Discover What’s New in Pure Michigan in 2018

Release Date

LANSING, Mich. – In 2018, there are plenty of new adventures in store for visitors to Pure Michigan – from new businesses, attractions and events to special exhibits and expansions. Whether you are discovering Michigan for the first time, or rediscovering a favorite destination, now is the perfect time to plan your trip.

 

New Attractions

  • Michigan-inspired performances at the Purple Rose Theatre – Willow Run and Flint (the latter written by actor Jeff Daniels).
  • Cultural Corridor: The Charlevoix Public Library, Charlevoix Historical Society, and the Charlevoix Circle of Arts have created a cultural collaboration to help educate visitors and the local community.
  • The historic Capitol Theatre has reopened in downtown Flint.
  • Two ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz automobiles, considered by many to be among the most valuable in existence, will be showcased through April 2018 at the Gilmore Car Museum near Kalamazoo, Michigan.
  • Pop Up & Paint is a new business in downtown Jackson with innovative ways to relax, interact and create art.
  • Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum renovation includes the new PleasANT Park with any hill climber, camper and microscope, and Luminary Lab that allows kids to play with a plasma ball and interact with motion sensors.
  • Off –leash Petsafe Bark Park located downtown Muskegon will open this summer that will feature separate large and small dog areas, natural grass turf, drinking fountains, picnic tables and benches.
  • The Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor will inspire, entertain and educate with year-round, world-class performances, affordable ticket pricing and a robust education program during its premiere summer season.
  • St. Ignace is getting trolleys in 2018. Jump on a unique antique trolley at any location along main street (maps will be available online) for $1 per person per ride. Trolleys will run all day and late into the evening all summer long and on special event weekends.
  • Art Trail Tecumseh, an outdoor sculpture exhibit, will have a new installation of sculptures in early May 2018 for visitors to enjoy. A map and brochure are provided to assist visitors on their self-guided tour of this unique collection of art and sculptures.
  • Now open at The Henry Ford, The Science Behind Pixar exhibit, displaying some of the most beloved animated films and their characters. The exhibit features an interactive 10,000 square space showcasing the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts used by the artists and computer scientists who help bring Pixar’s award-winning films to the big screen. Also open is the newest permanent exhibition at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Mathematica: A World of Numbers…And Beyond, conveying the world of numbers and mathematics through interactivity to make the subject more digestible for everyone. Coming fall 2018, the national traveling exhibit: Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms, will be making a stop at the museum. This exhibit is devoted to Norman Rockwell’s iconic depictions of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom of Want, and Freedom from Fear.

 

New to Do

 

Adventure & Outdoor Recreation

  • The 44-mile Huron Waterloo Loop has been officially incorporated into the Border-to-Border Trail network – a multi-use trail through scenic Huron River Valley.
  • The Little Bay de Noc features a new lakeside bike path with beautiful views running along Lake Michigan between Gladstone and Escanaba.
  • The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has designated the trail between Copemish and Mesick for full use this 2017-18 season creating a fully integrated system connecting five West Michigan trail systems of more than 300 miles of trails for snowmobiling shoreline to shoreline.
  • The North Country Trail, stretching from Gaylord all the way to Mackinaw City, is in the process of being extended 11 miles south to connect with city of Waters. A new trailhead with ample parking and restrooms is also in the planning and engineering stage.
  • If you’re looking for a fun-filled, bucket list-type day, visit the newly completed, long anticipated splash pad project at The Cascades in Jackson.
  • Jump Around Fun Center is Ludington’s outdoor inflatable park, featuring bounce houses and obstacles for a variety of ages (though best suited for children 12 years of age and younger).
  • At Marlins Wildlife Safari, in Custer, families can enjoy a petting zoo with opportunities to feed the variety of animals, a parakeet encounter, camel rides and meandering through the corn maze.
  • Newly opened is the Overlook Trail at Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve; accessed from the Baldy Trailhead, Arcadia. This one-mile round-trip trail is one of only a few trails in the region that is universally accessible, featuring a crushed stone with clay surface plus 400 feet of boardwalk that takes visitors to a scenic overlook of Lake Michigan in Arcadia Dunes.

