Promote Michigan

For those who enjoy the great outdoors, Michigan is a vast playground full of waterways, forests, state parks, national lakeshores and the largest section of the 4,800-mile, eight-state North Country Trail (which stretches from North Dakota to Vermont, with about 1,150 miles running through Michigan’s two peninsulas). Michigan is home (and home-away-from-home) to paddlers, bikers, hikers, campers, anglers, stargazers, birdwatchers and others who are eager to escape the noise of the world and find ways to connect (or reconnect) with nature in the simplest of ways.

Some of the most successful operations are born out of necessity or passion. For Sandy Arens, both were driving factors in her founding of Alcona Brew Haus (676 US-23 N, Harrisville). The seasoned businesswoman and graduate of the culinary program at Schoolcraft College is also the mother of 10 – three of whom battle severe food allergies which require constant attention and awareness.

Drive through the rural countryside and you’ll find barns of all shapes, sizes and conditions dotting the landscape as a testament to the agricultural heritage that shaped and still impacts the state of Michigan (the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the country, behind California). According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the food and agriculture industry contributes $104.7 billion to the state’s economy.

Not all who wander are lost; those who meander with meaning are sure to pick up nuggets of culture along the way — from traditions to music, dress, and cuisine. This free-spirited worldly influence is exactly what the leadership at NOMAD. in downtown Bay Harbor was going for when they opened the restaurant’s doors last May.

A growing number of female recreationalists are taking to the woods, waters and trails of Michigan thanks to a program through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) called Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW®). Founded in 1991, the national non-profit BOW® is a hands-on educational program with a presence in 38 states and six Canadian provinces that collectively reaches tens of thousands of women each year who learn new outdoor skills from experienced guides in a safe and welcoming environment.

Last winter, skier Kyle Kelly of Caledonia and snowboarder Brad Dykstra of Dorr devised a plan to hit as many of the Lower Peninsula’s ski areas as they could in order to break a record for downhill snowboarding and skiing. Twenty-four hours, 763 miles, two Go-Pros (with 13 batteries and six SD cards), and 23 slope stops later, the two west Michigan friends not only hit their goal, but they achieved world-record status for both skiing and snowboarding.