Saturday June 17
This year, our summer vacation with the family was centered on Michigan as we toured the Great Lakes State by checking out three different sections. There were several stadiums on the agenda and thankfully the weather was excellent this time around (unlike last year in Florida). It was sunny and warm, but not that humid with only one portion of a day that was crappy with persistent light rain showers. We travelled most of Saturday, driving from Northwest Jersey to Toledo, Ohio. A stop halfway in DuBois, PA was for the kids to get some energy out by using a playground and I stumbled upon a really impressive Little League field that even had a waterfall beyond center field.
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Sunday June 18
To get “Up North”, we had five hours left in our journey as we settled in Traverse City. Our hotel was the Bayshore Resort, right on the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay and this gave us a private beach and balcony, which was excellent for the kids. Lingering high-level smoke from Canadian Wildfires led to some beautiful sunsets. We started by exploring downtown and it is quite charming with plenty of local shops and interesting places to stop in to, even for a non-shopper like myself. This is the “Cherry Capital of the World” and we made sure to get plenty of things around that fruit, even though we just missed their arrival by a few weeks. The first stadium to visit was for a 5 PM Northwoods League contest between the Pit Spitters and the Rockford Rivets. I went in a little sour because of being ignored by multiple staffers…however, I was turned around by the uniqueness of the ballpark. It is beach themed (they were originally known as the “Beach Bums”) and the exterior / interior suites have a design that closely mimics a beach house. What a fantastic concept. Outside of a very shallow seating bowl, it is a great ballpark. The Pit Spitters won and interesting promos included grape stomping and human bowling.
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Monday June 19
Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club is ranked #14 in Golf Digest’s Top 100 Public Courses and it is one of a handful on my bucket list. With the course being just an hour away from Traverse City, I had to play it and I booked the first tee time available (7:00 AM) way back in February. The weather was beautiful and in a strange twist, winds were blowing offshore in an easterly direction. The course was indeed magic and I had a few shots to always remember once I shook off some early nerves. My average round is in the upper 80s and I finished with a 96 here. Outside of getting paired up with a couple of slobs (driving carts in fescue, not repairing ball marks, etc), it was an amazing experience. After the round, I met up with the wife and kids who were on the beach at the hotel and then we went up Old Mission Peninsula. This piece of land sticks out between both bays and is fertile for both cherries and grapes (i.e. wine). We visited the lighthouse at the end of it and a winery, where the kids sampled juice in the most elegant of ways.
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Tuesday June 20
Man, it is tiring walking in the sand! I guess that is an adult thing you never really think about. We went to Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore for some incredible views of Lake Michigan and breathtaking natural scenery involving sand dunes. While we certainly didn’t do the Dune Climb, walking around in the sun was enough to wear us out. Thankfully it wasn’t hot. After lunch in the cute nearby town of Glen Arbor, we relaxed a bit before doing very resorty town things: Mini-Golf, an old burger joint and then ice cream.
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Wednesday June 21
I didn’t think a state could surpass Pennsylvania in terms of road construction and quality, but Michigan may have done that. We encountered so many delays and passed several closed exits during our venture and this 2 hour and 45 minute journey from Traverse City to Holland typified that. Once we got to Holland, we explored this town that embraces their Dutch roots by going to Windmill Island. The area is also known for tulips and this was one of the scenic spots to view Tulip Time in late May. Downtown is excellent for a stroll even when the flowers are not in bloom. After settling into our hotel, we then made a traffic delayed drive to Comstock Park, which is a little north of Grand Rapids. That is where the West Michigan Whitecaps play in the Midwest League. It is a large ballpark for Single-A ball and one that is both colored appropriately and has a lot of seating variety. They’ve done a nice job with it and there are plans for more renovations in the coming years. The Whitecaps fell 8-3 to the Great Lakes Loons on this night and after the game, they had an interesting conundrum for post-game fireworks. With a 6:35 PM start and sunset not until 9:26 PM, it wasn’t dark enough for fireworks once the game ended. So I became interested at how they would delay the proceedings without saying a start time of the show. The focal point became a dance party, including the entire version of “Macarena”.
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Thursday June 22
No sports on Thursday as we spent time exploring Western Michigan. First was the Saugatuck Dune Rides, which was my favorite thing on vacation. What made it great was our driver Nate and his jokes that made kids and adults laugh. The ride and scenery combined with him leading was awesome. Afterwards, we went back to Holland, where we took the kids to Nelis’ Dutch Village, a little park with rides and other activities geared for little ones. It’s in a weird location, but it is a cute place and a Dutch theme. We finished the evening by going to Grand Haven, a beach town on Lake Michigan. It was buzzing and while we didn’t stay for the famed fountain show, you can see why this is a popular place.
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Friday June 23
The last few days would be spent in Detroit. We were here mainly for sports purposes, but there is also the famed “Henry Ford” worth visiting. While the city isn’t bankrupt anymore and downtown is walkable, I’m still reminded of this masterpiece by T Baby. Before we get there, we stopped in Grand Rapids to explore the Public Museum. It’s in an expansive building on the other side of the River and it compliments the city quite well. Our drive to Detroit featured some delays, so we didn’t get to see the plazas and monuments like I wanted to, but we at least arrived early enough for a meal at Union Assembly, across from Comerica Park. Impressive place with three levels to eat and we dove into a Detroit-Style Pizza. The weather kept many away as the rain intensity varied between drizzle and light rain. It at least dissipated not long after first pitch and we watched the home side sulk to another loss. Outside of the Tiger logos and designs around the front entrance, I wasn’t head over heels for Comerica as the ballpark felt kind of “generic new” to me. After the game, the team put on a fireworks display that was impressive in length and power.
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Saturday June 24
The aforementioned Henry Ford complex is made up of Greenfield Village and the Museum of American Innovation. We split it up into two days, doing the Village on Saturday and then the Museum on Sunday before starting the drive back to New Jersey. The Village is cool, but quite spread out with a lot of walking. It was also strangely random as so much of it felt like Ford saying “I don’t have that, bring it to me!” (yes, I know it was for the benefit of the public). I found the Museum much more interesting. There wasn’t a lot to keep the kids’ attention, but I felt like a child in wonder and astonishment (yes, I’m a dork). My Dad actually drove from Rochester, NY to join us on this part of the trip as this type of stuff is up his alley. He also accompanied me to the Detroit City FC match Saturday Night, in what can only be described as one of the most unique sporting experiences in the United States. Keyworth Stadium literally bumps up to a neighborhood in Hamtramck and the ramshackle stands still seem rooted in a different time. The setting is unique and the fans are authentic. Much of soccer fandom in this country is manufactured by the arrival of an MLS team and stadium. That’s ok, but in Detroit, things are different as the team and the Northern Guard Supporters started at a semi-pro level before their arrival in the USL Championship last season. It’s a polarizing group, one that we found ourselves in the middle of as my Dad did his best Uncle Leo impression when I asked him to grab a seat as I got food. It was fun to be ingrained in it for a bit and we also enjoyed the atmosphere as we scrunched into a corner space further away in the packed house. Le Rouge fell 1-0 to Orange County in a memorable night as a stadium traveler.
Detailed reviews for each stadium have all been completed and you can find them here: Keyworth Stadium, Comerica Park, LMCU Ballpark, Turtle Creek Stadium
Stadium and Arena Visits 