Sports & Events

  • Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club is home to the newest golf course in the state – The South Course. This 18-hole, 310-acre course will be located off of M-22 1.5 miles south of Arcadia Bluffs and will feature 60 feet of elevation change and a playable, walkable and enjoyable experience with the world-class conditions.
  • The Noc Bay Flyers (NBF) Disc Golf Club is installing a 54-hole disc golf course at the Gladstone Sports Park.
  • Guided and narrated walking tours around Frankenmuth will be available in 2018. Themes vary throughout the year. A new boat launch also accommodates two boats at a time with a pier in the middle, a new footbridge and wheelchair-accessible path to a fishing platform on the riverbank.
  • Experience Food Truck Festival at Frankenmuth River Place May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9 and September 13.
  • Tied to the annual Love Ludington weekend, Ludington will attempt a third Guinness World Record after pursuing the World’s Longest Ice Cream Dessert and Most Sand Angels Created Simultaneously – this time for the longest single line of bicycles and longest bicycle line moving simultaneously.
  • St. Ignace is offering two new ways to cross the Mackinac Bridge: VW Beetle Bridge Crossing and Brews and Blues on August 4 and the Porsche Bridge Crossing on August 18.
  • Southwestern Michigan newest annual event will be the Makers Trail Festival that will take place June 9, 2018 at Weko Beach, Bridgman, Michigan. Local winemakers, brewers and distillers will be popping corks, tapping kegs and pouring spirits under the big tent along the shores of Lake Michigan.

 

Shopping

Tours & Classes

  • Tour Michigan is expanding their Mushroom Houses tours. The Charlevoix Mushroom Houses whimsical design continue to fascinate thousands of visitors each year.
  • The Outdoor Skills Academy will go from 30 classes in 2017 to more than 50 in 2018. These are hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation classes that are held at state park visitor centers. Participants receive a certificate of completion for each class, with special recognition for Outdoor Skills Academy “graduates” who complete multiple classes.
  • Frankenmuth’s newest attraction: a 16-person (15 plus a bartender if you choose) pedal-powered trolley bike. It's a great way to discover Michigan's Little Bavaria.
  • Completed this year, Manistee Historic Sites Tours is the largest collaboration of its kind in the county, showcasing more than 100 historic sites through eight themed tours of Manistee County. The self-guided driving routes include accompanying videos and photographs plus a guide book and mobile app with links to videos and digital images.
  • One of the newest additions to Manistee’s 14 self-guided tours, the Brew & Spirits Tour highlights 11 local beer, wine and spirits establishments in the county –including the newly opened North Channel Brewing Company and Iron Fish Distillery.

 

New to Eat and Drink

 

Restaurants, Cafes & Bakeries

Breweries

Wineries

Distilleries & Other Spirits

 

Expansions & Improvements

Ski Resorts

  • Mont Ripley, which is located in the Houghton/Hancock area in the Keweenaw Peninsula, is ready to handle all that snow with a new PistenBully 400 Park Bully groomer. And, if Mother Nature doesn’t supply enough snow, they have increased their snow gun count to 25.
  • Nub’s Nob Ski Area added a new 250-horsepower snowmaking pump along with upgraded piping, which will result in increased snowmaking strength. 
  • This winter, Boyne Mountain Resort and Boyne Highlands Resort are rolling out a significant enhancement to the proprietary Boyne Low-E fan guns that make the fleet the most energy efficient marginal temperature snowmaking system in the world. The 2017/18 season at Boyne Mountain Resort also brings a new PistenBully 400 Park Pro cat, enhancements to snowmaking capabilities, lights to the Ramshead terrain park, and a fleet of electric fat tire bikes with geared motors allowing riders to effortlessly traverse over virtually any terrain, including snow.
  • Renovations at Treetops Resort has been completed. The $4.5million renovation includes all the guest rooms in The Lodge and The Inn.  They also purchased a brand new Rossignol ski rental fleet.
  • New for the season at Cross Country Ski Headquarters (XC Ski HQ) in Higgins Lake is a big upgrade in the snow-making department: a giant Snow Spreader!
  • Mt. Brighton in Brighton is expanding their free equipment program. Designed to encourage new skiers and snowboarders, Mt. Brighton is offering four weeks of lessons, lift tickets and rental equipment for $349.
  • Alpine Valley has added a new fleet of snow guns to better ensure that there is snow on the slopes.
  • Mt. Holly has developed some exciting new terrain that is now open for the 2017-2018 season.  Bulldozers and earthmovers have shaped, contoured and softened the area between the White Lightning and Mozart slopes.  The name of the new slope is Aurora Pass.

