Michigan

Top 10 Beach Towns on Michigan's Sunset Coast

by Dr. Jessie Voigts /
Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture
May 26, 2017 / 10 comments

You're in the right place - Michigan's Sunset Coast (aptly named, for the gorgeous sunsets!). The beaches on Lake Michigan are clean, sandy, and very swimmable. There are excellent restaurants, extraordinary artists, great music, and plenty of outdoor activities. It's my favorite place, in the whole world.

Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture

5 Best Coffeeshops in Kalamazoo

Note: We've updated this! Please click here to read: 

The Complete Guide to Kalamazoo Coffee Shops

 

We recently moved to Kalamazoo, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the great local coffeeshops around! Some have more photos than others – I’ll have to rectify that situation.

Here are 5 of my favorites:

Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture

Michigan Townships Association offers scholarship to future local leaders

The Michigan Townships Association offers the Robert R. Robinson Memorial Scholarship for students pursuing a career in public administration. The scholarship is awarded on a competitive basis, and applicants are considered on several factors, including academic achievement, community involvement, and commitment to local government administration.
 

Photographer of the Month: Paul Jaekel

by Dr. Jessie Voigts /
Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture
Jan 26, 2017 / 0 comments

Paul Jaekel has had an interest in photography for many, many years. For a long while, he only took the usual pictures of clouds and nature with his cell phone. Then, in early 2015, he started fully acting on that growing interest by turning it into an amateur hobby. As a lifelong resident of Southeastern Michigan, he began by driving around to places nearby his home. As he ventured, he found places that he never stopped at before. Later, he traveled to places further out from home - towards Detroit and up into the thumb of Michigan.

Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture

Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing the Motor City

Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing the Motor City is the latest addition to Arcadia Publishing and The History Press' American Palate series. The book is written by local author and small business owner Stephen Johnson.

 Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing the Motor City

Brianna Krueger's picture

What it’s like Visiting a Beach Town in Winter

‘Pointless’ might be something you would expect when I tell you what it’s like to visit a beach town in winter. When a town makes its living during the summer months of tourists visiting its sandy beaches and Lake Huron shores, it’s easy to pretend that the town doesn’t exist in the winter months.

Ed Forteau's picture

The Railway Garden at Meijer Gardens: A Holiday Tradition

The holidays are well underway at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their annual Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around The World exhibition features more than 40 holiday trees and displays from around the globe. This magical time of year includes glow of 300,000 lights, unique hand-made ornaments and blossoming holiday plantings.

Dr. Jessie Voigts's picture

The Art of Holding On and Letting Go: Travel, Climbing, and Finding Yourself

“When every piece falls into place, it’s like a dance, a delicate but powerful balancing act. The art of holding on and letting go at the same time.”

Such is the beautiful writing in the winner of Elephant Rock Books’ 2016 Sheehan YA Book Prize, The Art of Holding On and Letting Go, by Kristin Lenz. A fellow Michigander, Lenz has written a powerful story of family, finding yourself, and growing up. 

Snowmobiling Inside...in Detroit? Exploring Michigan’s Outdoor Adventure Center

by Culinary Spelunker /
Culinary Spelunker's picture
Sep 26, 2016 / 0 comments

My face must have shown my confusion when my new neighbor in suburban Detroit gave me a cooking mitt. I was grateful, of course, but a bit bewildered at what seemed like an unusual housewarming gift.
 
“It’s Michigan,” she smiled. “We’re the glove state.” Enthusiastically, she held her hand up to show that the state of Michigan has an uncanny resemblance to a gloved hand. Then she put up her other hand. “And this is the UP. You know, the Upper Peninsula. Up north?”
 
I didn’t know.
 

Brianna Krueger's picture

How to Survive a Winter Beach

Most people, outside the west coast, seem to think beaches are only for summer. If it’s not sunny and 80 what’s the point of the beach? No one wants to go to the beach in anticipation of freezing their butt off.

 

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