Gold Wing Touring Association

 

Southwest Lower Peninsula

The southwest corner of the Lower Peninsula is where a lot of Michigan residents work and play.  From the large cultural centers of Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor, to the Lake Michigan shoreline that offers so many recreational opportunities.

 

1  -  Muskegon

 

Muskegon was once a lumber queen city producing many millions of board feet of lumber each year.  As the lumbering industry died out, the proximity of the Muskegon River and Harbor and its success for the area attracted new enterprises that allowed the city to prosper.  Today the city balances its industrial areas with the many recreational opportunities that exist along the Lake Michigan shoreline.  Muskegon is home to two state parks on the shore.  Museums include the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum, the Muskegon County Museum and the Museum of Art.  Michigan Adventures is a large outdoor water and amusement park hosting more than 60 rides and attractions plus 7 roller coasters.  Like Ludington to the north, Muskegon is one of only two cities in Michigan with access to a car ferry crossing Lake Michigan.  The Lakes Express makes the 2 1/2 hour trip from Milwaukee to Muskegon multiple times per day.

 

2  -  Grand Haven

 

A neighbor to Muskegon, this shoreline town bustles with tourists attracted to recreational areas along Lake Michigan and nearby Spring Lake.  Grand Haven also is home to one of Michigan’s busiest state parks.  The Grand River empties into Lake Michigan in this town and near the mouth of the river there is a large musical fountain on Dewey Hill at the waterfront that combines light, water and music in nightly concerts held each night at dusk.

 

3  -  Holland

 

Settled by Dutch immigrants in 1847, Holland retains the essence of a Dutch town.  Millions of tulips bloom each spring.  While Holland itself is not directly on Lake Michigan (it is on Lake Macatawa) Holland State Park to the west is another busy park with many recreational activities.  Holland has a couple of museums, a wooden shoe factory, the Veldheer Tulip Garden (features other flowering plants when the tulips are not in bloom) and Windmill Island featuring a miniature Dutch village and a 1780’s working windmill brought from the Netherlands.

 

4  -  Grand Rapids

 

Grand Rapids and the surrounding area is a vigorous manufacturing, cultural and convention city.  It owes its name to the rapids on the Grand River, a place of gathering and exchange after a trading post was established there in 1826.  The water power and transportation afforded by the river along with abundant wood from forests made the growth of the furniture industry inevitable.  By 1900 the city was renowned as a producer of quality office furniture, a reputation it still maintains.  While there are many items of cultural interest to see in this city, the most notable are the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Museum and the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

 

5  -  Kalamazoo

 

This area is a diverse region with many industries providing a basis for Kalamazoo’s economy, including the campus of Western Michigan University.  There are a variety of attractions in the communities surrounding Kalamazoo. 

 

Air Zoo in Portage dedicated to showcasing the history of aviation through indoor amusement park rides, a 4-D theater and full motion flight simulators of a jet fighter and a space shuttle mission. 

 

In the Hickory Corners area is the Gilmore Car Museum with a large collection of antique cars and the W. K. Kellogg facilities that include the Biological Station, Dairy Center and Manor House. 

 

The Agusta area has W. K. Kellogg that include a Bird Sanctuary and Experimental Forest.

 

In the Mattawan area, the State of Michigan operates the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center.