Day trippin’

By Natalie Blythe
Posted Thursday, July 3, 2008

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Fun-filled destinations designed for a day’s worth of fun

By Natalie Blythe
VIEW Managing Editor

MICHIGAN — Want to take a trip this summer without emptying the bank account? Day tripping offers travelers the chance to get away from daily routines, see something new and not have to raid the kids’ college funds in the process.

Here are a few ideas for day tripping around the state of Michigan.

Midland: A little over an hour to the north, Midland offers visitors a variety of attractions to please any picky family member in the car. The Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Rd., is a private nature center, open to the public year-round. “Its mission is to help people enjoy and learn about the environment, as well as to inspire and teach them how to be responsible stewards of the land, water and air,” according to the website. Attractions include the Homestead Farm, Sugarhouse, Schoolhouse, wigwam and arboretum.

Once the family gets its fill of nature-related activities, head over to the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art, 1801 W. St. Andrews Rd. The museum, located at the Midland Center for the Arts, features three levels of permanent, interactive science exhibitions known as the Hall of Ideas and a fourth level of expansive space for continually changing visual art and science exhibits. Current exhibitions include Carousels: Art and Science in Motion and Great Lakes Titanics: Shipwrecks on the Inland Seas.
For more information on Midland and other attractions, visit www.midlandcvb.org.

Kalamazoo: Two hours to the west, Kalamazoo is a bustling college town that offers a little bit of something for everybody. The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 South Park St., boasts 10 galleries showcasing temporary exhibitions and the KIA’s permanent collection. The galleries focus on 20th century American painting and sculpture but also include European and American print collections, photography and contemporary ceramics. Check out the glass chandelier designed by Dale Chihuly that hangs in the foyer.

Located in nearby Portage, The Air Zoo, 6151 Portage Rd., is the place for budding aviators. The Air Zoo is divided into three campuses, and each campus features different activities. The main campus houses full-motion flight simulators, a 4-D theater and indoor amusement park rides. The east campus features various aircraft and is home to the Michigan Space Science Center. The north campus showcases the zoo’s restoration center that houses rare, historic aircraft and space artifacts.

For more information on Kalamazoo and other attractions, visit www.discoverkalamazoo.org.

Dearborn: A little over an hour to the south, Dearborn is home to the Ford Motor Company and The Henry Ford Museum. Automotive buffs can check out the museum, 20900 Oakwood Blvd., to see JFK’s limo, Rosa Parks’ bus and other American ‘innovations,’ including the Dymaxion house built by inventor Buckminster Fuller. Also nearby the museum are Greenfield Village, featuring 90 historic buildings; an IMAX theater; and the Ford Rouge Factory Tour to watch F-150 trucks being assembled. For even more on Henry Ford, head over to the Henry Ford Estate, 4901 Evergreen Rd.

Dearborn is known for having the largest population of Arab-Americans in the state and those interested in learning more about different cultures can trek over to the Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave. The museum is the first museum in the United States dedicated to telling the story and highlighting the contributions of Arab Americans. The museum features multimedia exhibits for visitors. Current exhibitions at the Arab American National Museum include Fragmentation and Unity: The Art of Sari Khoury and Concert of Colors: Exposed.

For more information on Dearborn and other attractions, visit www.visitdetroit.com.

Port Austin: Two hours to the northeast, Port Austin sits in the Thumb of Michigan and is hailed as the oldest town in the county. No visit to Port Austin is complete without seeing the Port Austin Reef Light built in 1878 and located two miles offshore.

The Huron City Museums, 7995 Pioneer Dr., is another unique attraction for visitors. Consisting of 10 buildings, the museums feature a 1837 log cabin, the Huron City Church and the House of Seven Gables where visitors can get a taste of life in the 1880s.

For more information on Port Austin and other attractions, visit www.michigan.org.