The nachos are very good. If you correct the old man's math you can pay fewer money for them cakes…read more Ask for extra sausage if you need extra saisage! We think Margot killed a moth and Jho cried until I gave him syrup.

This festival is always a lot of fun. The pancake breakfast at the pavilion is always good. They…read morehave some farmers market booths selling blueberries and other goodies. Cool town on the water.

The Coast Guard Festival is a big deal in Grand Haven, and it shows. The festivals lasts for 10…read moredays, spanning across two weekends at the end of July and beginning of August. What's in the itinerary? It depends on the day. One of my favorites is Tuesday night's Dancing in the Street, where a large stage is set up downstage for--you guessed it--dancing in the street to a very good local cover band. This year I got to take a tour of two Coast Guard ships that were docked in the channel. My spouse was thrilled. If you're a music fan, there's nightly concerts, the majority of them being cover bands. On the second Saturday of the festival, there's fireworks, which people make sure they have a great spot for viewing as early as the morning of. The last thing I'll mention is the carnival with games, rides, and the kids who love them. Food-wise, there's a row of fair food trailers and a section of food trucks around the Elks Lodge off of Washington Street. Plus, just about all the local of the local businesses around downtown will gladly take your money. This summer New Holland Brewing Co. opened a pizza-inspired pinwheels kitchen, which appeared to be very popular with patrons of the festival. There's also plenty of opportunities for booze in the Social District as well as sweets, from ice cream to chocolates to Kilwin's fudge. I've attended the festival two years in a row, and I'll continue to come on the Dancing in the Street night. It's a great night of community and fun. I'll also try to check out the cardboard boat race, which takes place on the first Saturday of the festival. Should you come too? My vote is yes!

Lucky to have been in Grand Haven for my first Coast Guard Festival. A more patriotic atmosphere…read moreyou will have a hard time finding. The way the entire town shows their appreciation for the Coast Guard is inspiring. Flags on every home and business! Tour a ship, watch the helicopters, visit the museums, ride the rides, listen to bands and eat a ton of delicious food. Take a break from the crowds and walk along the boardwalk to the famous red lighthouse to watch the sunset. You will love every minute!

It always amazes me that gems like the Waterfront Film Festival exist to the silence of the masses…read more You must come to this festival. In its 11th year, if you've always wanted to attend Sundance or Cannes but can't get to Park City or France - then this is the next best thing, without the papparazzi and hype, but with all the heart and authentic, genuine, real love of the arts. SAG Indie ranks this one of the top 5 in the world, and it's easy to see why. Yes, it's small town, and yes, the productions are missing the glitz and glam, but this is Rothbury meets Hollywood. It's outside, in a beautiful and idyllic small town (voted one of the top gay destinations in the Midwest). You can dine with the stars, meet the Directors and Cast, and still find a hotel room and a spot at the local breakfast diner - no hassles. You will see films here that debut in NY and LA later in the year. Great films that may never even make their distribution paths to the Midwest. It's a (Michigan) treasure. Support it. Go to the beach. Wear your Merrells (or Chacos). Take a deep breath as you circle the town looking for a great parking spot (for 5 minutes) and thank the good Lord you really don't live in LA.

Because of the Waterfront Film Festival, Saugatuck is known from Hollywood to Halifax. Held in…read moreJune, the non-profit festival is one of the top five film festivals in the country. It attracts directors, producers, actors and movie mavens from New York and California to this laid-back summer resort village. But you don't have to be a Tinseltown temptress to enjoy the show. This reporter caught up with festival co-founder Hopwood Depree while he was in Hollywood. When asked about the festival's success he said, "People can relax on the beach and eat at one of the fabulous restaurants during the day. At night, everyone comes together to watch these amazing films shown in unusual spaces like boat sheds." Netflix can never duplicate that collective experience, sitting together in the dark and watching a film projected on a big screen. Get the $200 SuperPass and you'll have priority seating for all of the films and seminars.

I loved our afternoon walking around this beautiful spacious park…read more Everything was well kept. It was so lovely seeing the features that were offered like the row house with the Dutch exhibit. The pond and walkways were so nice. You can walk all the way around the island if you like. The small bridge was a perfect spot for photos. Of course the main attraction is the windmill. The ladies working the bottom were so sweet and friendly. We walked up to the top. Each floor had something to offer. Once at the top, we went out on the balcony to enjoy a gorgeous view. Our last stop was the huge musical machine. It added such whimsy. We really enjoyed our visit.

Oh my Gosh, 5 Stars all the way! I'm so happy we came here during Tulip Festival! Was it kinda…read morepricey at $20 a person to get in, and crazy busy, yes to both! but would I do it again, yes for sure! We walked up and saw you could catch a big ol school bus to shuttle you up to the entrance for free, we hoped on and went in. I was very excited to see de Zwaan the famous Windmill imported from the Netherlands! The only one in the US, I think! It was SO beautiful! I got some great shots of the tulips and the windmill that I thought were just so pretty! Loved going up in the windmill and walking thru the tulip fields. Also don't miss walking thru the shops with authentic goods for sale including a whole cheese wall! With samples! You know some Dutch Gouda had to come home with me!

