[JenM]

Hey all! It's summer once again and once again I have no money for a vacation. So I was wondering if any of you know of fun, inexpensive places to go to have a great summer? I have 3 small children, all under the age of 6. I live in Macomb County, but don't mine driving a while. Things like carnivals, family friendly concerts, fairs, petting zoos, anything with water, (obviously) etc. would be great!

Thanks!

[Angel Bear]

I think there's a cool farm at Kensington Metropark...a truly lovely place in SE Michigan, imho

Also, try Stony Creek Metropark for nature hikes. The nature center has a lot of family events.

Henry Ford Museums are great too...Lots of fun, hands-on stuff to do there.

Also, don't rule out camping...Boyne area is gorgeous...You can't beat Lk. Charlevoix I believe there's a new waterpark at the ski resort in Boyne too

Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak is a cool place...We never get tired of going there

And, ever think of Niagara Falls (the Canadian side)? It is a great weekend trip that is in driving distance

Hope you enjoy your summer!

Hugs,
L

[michiganirish]

Try going on to the cities surrounding your area. Many of them have summer festivals and evening concerts. (I know Farmington (not Farmington Hills) has events during the summer at their pavilion in the city center, concerts etc... Usually the Chamber of Commerce sites or the cities DDA sites will have listings with a lot of fun, FREE, events.

Good luck, and hope the kids have a good summer

[Guardian]

From June 22-27 there will be the first ever Detroit River Days.

[jaynarie]

The Detroit Zoo, as someone mentioned. The aquarium, too.
Greenfield Village is also very fun. It's $20 for adults, $14 for ages 5-12, and 4 and under are free.
If the little ones like cars, you could go watch the Woodward Dream Cruise. People come from all over to participate! It is huge!
The Michigan State Fair is in August.
Flint has a fun Children's Museum, but it's kind of far for you.
Tiger's Games start as low as $5. Obviously, very young ones won't like it, but my 4 y/o nephew LOVES going!
Michigan's Adventure is a ton of fun, especially for kids. They have a HUGE waterpark with kid sections. It is a bit more expensive, $24 each and 2 and under are free.

[khfar]

This is a great post!

Thanks for all of the information. I've been trying to figure out what we're going to do all summer long, in this new and undiscovered place for us!

[looneytunes32]

There's the National Baby Food Festival the third week in July. Lots of fair type stuff going on then, oops it's in Fremont.
Also, Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. You get to pet and feed the giraffes. My kids loved that.

[JenM]

Thanks for the responses! I'm gonna check 'em out. And if I stumble across anything that looks fun, I'll be sure to post it!

[NittanyLion]

Originally Posted by looneytunes32

There's the National Baby Food Festival the third week in July. Lots of fair type stuff going on then, oops it's in Fremont.
Also, Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. You get to pet and feed the giraffes. My kids loved that.

Oh, yes, I love the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek! Great place to go with small children!

[jeffncandace]

This is cool! I am also new to the state and have 3 kids, ages 4, 2 and 10 months. We are off to explore!