<p>Anyone familiar with the area? Thoughts or comments gratefully received. Also, if visiting a grad school there, is there anything close-ish by that would be worth a trip if dragging along family? Thank you!</p>
<p>I like Kzoo :). I visited Kzoo when I was thinking about going to an LAC and I lived about 15 minutes away for a few summers (Battle Creek- where the cereal was made long ago lol).</p>
<p>What kind of attraction are you looking for? Unfortunately, it’s kind of a dead area if you’re used to a busier city. South Haven is a nice little beach area but it’s about an hour away (on Lake Michigan). That’s where a lot of people go on the weekends. </p>
<p>I have quite a few friends that go to Western. I can ask around for suggestions :)</p>
<p>Thanks, Romani. My lambchop is looking to visit the Medieval Institute, so I may go with her. Sadly, I have no sense of direction or location at all. I think it’s a learning disability.</p>
<p>Two good sized schools there, so should be plenty of activity for a young adult.</p>
<p>Maybe Derek Jeter can weigh in on this. He grew up there.</p>
<p>dadx, do you have his number?<br>
3bm103, I meant to find activities to make an excuse to drag the family on the visit. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. I am hoping to sell my husband on a trip in some fashion.</p>
<p>What time of year?</p>
<p>If you visit in the summer, do take the time to go up the Lake Michigan coast a bit - Sagatuck is artsy and beautiful.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo is about a 2.5 hour drive from Chicago (depending on traffic, of course), and just over 2 from Detroit. If you’re flying, it wouldn’t be a crazy thing to fly into Chicago, rent a car there, and drive up to Kalamazoo. Along the way you’d pass the Warren Dunes shortly after crossing into Michigan–a pretty impressive dune environment–and some surprisingly decent wineries (as well as some terrible ones, so you’d need to do your homework). Generally speaking, the Lake Michigan shoreline all the way up to Mackinac is quite beautiful, and nothing short of spectacular in spots, like the Sleeping Bear Dunes up towards the Leelanau Peninsula, which a popular television show, I forget which, recently named “the most beautiful place in America.” That’s quite a hike from Kalamazoo, but there are plenty of beautiful (if less spectacular) spots closer.</p>
<p>This is great information! We would be going possibly in the early summer.</p>
<p>Oh, in the summer, I agree that you should go see the beautiful beach and resort areas there. You will probably find them inexpensive compared to comparable areas in the NE. There are many nice B&Bs and rentals. This is also a great area for biking in the countryside – lots of quiet roads and trails, with flats and gentle hills.</p>
<p>If you’d like to go horseback riding at any time of the year, I can recommend a wonderful and reasonably priced family-run stable near Kalamazoo. They are as great for first-timers as for expert riders. This is where I went to summer camp growing up (and I still go for annual reunions in September).</p>
<p>The [Air</a> Zoo](<a href=“http://www.airzoo.org/]Air”>http://www.airzoo.org/) was alot of fun. But then I visited with a budding pilot who has since earned an aeronautical engineering degree. Too bad Cereal City in nearby Battle Creek has closed.</p>
<p>Saugatuck is definitely a destination on my to-do list for future trips back to Michigan. [Dune</a> Rides!!!](<a href=“http://www.saugatuck.com/NEW_Business_Directory/listing_photo.asp?ID=50]Dune”>http://www.saugatuck.com/NEW_Business_Directory/listing_photo.asp?ID=50)</p>
<p>zoosermom, I am from Michigan and my family has a reunion on the Lake Michigan coast every other year. The entire area from South Haven north is absolutely beautiful and well worth seeing. PM me if you’d like details.</p>
<p>I would love that, thank you Hanna. My daughter really enjoys to ride and we are completely unfamiliar with the area. This school/program were unexpectedly recommended to her and on paper seem quite a good fit. Most grateful for any and all information.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, I’m pretty sure this probably would not work out but I wanted to say something about a summer camp my D went to and enjoyed very much [Jazz</a> Program | Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp](<a href=“http://www.bluelake.org/majors/jazz.html]Jazz”>http://www.bluelake.org/majors/jazz.html)</p>
<p>I thought about zooserson. It’s a nice little camp, not as intense as Interlochen, only two weeks. Not as expensive either. </p>
<p>I’ve never been but I’ve hear the dunes at Silver Lake are really nice. If your H likes to gamble we have tons of casinos here lol! </p>
<p>Seriously, Lake Michigan is beautiful.</p>
<p>Thank you deb!</p>
<p>Grand Rapids is an amazing city, beautiful sculpture park and zoo. Will second the trip up the western coast of Michigan.</p>
<p>I just thought of this, if your H and S want to come there are tons of nice golf courses in Michigan. I’m not really sure what is around Kzoo, I am more familiar with resort courses up north. </p>
<p>I’ve never been here but my neighbors rave about Arcadia Bluffs [Arcadia</a> Bluffs Golf Club](<a href=“http://arcadiabluffs.com/the_course.php]Arcadia”>http://arcadiabluffs.com/the_course.php). I hear it is spectacular. Another resort in the northern part of Michigan is Boyne Mountain Resort [Boyne</a> Mountain Resort - Boyne Falls, MI | Waterpark Hotel, Spa Hotel, Golf Resort, and Ski Area | Michigan Family Summer and Winter Vacation destination | BOYNE](<a href=“http://www.boyne.com/BoyneMountain/index.html]Boyne”>http://www.boyne.com/BoyneMountain/index.html). There are many more like this also. Boyne Mountain is near Petoskey, which is one of my favorite little towns. </p>
<p>If you wanted to make a vacation in Michigan, I think there is nothing prettier than the Lake Michigan coastline. </p>
<p>Just a couple more ideas, not very near Kzoo. I’m sorry I’m not that familiar to the area.</p>
<p>Thank you so much deb. This sounds pretty great.</p>
<p>zoosermom: not sure where you are coming from, but Kzoo is a fairly small city. D2016 attends the LAC there. We live about an hour away, on the Lake Michigan coast. If you come from Chicago, the Warren Dunes are great, nice outlet mall just off the highway a few miles, winery country for tasting and tours, Kal-Haven bike trail. There are many fun areas with great public beaches along the Lake Michigan coast: South Haven, Saugatuck, Holland. An hour north of Kalamazoo is Grand Rapids with Mejier Gardens. Golf everywhere.</p>
<p>Depends how long you will be in the area, but northern Michigan (Traverse City, Leelanau, Mackinac Island) is incredible! You could spend a lot of time here! PM me if you have specific questions.</p>