LGT_17-19_Layout 1 - Leisure Group Travel

Tulip Time Festival
Parades, dance performances and other slices of Dutch life fill the streets of Holland during the Tulip Time Festival, an annual May extravaganza.
BULBS TO BREWS
R
ows and rows of tulips, basking in the warm
spring rays, create a rainbow effect in the
fields. People decked out in Dutch attire
line the streets.
For me, however, the idyllic springtime image was
difficult to imagine during my February trip. Come
May, however, that’s the sight that awaits travelers
during Tulip Time in Holland, one of Michigan’s most
anticipated festivals.
Despite a completely different scene presented
to me on my winter visit, residents’ obvious passion
Holland and
Grand Rapids
highlight a trip
to Southwest
Michigan
By Vanessa Day
for the event is tough to miss. And it’s not just Tulip
One of the best ways for groups to experience
everything the festival has to offer is to snag a
Dutch-costumed step-on guide who leads a threehour excursion that includes Holland’s historic
areas, Tulip Lanes, Pillar Church, city parks and a
glimpse of the windmill ($100/coach for up to three
hours). Interested in more tours? You’re in luck.
You can take in the breathtaking views of Lake
Michigan and see the most photographed lighthouse in Michigan, “Big Red,” on a State Park Tour
($65/coach).
While in town, be sure to visit Nelis’ Dutch Vil-
Time. Everyone from Holland to Grand Rapids eagerly shares his or
lage, a themed park with Dutch architecture, canals and gardens,
her favorite attractions, restaurants, outdoor spots and local brews.
not to mention traditional performances and food from the Old Coun-
Perhaps it was this friendliness, or the sheer number of activities,
try. Sign up for a pastry-making class, learn some easy folk dance
which made me fall in love with the beautiful simplicity that is West-
steps and see costumed staff create artisan cheeses, carve candles
ern Michigan.
and shape wooden shoes. Take a ride on Zweefmolen (a Dutch
My journey began in Holland, located on the shores of Lakes
swing ride), Draaimolen (a restored carousel) or the new Ferris
Michigan and Macatawa. This quaint, historic town was founded by
wheel. And no visit is complete without a stop at the Dutch Choco-
a Dutch minister back in 1847 and continues to embrace its Dutch
late, Candy and Cookie shop.
roots with landmark attractions such as DeZwaan, the authentic
windmill still operating today.
The fun continues over at Windmill Island Gardens, a 36-acre
park where the 260-year-old windmill from the Netherlands still
The largest celebration of Dutch traditions is Tulip Time, a week-
grinds winter wheat into flour. Your group can tour the historic struc-
long festival (May 3-10, 2014) that includes three parades, Dutch
ture, climb up five stories and overlook the manicured gardens that
dancers, loads of entertainment, a Dutch market, fireworks, dinner
hold over 100,000 tulips in the spring and summer. Listen to the an-
shows and, of course, tulips—literally tens of thousands of them
tique street organ and enjoy traditional Klompen dances performed
scattered throughout the city.
by ladies in wooden shoes.
Springtime in Holland, Michigan means color-splashed tulip fields. Grand Rapids Public Museum exhibits showcase local history and habitats.
Experience Grand Rapids
on location: midwest ❖
At the end of the day, enjoy a meal
stitute for Contemporary Arts (UICA),
at Alpen Rose Restaurant and Cafe,
Michigan’s largest contemporary arts cen-
Boatwerks Waterfront Restaurant or
ter. For something truly special, arrange a
New Holland Brewing, the city’s very own
Grand Rapids visit during ArtPrize (Sept.
craft brewery (also open for tours).
24–Oct. 12), an event where artists from all
Grand Rapids is a 30-minute drive from
Holland. Lonely Planet has named it the
No. 1 destination to visit in 2014.
over the world showcase their works and
the public votes for its favorites.
Tour groups also visit the Gerald R. Ford
The botanical adventure continues in
Presidential Museum. Take a stroll through
Grand Rapids with a stop at Frederik
the Oval Office, see the original Watergate
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, with
burglar tools, attend a White House state
132 acres of indoor and outdoor gardens
dinner and visit the burial site of the presi-
and one of the country’s most significant
dent and First Lady Betty Ford. Across the
sculpture collections. It hosts horticultural
street is the Grand Rapids Public Mu-
exhibits, summer concerts and the largest
seum, a state-of-the-art center with interac-
temporary butterfly exhibition in the country.
tive history and natural science exhibits.
Grand Rapids is known as an arts des-
Toast the day with a pint of cold, locally
tination, as evidenced by its many displays
made beer. Microbreweries dot the streets
of public art sprinkled around town. Stop by
of downtown and surrounding neighbor-
the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM),
hoods of Grand Rapids, which won the
a well-respected attraction with collections
Beer Cty USA poll in 2013.
that span three floors. In the Division South
Founders Brewing Company has
neighborhood, you will find the Urban In-
ranked among the top breweries in the
world and hosts a variety of beer festivals
throughout the year. (Try the Breakfast
Stout.) A few blocks away is HopCat, rated
the No. 3 beer bar in the world by Beer Advocate magazine and No. 2 beer bar in the
U.S by craftbeer.com. Brewery Vivant,
housed in a former funeral home, is the nation’s first LEED-certified microbrewery.
Snow piles lined the streets as I made
my way out of Western Michigan, but the
sun shone bright in the sky, a subtle promise of the warm, vibrant season ahead. Despite the cool February weather and the
gardens hidden under white powder, this
trip left an impression. Needless to say, I
will be back, preferably when I can witness
the grandeur of the tulip fields.
To plan a visit to Southwest Michigan,
contact Wendy Link, Holland Area Visitors
Bureau, [email protected], www.holland.travel; and Mary Manier, Experience
Grand Rapids CVB, [email protected], experiencegr.com. LGT
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: For ideas on outdoor
activities in Southwest Michigan, see Vanessa Day’s
article at http://tinyurl.com/mo4afa7.
18 April 2014
LeisureGroupTravel.com
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Holland, MI
...a world away
855.342.7627 | holland.org
Home of the world-renowned Tulip Time Festival!