[Ghaleon]

We just got back from our trip and had a wonderful time. Thanks again for all of the information and help.

Over 5 days, we hit Grand Rapids, Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven, Zeeland, Ada, Rockford, and Traverse city. For several of the locations we just drove to the downtown area and took a walk. I'm sure we missed a lot of good stuff, but our goal was just to get a feel for the locations and from that perspective the trip was very successful.

Overall I was surprised to find that both my wife and I were turned off by the touristy vibe of all of the Lake Michigan towns. I expected that I would like the activity, but not so much. They were all great places, especially Traverse City and Saugatuck, but maybe not for us.

We had a great evening in Grand Rapids, and we LOVED Rockford. The brewery, the bicycle trail that goes straight through town, the locally owned shops and restaurants, the Rouge River, the fishing... it scratched all of the right itches. We are hoping to get back next weekend to spend a little more time there, and there is a good chance that this is where we will settle.

Thanks!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Ghaleon

We just got back from our trip and had a wonderful time. Thanks again for all of the information and help.

Over 5 days, we hit Grand Rapids, Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven, Zeeland, Ada, Rockford, and Traverse city. For several of the locations we just drove to the downtown area and took a walk. I'm sure we missed a lot of good stuff, but our goal was just to get a feel for the locations and from that perspective the trip was very successful.

Overall I was surprised to find that both my wife and I were turned off by the touristy vibe of all of the Lake Michigan towns. I expected that I would like the activity, but not so much. They were all great places, especially Traverse City and Saugatuck, but maybe not for us.

We had a great evening in Grand Rapids, and we LOVED Rockford. The brewery, the bicycle trail that goes straight through town, the locally owned shops and restaurants, the Rouge River, the fishing... it scratched all of the right itches. We are hoping to get back next weekend to spend a little more time there, and there is a good chance that this is where we will settle.

Thanks!

I thought you would like Rockford, based on your interests. It's an outdoor lover's paradise really, especially for only being 20 minutes from Grand Rapids.

We live about 7 miles South, but my Rockford favorites: White Pine Trail, Rockford Brewery, hot dogs at the Corner Bar, the new Green Well restaurant, mountain biking trails (Luton, Cannonsburg and Merrell), Bostwick Lake Inn, seeing the Grand Rapids Symphony at Cannonsburg Ski Area in the summer (Picnic Pops), Townsend Park, and the rolling forested hills are really pretty in the Fall, especially East of Rockford and the Cannonsburg area (Ramsdell and Honey Creek drives).