More than 40 trees and displays, from traditional Christmas greenery to a Vietnamese Ancestral Altar for the Lunar New Year, celebrate an array of traditions at Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, November 18-January 3. Outdoors, horse-drawn carriages clip-clop past 300,000 twinkling lights.
All aboard to the Flint area and Huckleberry Railroad for an old-fashioned Christmas at Crossroads including a train ride to view the light display (schedule varies). Visit with Santa and enjoy entertainment at the Colwell Opera House, beginning November 27 and running long weekends through December 30. The North Pole Express, pulled by Pere Marquette #1225, the locomotive in the popular holiday movie Polar Express, departs Owosso, every weekend, for Santa’s Village beginning November 27 and the Santa Train in Coopersville includes a visit with the Jolly One and a reading of The Polar Express aboard a vintage rail car beginning November 28. Both excursions run on weekends through December 20.
Scrooge, Marley, Tiny Tim and other characters from the classic Christmas tale come to life in Holly for the Dickens Olde Fashioned Christmas Festival. Stroll the shops of the quaint village and enjoy performances and surprises.
The Henry Ford in Dearborn decks its halls and pathways indoors and out for a variety of holiday events beginning November 27. Authentic décor, food, and traditions from the past are on display during the Greenfield Village Holiday Homes Tour (Fridays through Sundays through December 27). Also, Holidays in Henry Ford Museum features vintage model trains, visits with Santa, a giant Christmas tree and new LEGO exhibit and train (daily through January 3).