies, you also have a great opportunity to enjoy yourself and relax. So, let us help you do that! VIPP staffers share your enthusiasm for trying new things and delighting in Michigan’s natural wonders. Here are just a few of our favorites.
Beach Trips
- Grand Haven State Park
Photo of the Grand Haven Lighthouse by Flickr user: takomabibelot. This popular Lake Michigan beach is a 1hr45min drive from the International Center at MSU. The beach frequently makes “Best Of” lists, both in Michigan and nationally. The Grand Haven lighthouse is an iconic image in Michigan. Grand Haven State Park is a good place to visit if you want to enjoy the outdoors but still require some creature comforts, like bathrooms. It is also possible to camp at the state park; there are 174 campsites, though you may need a reservation. The town of Grand Haven is also a classic Michigan resort town. There are plenty of shops and restaurants to enjoy.
Recommended by: Ian Leighton - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
(Sleeping Bear Dunes, Photo Courtesy of the National Parks Service) People who have never visited Sleeping Bear Dunes are often astounded by the majestic views, towering sandy dunes, and beautiful blue waters of Lake Michigan. And climbing those dunes gives you a great workout! At 3hr20min from the International Center at MSU, this is a longer drive. If you enjoy an active day at the park, you might prefer to make this a weekend trip instead of just a day trip. You can camp or you can find accommodations in nearby towns. Traverse City is also just 40 minutes away.
Recommended by: Joe Murphy
Other Aquatic Trips
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Kitchitikipi Springs and Pictured Rocks in the U.P.
Photo of the Mackinac Bridge, via Wikipedia.org user Dehk. Both of these sights are in the Upper Peninsula. To get there, you’ve got a long drive ahead of you! East Lansing is roughly three and a half hours from the Mackinac Bridge (your entryway to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula); Kitchitikipi Springs are about two hours from the bridge and are near Lake Michigan; it’s another hour by car to reach Pictured Rocks, which are on Lake Superior. But the drive is worth it, and of course, you’ll get to see one of the world’s most famous bridges.
Picture of Kitchitikipi Springs by Doug Coldwell, via Wikipedia.org. The Springs are Michigan’s largest freshwater springs and are a popular tourist attraction. The blue-green waters are frigid and crystal-clear. You can peer into the spring via a raft and dock. There, you’ll see fish as well as well-preserved logs, which appear to be suspended in the water. There’s even a Native American legend about the springs (a young chieftain tried to prove himself to his lady love and things didn’t really work out for him).
Photo of Miner’s Castle at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, by Charles Dawley, via Flickr.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is on Lake Superior near the town of Munising. A series of dramatic (and amusingly shaped) cliffs hover over Lake Superior’s pristine waters. Some folks choose to hike near the cliffs; others choose to see them by water. You can rent your own or take a tour boat and let somebody else do the work.
Recommended by: Joe Murphy
Shopping and Culture
If you’re more of an “indoor person,” don’t worry! You still have lots of options for things to do and enjoy in Michigan.
Birch Run Premium Outlets
The Birch Run outlet mall is one of the biggest outlet malls in the Midwest. An outlet mall is a big, usually outdoor mall (the stores are indoors, but you usually have to walk outside to go from store to store) where you can buy directly from major brands (you might otherwise find these brands for sale in a department store). Often, the items you find at outlet malls are from a previous season; they aren’t the brand-new items you see in advertisements. Outlet mall stores frequently sell their goods at lower prices than other stores because the wares were over-produced or may be slightly damaged. Shoppers sometimes find that’s a good value!
Of course, not all the stores at outlet malls are true outlet stores; many of them sell their brand’s current, undamaged, full-price items.
Birch Run has a mix of those types of stores. This is a full list of Birch Run’s stores. Most of the true outlet-style stores will be listed with the brand’s name and then the words “factory” or “factory store” “outlet” or similar.
The Birch Run outlet mall is in Birch Run, Michigan. That’s a little over an hour away from East Lansing by car.
Recommended by: Ian Leighton
Frankenmuth
Birch Run is also just south of Frankenmuth, a small Michigan town famous for a store called “Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland,” which sells Christmas decorations year-round. Frankenmuth’s buildings are also popular, as many of them are modeled on old Bavarian architecture.
Recommended by: Kiwon Kang
Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village
This museum, located in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, houses significant items and artifacts in American history. Ford Automobile founder Henry Ford said of the collection, “I am collecting the history of our people as written into things their hands made and used.” The Henry Ford Museum and the surrounding Greenfield Village (comprising the Edison Institute) together display significant cultural and historical items in American history. The museum attempts a national, rather than regional, perspective. The drive to the museum from East Lansing will take you about an hour and a half. Museum tickets are $21 for adults; Greenfield Village tickets are $26; Factory Tour Tickets are $17; packages combining visits to multiple sites start at $50.
Recommended by: Ian Leighton
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