Hotels & Resorts

  • Ludington Beach House –  The former Lakeside Inn of Ludington has been remodeled with all-new rooms and queen beds in 2017. The property is one of the closest lodging to Ludington’s beach and lighthouse.
  • Visitors will notice the improvements at Caberfae Peaks in Cadillac. On property, an upgrade to the hotel including new balconies, the addition of timber trusses and a renovated exterior was completed this summer.
  • The Mount Pleasant Comfort Inn & Suites Hotel and Conference Center underwent a number of changes, including, new landscaping, a remodeled Conference Center, updated lighting, new siding and more and the Mount Pleasant Hampton Inn went under a full renovation of the interior and exterior of the facility. Upgrades include a new business center, snack shop and an installation of a larger whirlpool spa.
  • The Comfort Inn in Muskegon is now a Quality Inn by Choice Hotels! Amenities include indoor and outdoor pools, workout room, meeting space, on site dining and lounge, whirlpool, continental breakfast and more!
  • Island House Hotel, Mackinac Island's oldest hotel is continuing to renovate guest rooms, replacing wallpaper with fresh paint in rooms on the third and fourth floors.

More Expansions & Improvements

  • After a year of renovations, the State Theatre in Ann Arbor reopened on December 9.
  • Cadillac will finalize construction on the fourth of five phases of upgrades in their downtown area with a Covered Farmer’s Market. Cadillac also had 11 private investments into downtown retail and buildings valued at over $12 million this year, with significant private historical and public city investments continuing to reshape the community place in the downtown area and along the lakefront.
  • Lavender Hill Farm, one of Michigan's largest lavender farms, has recently completed renovations on their barn. This new addition will welcomes weddings and other events to their gorgeous property.
  • African Bead Museum to add 20,000 square feet of exhibit, event space.
  • As part of plans for a sweeping redesign including 7.5 acres of new parks on Detroit’s riverfront, Detroit is getting a new beach, “Atwater Beach” located along the riverfront just east of Chene Street. The city also plans to create two new Dequindre Cut-style greenways down to the riverfront from the neighborhoods north of Jefferson.
  • A new orientation video will be seen in the new theater locations at Colonial Michilimackinac. The old space will become a shopping experience.
  • Gaylord’s downtown renovation project, which included new sidewalks, benches, trees and crosswalks, was completed this past summer.
  • The $3 million-dollar renovation to Grand Haven’s Waterfront Stadium is expected to be complete in spring of 2018. Additionally, a $3 million renovation to the Grand Haven lighthouse, pier and catwalk is expected to be complete this fall.
  • The Downtown Saginaw Farmers Market, located in the old Saginaw News building is expected to have its Grand Opening this spring.
  • Mary's Bistro Draft House will be adding electronic screens to showcase the available craft beers on tap.
  • Ice House BBQ, one of the Island House dining options on Mackinac Island, will be adding features to the garden seating including a waterfall.

 

