Making Noise Over Silent Sports

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.

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Hotel Walloon Welcomes John Patrick Hemingway for 2nd Annual Writer’s Retreat Weekend

Author John Patrick Hemingway – grandson of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway – will be the guest of honor at the 2nd Annual Walloon Lake Writer’s Retreat coming up April 13-16 in Walloon Lake. Activities will be held throughout the event at Hotel Walloon, Talcott Center, Walloon Lake Inn and other locations meant to inspire and motivate budding writers.

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Allergen Awareness is Always on the Menu at Alcona Brew Haus

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.

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Barn Believers Work to Save Iconic Farm Structures

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.

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2023 Milestone Years

Michigan was founded on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state of the United States of America—making this year its 186th Birthday / Anniversary (depending on how you look at it). Here is our annual list of tourism related businesses celebrating BIG years in 2023 (if we have missed any, please email details to travel@promotemichigan.com).

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U.P. Hosts Winter Outdoor Camp for Women

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.

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23 Slopes in 24 Hours

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.

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