Michigan Road Trip

Wine tasting, musical fountains, delicious chocolate, dune buggy rides, and apple picking; all things you can experience when traveling to Michigan. My boyfriend and I made a weekend trip to Michigan in late September. Nothing was set in stone besides the place we were staying at, but it came to be one of my favorite weekend trips. 

Wine Tasting – Fenn Valley

 

We started at Fenn Valley for wine tasting. I’m not a big wine drinker or alcohol drinker for that matter, but it turned out to be a great experience. We tasted wine in the barn. You pay $5 for 7 tokens, which also becomes a coupon for $5 off your wine purchase making your wine tasting free. From there, you can choose which wines you want to try from their list with descriptions. The staff was very accommodating and advised us on which wines we probably would enjoy based on what we told them. I enjoyed and even ended up purchasing wines that I never would have even tried based off of description alone. Definitely check Fenn Valley out if you’re looking for wine tasting in Michigan!

Grand Haven

 

After all that wine tasting, we decided to check out Grand Haven because we read about it in a pamphlet we picked up at a rest stop. I really wanted to see the musical fountain because I had seen it once before, and I wanted to show my boyfriend. The show didn’t begin until about 8pm, so we had plenty of time to kill beforehand. We decided to walk around the town and see what else it had to offer. One of our favorite stops was Patricia’s Chocolate. The man who worked there was super friendly and knowledgeable about the chocolates. He offered us many samples and taught us about the mother of cocoa beans that make their chocolate so delicious. We ended up buying a few pieces of chocolate which they wrapped up beautifully for us. If you’re ever in Grand Haven, don’t miss out on Patricia’s Chocolate!

As the sun began to set, we settled into a spot where we could see the fountain. The show was beautiful! They have a water fountain on a hill on Lake Michigan. It’s magical when you see the lights and water dance to the music. I would definitely recommend going on the 4th of July because they put on a great fireworks display along with the magical fountain.

Mears

After the show, my boyfriend and I made our way up to Mears which was where we booked a room at Dunes Waterfront Resort. It was a bit of a drive from Grand Haven, but what are road trips for? The room was very nice and clean and included a whirlpool. We got there so late at night, but ended our day relaxing in the whirlpool. When we woke up the next morning, we were amazed with what we saw outside our window. We had missed the beautiful view because it was so dark the night before. It inspired us to explore our surroundings.

Dune Buggy Ride

 

We decided to take a dune buggy ride while in the area. We rode with Mac Wood’s Dune Buggy Rides. The experience was so much fun! It was like a roller coaster traveling through the dunes, and the view was breath taking. The tour guide was entertaining and he stopped at one point so everyone could get out and take pictures. A dune buggy ride is an experience you don’t want to miss! Don't forget to check out the lighthouses as well!

Crane Orchards

 

We ended our trip with apple picking at Crane Orchards, back in Fenn Valley. At first glance, it seemed overwhelming. There were so many apples to choose from, how do you know which ones to pick? Luckily, they had samples of every apple they had so you knew which apple aisles you wanted to choose from. They charge per pound, but I can’t remember how much. We bought about 15 apples and paid about $7. They were delicious! I would like to go back again for more apples, and even check out peach picking in the summer!

Our trip to Michigan was full of food and nature. Everyone was super friendly and let us try a bunch of different things! There is so much to do and see! If you’re looking for a short weekend getaway, why not escape to pure Michigan?