New in Lodging & Meetings

  • The brand new Hyatt Place Ann Arbor is now open.
  • New Adoba Hotel in Gladstone features green amenities, local products, and inviting luxury guest rooms and suites.
  • The new Foundation Hotel, owned and managed by Aparium, opened recently in the historic Detroit Fire Department Headquarters. The 95,000-square-foot, 100 room independent hotel features a rooftop ballroom and a first-floor restaurant called the Apparatus Room, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and run by Michelin-starred chef Thomas Lents.
  • Detroit’s Wurlitzer Building is midway through a $23 million renovation that will transform the 14-story, 1926 structure by architect Robert Finn into a 106-room, upscale boutique hotel called The Siren. The 55,000 square foot hotel will feature seven food-and-beverage outlets and two retail shops.
  • Shinola and Bedrock have broken ground on their first hotel, the Shinola Hotel, located at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Grand River in Detroit. The 130-room hotel is expected to open in fall 2018. It will feature dining options from New York-based Noho Hospitality and Chef Andrew Carmellini. Plans include mixed-use on the first floor, with retail, restaurant and a living room area.
  • Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. will debut its stylish eco-incubator brand, Element Hotels, in Detroit in 2018. The project will transform Detroit’s Metropolitan Building into an upscale mixed-use development called the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan Building
  • Furniture and home décor retailer West Elm is opening a hotel in Detroit in 2018. The 120-room property will be built in Midtown at the northeast corner of Cass and Canfield to be part of a larger development that will include housing and additional retail space.
  • The Brownstone Haus is a recently remodeled, turn of the century, Frankenmuth Bed & Breakfast that is just 300 feet from Main Street and River Place shops and less than 5 minute walk to Zehnder’s, Bavarian Inn Restaurant and the Fortress golf course.
  • Come explore Marriott's newest hotel, Delta Hotels Grand Rapids Airport in Grand Rapids, MI.
  • Four new hotels are coming to Jackson: Home2 Suites by Hilton, Tru Hotel by Hilton, Courtyard Hotel by Marriott, and TownePlace Suites by Marriott.
  • The new 112-guest room Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Okemos is conveniently located near businesses, restaurants and the Michigan State University campus. Direct access to nearby expressways coupled with well-known and trusted Holiday Inn Express amenities make this property a great value.
  • The newest addition to join the Eastwood Towne Center hotel collection is the 139-room Hilton Homewood Suites. This all-suite hotel is located just off US-127 near the Eastwood Towne Center entertainment complex, and is walking distance from notable shopping, dining, NCG Cinemas and more.
  • Conveniently located just off US-127 at the Trowbridge Road exit, a brand new Springhill Suites will offer 88-guest rooms when it opens in late 2018. Located near the campus of Michigan State University the hotel is walking distance from Spartan athletic facilities, as well as, shopping, dining, nightlife and the Amtrak train/Greyhound bus station.
  • Under construction and set to open in late 2018, the Hilton Garden Inn will be the first Hilton in the Capital region, bringing 125 luxury guest rooms to Lansing’s west side. Conveniently located just off the expressway, the hotel is set amid dozens of options for shopping and dining, as well as, local sports venues. The five-story property will offer event space and a full-service restaurant on-site.
  • Located near the Main Lodge at Arcadia Bluffs, the Bluffs Lodge offers 16 guest rooms and a state-of-the-art workout facility. All the spacious rooms feature two queen beds and double vanity sinks.
  • The brand new Inn at the Mountain at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville will be center stage as a new Mountain Market, Bru bar, rooftop terrace and 25 suites open to the public this winter.  Many of the rooms in the 31,200 square-foot, $11 million expansion began hosting guests this fall.
  • In Muskegon, plans for a Holiday Inn Express and a Town Place Suites by Marriott are currently in the works and expected to be complete later this year.
  • Tecumseh's newest premier lodging option, Vintage Boulevard Suite, is located in the heart of downtown just steps away from one-of-a-kind shopping and dining. This 1,200 sq. ft. fully furnished, newly redecorated 2 bedroom suite features queen beds and will accommodate 4 guests. The suite offers a full kitchen with dining area, one full bath, spacious living room and dining area with new hardwood floors. It is available for nightly, weekly or long-term stays.

 

Milestones & Anniversaries

350 Years

Semiseptcentennial – Sault Ste. Marie

 

150 Years

Sand Point Lighthouse – Escanaba

Ludington Daily News

 

135 Years

Mann House – Concord

 

125 Years

Central Michigan University

 

120 Years

Petoskey Brewing

 

115 Years

Higgins Lake Nursery – Roscommon

 

110 Years

State Theatre – Bay City

 

100 Years

Castle Farms – Charlevoix

Bay City Players

Tippy Dam – Manistee

Castle Farms – Petoskey

 

90 Years

The Kean’s Store Company – Mason

 

85 Years

Civilian Conservation Corps – Roscommon

 

80 Years

Caberfae Ski Resort

Historic Vogue Theatre of Manistee

 

75 Years

USCGC Escanaba – Grand Haven

 

70 Years

Top ‘O Michigan Boat Races – Petoskey

 

65 Years

The Manchester Chicken Broil

S.S. Badger – Ludington

 

60 Years

The Spirit of Detroit

Rose Festival – Jackson

Nub’s Nob – Petoskey

 

50 Years

Bavarian Inn

Opera Grand Rapids

Michigan International Speedway – Brooklyn

Schuss Mountain – Bellaire

I-500 Snowmobile Race – Sault Ste. Marie

 

45 Years

Riverside Art Festival – Bay City

Beggar’s Banquet – East Lansing

 

40 Years

Bay Arts Council – Bay City

Saper Galleries – East Lansing

 

30 Years

Gaylord Golf Mecca

Victorian Sleighbell Parade & Old Christmas Weekend – Manistee

 

25 Years

Tecumseh's Appleumpkin Festival

 

20 Years

Thunder Over Michigan – Belleville

Downtown Bay City Wine Walk

 

15 Years

Billetproof/Motor City Mania – Milan

 

10 Years

Walker Tavern’s Farmers Market – Brooklyn

Fox Barn Winery – Shelby

Art Prize – Grand Rapids

Ludington New Year’s Eve Ball Drop

Wee Bee Jammin’ – Manistee

 

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy.  For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org.  For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

 

# # #