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Make Grand Rapids a
Michigan Vacation Stop for Kids

By Carole Herdegen

My recent trip to Grand Rapids has me touting the praises of Grand Rapids as a fantastic, Michigan vacation stop for kids - and adults.

On June 20, 2004, the already famous and popular Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park opened its newest attraction called Children's Garden. Its five acres makes it one of the largest and most interactive children's garden in the United States. In fact, I will now go on record to recommend this new activity and learning facility as a destination to spend a few special days, even if it means taking a detour. Many families living in the Midwest often take to the road in summer to spend time at a cottage or resort on one of the thousands of inland lakes or beaches of the Great Lakes. If they happen to be anywhere in the area, a stopover in Grand Rapids is now a "must".

When adults enter the gardens though a normal gate while their children pass through a small mouse hole, you realize you are in store for an innovative and unusual experience. The goal is for the entire family to have fun while discovering and learning about plants, nature, wildlife and the State of Michigan. The intent behind the planning of the gardens was to promote curiosity and to make kids think with their questions and challenges. The plan has truly succeeded because the whole family is able to get involved and have fun. Nothing is spoon-fed to the little ones. Whether it's digging for fossils or creating a clay model, the challenges for the children are abundant.

The gardens are divided into many different areas. The first one I visited was the Kid-Sense Garden. In this area, to understand and appreciate living plants, children are encouraged to see and touch, to smell and taste and even to hear the plants. An example is in the Sense of Smell Plants. There, Wintergreen, Peppermint, Cinnamon, Basil and Mexican Mint Marigold are growing where children are allowed to pick a leaf and then smell it. Moving on to the Sense of Taste, young visitors can sample a Highbush Blueberry, Strawberry, Licorice or Chocolate Mint plant. From there to Sense of Touch with the distinct feel of Lamb's Ears and Mexican Feather Grass. Firecracker Vine is one of the Sense of Sight plants. Lastly, Windflower and Trumpet Vines are plant examples in the Sense of Sound.

Another attraction in the Park is the Great Lakes Garden, a large water area shaped in the form of the Five Great Lakes. It shows the relationship of each lake to the other lakes and surrounding states as well as the differences in water levels and depths between the lakes. There is an ample supply of plastic sailboats for children to play with in the water.

Water is also the theme in the Wooded Wetland in which children learn though seeing and performing various exercises that teach them the importance and value the wetlands are for all of us.

The Rock Quarry is also a lot of fun. Besides seeing examples of rocks, kids can dig for fossils underneath the sand where they will find fossil treasures of fish, birds, and corals conveniently buried each day in the sand.

The Butterfly Maze is a sure winner as children and their parents wind their way though the hedges looking for the exit. The Log Cabin and the Story-Telling Gardens are also very popular and staffed with many volunteer activity leaders called PALS.

One of the more elaborate areas is the Tree House Village with its five separate and unique tree houses. Here, children can examine many different botanical and woodland occupants from birds, trees, insect and spiders, woodland wildlife and the Tree House of Make Believe. This is a well thought out learning center where kids of all ages can create and explore the outdoor environment and at the same time have fun doing it.

If you ask a child what impressed him or her the most, more than likely their answer will be having a photo taken by the giant horse or simply just seeing it. The horse to which I am referring is the giant 24-foot tall sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci's Horse that was created by Nina Akamu and is called The American Horse. It is one of only two of its size in the world.

There is another exhibit kids love. It is housed in the Botanical Gardens and is the largest in the United States. It is called the Carnivorous Plant House. In our normal lives, not many of us get to see plants that actually survive by eating insects.

The gardens are located in Grand Rapids at 1000 East Beltline NE. Call (888)-957-1580 for details of special exhibits during the year. On the Internet, click on: www.meijergardens.org. Open Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm. .

Another very special family park, Millennium Park, opened last year with much fanfare from environmentalists from around the world. The master plan calls for the returning of approximately 1500 acres of industrial land to publicly owned urban green space. Upon completion, this park will be one of the nation's largest urban parks. Your family can enjoy swimming in the six acre, man-made lake with its beautiful sandy beach. All the amenities from changing rooms, concessions, outdoor café and beach house are already in place and are being enjoyed for the second summer.

There is also the newly opened water park and adventure playground from Germany which is unique to this part of the U.S.

Millennium Park is open from May 1st until October 31st. For information on directions visit the website at www.millennium-park.org. While you are online check out the "Just for Kids" section.

Not to be missed is the Grand Rapids Children's Museum that provides hands-on activities for the entire family. To get information and directions call (616)235-4726 or go to the web site at www.grcm.org.

NOW! If you and your children are seeking sand and water, far beyond the horizon - or, rolling dunes, charming villages, a giant roller coaster and even the delightful surprise of a true Dutch windmill, all within a half hour's drive from the downtown pleasures of a mid-sized city, where is such a magic place? It is not in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean or even California. This unique and special place is right here in the American Midwest. It is Michigan's West Coast and comprises: Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon and Grand Rapids

For general information on Grand Rapids and Michigan's West Coast, call: Toll-free consumer information: 1- 800-678-9859.Website: www.visitgrandrapids.org.

Our travel store also has a great selection of Grand Rapids maps to choose from.


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