<p>Take the train from either Chicago or Detroit!</p>
<p>dentmom, we are coming from NYC and have zero familiarity with the area. I am taking notes of everything you kind folks are telling me.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone to try and see the Lake Michigan coastline; I love Saugatuck (lots of art galleries) and South Haven is a charming little town. There’s a great ice cream parlor right off the exit in South Haven - Sherman’s [Sherman’s</a> Ice Cream | History](<a href=“http://www.shermanicecream.com/]Sherman’s”>http://www.shermanicecream.com/) Fantastic flavors and a real deal. There’s tons of fruit picking in SW Michigan - you might hit the end of the strawberry season. Another interesting town to visit is Holland, especially if you’re there at tulip time. [Holland</a> Michigan](<a href=“http://www.holland.org/]Holland”>http://www.holland.org/) The high school band marches in wooden shoes!</p>
<p>Marilyn, thank you. I have seen those town names and you gave me a frame of reference. This is starting to be exciting!</p>
<p>I would second all the suggestions to see the Lake Michigan shoreline. All of the areas that previous posters mentioned are really beautiful. I’d put a plug in for Mackinac Island. I spend most of my childhood in Michigan–suburb outside of Detroit. My folks had a small camp near Mackinaw City; I spent lots of happy summers there as a kid. When I was in college, I got a job on Mackinac Island. It’s a beautiful spot and a fun trip over on the ferry. There are no cars on the island, so you’ll need to ride a bike, walk, or get a horse/carriage to get around. Lots of stuff for tourists there; you’ll have no trouble figuring out what to do. </p>
<p>[Hotels</a>, Shopping, Activities | Mackinac Island](<a href=“http://www.mackinacisland.org%5DHotels”>http://www.mackinacisland.org)</p>
<p>One last suggestion: if you really want a BIG change in scenery from NY–cross the Mackinac Bridge and visit the UP (Upper Peninsula). It’s beautiful and still (I think–haven’t been there in years) fairly undeveloped.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation for Sherman’s in South Haven!</p>
<p>The UP is fairly undeveloped. I have flown into Houghton, and you go for miles over pine forests. The Keweenau Peninsula on Lake Superior is really remote. The air is so much cleaner there that it is noticable.</p>
<p>Here is a page with links to webcams and archived photos of Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor, etc. Be warned, though - driving from Detroit to Copper Harbor (10 hours 48 mins) is farther than driving from Detroit to New York (10 hours 13 mins).</p>
<p>[CableAmerica:</a> Lake Superior](<a href=“http://www.eagleharborcam.com/]CableAmerica:”>http://www.eagleharborcam.com/)</p>
<p>[CableAmerica:</a> Lake Superior](<a href=“http://www.eagleharborcam.com/]CableAmerica:”>http://www.eagleharborcam.com/)</p>
<p>This seems like a good place to post the Grand Rapids lip dub:</p>
<p>[The</a> Grand Rapids LipDub (NEW WORLD RECORD) - YouTube](<a href=“The Grand Rapids LipDub (NEW WORLD RECORD) - YouTube”>The Grand Rapids LipDub (NEW WORLD RECORD) - YouTube)</p>
<p>I believe that they did this all in one continuous take.</p>
<p>As a Michigander absolutely drive up the coast! Grand Rapids is fun but it’s inland and it’s a nice city, but driving up from Chicago along the lake as far north as you have time to go is something you will never see anywhere else. When I lived in NYC there were people who actually thought you could see across Lake Michigan which always amused me. There are numerous towns from Chicago to Northport that make wonderful stops and lodging along the way from chains to B&Bs to actual “old time” resorts and wonderful state campgrounds right on Lake Michigan. Getting to the UP is a haul and a half from Kalamazoo but the UP always reminds me of Maine, especially the north shore of Lake Superior, There are enough of us West and Northern Michiganders on these forums that we can easily help you with a great itinerary whether it’s a day, or a couple days or a week or more. </p>
<p>I like Midway Airport over Detroit or O’Hare for an airport and you are quickly out of Chicago and crossing the snippet of Indiana into Michigan from Midway.</p>
<p>I love the Lake Michigan shoreline! Silver Lake has an awesome dune ride … it’s especially good if you go late in the day for a sunset ride. I like Grand Haven, but I prefer to go a bit north. We think it looks like the ocean. Traverse City is a couple hours away & there are great wineries just north. Actually, there are great wineries in the K’zoo area (Paw Paw). South Bend isn’t too far away. Visit puremichigan.org to see all the wonderful things to do in Michigan.</p>
<p>zmom, check out [url=<a href=“http://www.cedarlodge.com/nonsummer/index.shtml]Seasonal”>http://www.cedarlodge.com/nonsummer/index.shtml]Seasonal</a> Programs<a href=“non-summer%20and%20stable%20programs”>/url</a> and tell them I sent you. :)</p>
<p>I am reading this with gratitude. I just haven’t had a chance to post or PM real responses because it’s the day from heck here, but I am so appreciative!</p>
<p>We visited Kalamazoo a few years ago, went to look at Kalamazoo College – took the train from downtown Chicago, and then rented a car. It was a very nice train ride as I recall.</p>
<p>Most are unaware that Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo is getting ready to open a medical school, started with a $100 Million donation from a local benefactor.</p>
<p>Generally, when the western part of the state wants something, the local powers that be get together and make it happen. A LOT of money in that area.</p>
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<p>I went to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for dance 100 years ago – that’s a great idea for zooserson!</p>
<p>Consider flying into Grand Rapids if the flights work. Airtran flies in, don’t know the other schedules. And Lansing has a very nice airport. There is an airline called Sun Country that flies into Lansing - you can book flights -only-on their own website. Cities are very limited, I didn’t catch where you were coming from.</p>
<p>Sun Country is a wonderful airline. I don’t think they have flights from NY to Lansing; at least, they didn’t a year or so ago. They have one or two flights daily from JFK to Minneapolis, which is their base.</p>
<p>I also spent several summers at Blue Lake as a teen… camper, went to Europe on a band tour, and spent a fantastic summer playing pit orchestra for the musical theater group. For whatever reason, I have particularly fond memories of conducting class. 
The food was truly awful, though (worse than any other camp I or my kids ever attended).</p>
<p>Wrong time of year for you Zooser, but during a few trips to that part of Michigan, I had a great time picking blueberries. Fruit is abundant in that little warmish zone hugging Lake Michigan. In the fall, the peaches and nectarines are some of the best ever. </p>
<p>When we visited, from across the lake, we took the hydrofoil from Milwaukee. Rented a car at the ferry dock, and went to both Kalamazoo to look at the college, and Grand Rapids for the Rotary Youth Exchange conference.</p>
<p>You can pick strawberries in June. Not the size of what you see in the stores, but the flavor can’t be beat! Many farmers’ markets in the area with most of the products locally grown.</p>
<p>Another one who grew up on the Lake Michigan Coast. Agree with everything above, Lake Michigan is one of the great wonders of the world. Now living in Iowa, I yearn for the lake.</p>
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<p>This is because they are REAL strawberries, not hydroponic, force fe, genetically tough supermarket strawberries. Warning, once you eat a sun-ripened, just picked real strawberry you will never be able to eat supermarket strawberries again.</p>