You won't find MTV broadcasting from the beach at Tunnel Park. But you don’t necessarily need to jump a plane for Cancun, Miami, or South Padre to enjoy a bit of Spring Break fun and relaxation. There's plenty going on around Michigan's West Coast.
With a little help from our friends at the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau, here's an unofficial guide on how to get the Spring Break 2007 party started, and keep it local.
- Spring's in bloom. And so are some 6,000 butterflies at Frederik Meijer Gardens. The annual exhibit, which features more than 6,000 tropical butterflies flying free, is the largest of its kind in the nation. The event runs through April 30, and is followed by one of the largest flower festivals in the nation. Holland's Tulip Time, named the Best Small Town Festival by Reader's Digest, gets underway May 5.
- High performance. Blue Man Group's high tech stage show How to be a Megastar 2.0 comes to town March 25. The Smucker's Stars on Ice will feature some of the world's most decorated skaters, including Olympic champions Todd Eldredge, Ilia Kalik, and Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. And Jesus Christ Superstar, an exceptional presentation of musical theatre, comes to DeVos Performance Hall in early April.
- Something for the kids. The Grand Rapids Ballet this weekend will stage a special performance of Where the Wild Things Are, writer Maurice Sendak's timeless children's story about the imaginary adventures of young Max. And Nick Jr.'s action hero Diego sets off on the The Great Jaguar Rescue in late April.
- Take an architecture tour. Heritage Hill's annual Home Tour isn’t until October. But building and style buffs can take a self-guided walking tour of one of the nation's largest urban historic districts at their leisure. The neighborhood features some 1,300 homes dating back to 1848. Click here for three distinct tours mapped out online. The Park Congregational Church, located on Fulton Street in downtown GR, features a stunning collection of Tiffany stained glass windows. Tours are available daily and free to the public.
- Music mania. Straight from London's West End, the musical presentation of The Rat Pack Live at the Sands will feature impersonations of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. And Urban Cowboy: The Musical, billed as a journey through biggest honky-tonk bar in Texas, will be presented at the Van Singel Fine Arts Center in late April. The Tony award nominated musical includes hit songs from Travis Tritt and Clint Black. Finally, blues giant B.B. King will perform on March 21.
It might not be hip hop artists like Justin Timberlake and Girls Gone Wild on sunny white sand beaches. But spring break on Michigan's West Coast provides plenty of opportunity to enjoy quality time with friends and family, avoid the crowds, and save some money by avoiding the skyrocketing costs of travel. And you won't even have to worry about sun burn.
All photos of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved
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