Author: promotemi

Midwestern hospitality, history, and culture are found at every turn throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region – encompassing three counties (Bay, Midland, and Saginaw) and six communities (Bay City, Midland, Saginaw, Chesaning, Frankenmuth, and Birch Run).

October is Michigan AgriTourism month…a colorful and flavorful time to celebrate the state’s rich bounty. Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the country (behind California) and its position in the heart of the Great Lakes creates the ideal “cool climate” conditions to grow more than 200 different commodities. From the tapping of the first maple tree in the spring to the harvest of the 1.05 billion pounds of apples statewide each fall, Michigan is a “Mitten of Plenty” waiting to be savored.

There’s been a flutter of activity lately around the plight of pollinators like bees and butterflies, specifically the monarch, and how creating or maintaining habitats help ensure the future of these vital winged insects. In the past year, several northwest Michigan communities — Elk Rapids, Kalkaska, Boyne City, Beaver Island and Melrose Township (Walloon Lake) — have become members of a national initiative called Monarch Cities USA, pledging to protect and provide for these butterflies.

For Derrick Jones, the sky’s the limit when it comes to pursuing his hobby. He was just 8 years old when he began crewing on the ground for local balloon pilots in Battle Creek and, four years later, he took his first balloon flight — setting the course up, up, and away for a lifelong passion.

Nearly a century ago, the Federal Commercial and Savings Bank opened at the corner of Military and Water streets along the Black River in downtown Port Huron. Its stately facade would later house the Michigan National Bank (a name which remains boldly emblazoned on the side of the building) before being recently transformed into the latest CityFlats boutique hotel at 405 Water Street.

Michigan’s smallest village (by land area) is doing big things to enhance the community offerings for its residents and visitors alike. Ahmeek encompasses just 0.068 square miles (45.52 acres) and is the only incorporated municipality in Keweenaw County (on the Keweenaw Peninsula), sitting about three miles north of the Houghton County village of Calumet.

Michigan has many monikers – like the Great Lakes State. According to the , it is also known as The Trails State, with thousands of seasonal routes crisscrossing the state – from hiking and biking to paddling and skiing, and so much more. These various paths are so important to the state’s image that a designated Michigan Trails Week is even held every fall, this year September 17-24.

The first patented drive-in theater was opened in 1933 in New Jersey, launching a national trend for outdoor family entertainment fueled by the growing automotive industry. Over time, as many as 5,000 drive-ins operated throughout the country.

Michigan is the self-proclaimed “Great Beer State,” and July has once again been designated as “Michigan Beer Month” by the state legislature and Governor Whitmer. If you’re looking for a place to celebrate, you’ll find plenty of places to sip and sample in the Little Traverse Bay region.

Early French explorers were the first to discover grapes growing wild along what they ultimately called Riviere aux Raisin – the River Raisin, which flows for about 139 miles through Jackson, Hillsdale, Washtenaw, Lenawee and Monroe counties, before emptying into Lake Erie. Today, more than 240 years later, this region maintains its agricultural roots and is home to the newly established River Raisin Wine Trail.

To celebrate its vast system of trails – biking, hiking, paddling and even horseback riding – the Michigan Department of Natural Resources implemented the Pure Michigan Trails (including Water Trails) and Pure Michigan Trail Towns designation program in 2019. Since that time, the program has grown in terms of the number of communities and organizations looking to highlight the unparalleled experiences that can be found off the beaten path around the Great Lakes State.