I attended the World of Winter Silent Disco (for my 2nd year) and it did not disappoint. I parked…read moreat the Amy Grand and walked over. It was a cold Michigan winter but the vibe was warm and welcoming. Lots of smiles, colors, lights, and people. More than expected especially due to the cold. The sponsors had extra headphones so the line to wait for headphones went quick and the process of turning them on and tuning in was seamless. The DJs were spinning beats making the crowds excited and the dance party never ending. Loved the food trucks surrounding the areas, the festival dancers interacting with the crowds, the aesthetically pleasing platform of artistic display, and the fire pits. Lots of security presence so I felt extra safe and we danced into the night. 11pm comes quick. Wish this would be every Saturday night downtown. Looking forward to next year!

Grand Rapids is home to the largest winter festival in the United States - World of Winter! The…read morefestival features lots of free events and activations and amazing outdoor art installations that get people out and about in the city during the coldest winter months. World of Winter takes place January 12 through March 10, 2024. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a big fan of winter, but I've really enjoyed all the events I've participated in through the past couple of years of World of Winter. Popular events include the silent disco, ice sculptures downtown and walking tours, human hungry hungry hippos, and a drag show at Calder Plaza. This year we got to check out the ice arcade, with foosball, connect four, cornhole, and more - all made from solid blocks of ice! The art installations are usually interactive and especially stunning at night with colorful lights and other features. For 2024 the giant inflated frogs at Ah Nab Awen Park are super popular and make for great photos. It's disappointing to see that some of the art installations have been damaged by people standing on them (when signs clearly posted tell you to not do this) and throwing huge ice chunks on them :( I hope that World of Winter can continue for years to come and we can avoid this type of vandalism.

Black Arts Festival was held here today and was such a fabulous showcase of local and regional…read moretalent! It was the first festival I've attended in a long time and the staff did a fabulous job making sure everyone's comfort level is being catered to regarding masking and social distancing. I would love to see Kalamazoo go back to hosting at least a couple festivals per month throughout the summer. They always do an incredible job with our local Pride Festival, which did not take place this year due to the huge spike in Covid cases in the region in the spring. My favorite festival was always Taste of Kalamazoo, which I desperately hope will come back at some point. Greek fest was another treasure tradition that folded a few years back. It will be interesting to see how the space evolves as the new complex across the street and gets poised to open up.

Yoga festival〜！！I had been here for several event before！！It's good place to do event！！read more

So after living here for three years I finally just found out about this massive event in Battle…read moreCreek Michigan. Advertises carnival rides/food, air shows, local shopping tents, live music, beer garden, events, fire works and hot air balloons. Of course it's hard to pass something that hosts that many things in one afternoon. The parking lot is massive, and plenty of room for everyone. The parking line was pretty long to get in, and it cost 5 bucks, but it was better than walking in my opinion. Sadly, as we were parking we were informed that a few minutes before we arrived that the jet truck had exploded during the air show, and the air show had been canceled. We decided to go anyway because there was still hot air balloons. The line to get in was very efficient and we walked right in. Ticket cost was 10 dollars per person to get into the festival. We wandered around and did some shopping. They have some pretty amazing local talent there making some some impressive things. After that, we got some food. I got a pizza from a local pizza tent which was amazing. We then got some funnel cake. Was everything I remembered from childhood. Haven't had funnel cake since I was a teenager. Food was a little pricey but anyone who has been to an event/festival in the last 5 years knows that food and drink prices are inflated to make a profit. After food we wandered through the carnival rides and decided to do the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel brought an amazing view of the grounds and showed that the event truly is a popular event in Michigan. After the wheel we decided to go get beer, find shade, and wait for the hot air balloons. The beer garden has some pretty amazing options. Aside from commercial beer they had many options of Michigan made beers. I enjoyed blood orange beer from Cheboygan. Was delicious. After a couple hours of waiting we were informed that the hot air balloons were not gonna make it for the day. We found out that the hot air balloons come flying in on one day and fly out on another and they were delayed due to weather flying in. If you can find out which is happening I recommend going on a day that they fly out and not in. Watching them fly off would be so much more exciting, and there is a higher chance of not getting to see them on a day they are flying in. The slightest winds can delay them. Overall, we were disappointed because we got no air show, and no hot air balloons. However, we did get to see a massive explosion go off. The entire air strip was covered in jet fuel from the truck earlier so they had to ignite it. The explosion felt like a meteor hit the earth. Was so loud, shook the ground, and it was instantly dark outside from the smoke. Was exciting to say the least. A definite must do event for 4th of July even without the jets and balloons. If you're going for balloons find out what day they fly out. We went because it was the 4th, but the festival is 5 days. *Note* you can bring in your own chairs, tents, coolers. We didn't know being our first year. Go prepared for an all day event and zero shade on the grounds.