My City March 2023

1 Spend a long weekend in a new city. Join the rest of the world! Get out and about and visit a Michigan city you have never seen before. Eat at a new restaurant. Explore a new park. Visit a new museum or theater. Plan to spend a few days in places like South Haven, Saugatuck, Ludington, Grand Rapids, Petoskey, Tawas, Marquette, Escanaba and more. Where is some place you have never been? Just find it on a map and go! 2 Plan a fishin’ expedition. Fancy yourself a skilled angler? Gather some HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO HELP YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN:

3 HIT THE LINKS. You’ve played every course in Genesee County and you

friends and head out for a few days of trout fishing on the Au Sable, Manistee, Huron or Black Rivers. Fish for steelhead in Grand Tra verse Bay or walleye in Saginaw Bay. Charter a boat for Lake Michigan and bring in loads of whitefish and perch. Whatever your fancy, Michigan has a spot where you can reel ‘em in. 4 A new kind of hunting. Spring is a great time to hunt for the ever-elusive morel mushroom. Genesee County has its fair share of hiding places and secret troves on public land. Round up the kids and head out into the forest for a day. If you can’t find morels, what other varieties can you

6 May is Michigan Wine Month. Now that I have your attention, May is the time to get your drink on and Michigan has more than a few wineries to accommodate you. It’s time to make a trip, smash some grapes and take a few sips. Take a ride to Black Star Farm in Suttons Bay, Brys Estate in Traverse City, or any vine yard in Leelanau or the Old Mission Peninsula. Why not combine a few of these spring fling suggestions and do some fishing, golfing AND wine-tasting? Sounds like big fun to me. ß many can you collect this year? (Attention disc golfers: have you had a chance to visit the courses in Ludington or played Flip City in Shelby? Not to mention there are new courses opening up right here near Genesee County.) have a league lined up for the season – but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a detour here and there. Get a group of friends or just go as a couple and find a new place for golf. Have you played Arcadia Bluffs yet? What about Forest Dunes in Roscommon or Eagle Eye in Bath? Set a destination and make a plan to hit a few new courses over a couple of days. Make sure to grab a souvenir golf ball from each one – how

find? How many can you identify? If you are truly a fungi fan, don’t miss the National Morel Mushroom Festival taking place this year May 18-21 in Boyne City. This year's event features a morel cooking exhibition, live music and carnival rides. 5 TIME TO BLOOM. April showers bring May flowers and that is reason to smile. Pick up a flower guidebook and take the family out for a flower find. Identify each variety and catalog them. How many different colors and variations can you see? Then, make the trip to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, running May 6-14, for even more appreciation of springtime color. The festival, one of Michigan's biggest, features live music, dramatic performances, artists, brew-tasting events, Dutch danc ing and lessons, parades and more.

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