This is a follow-up post for, ”When we outlined Lake Michigan- Part I"
The visual delight on Google Maps extended a little more & after a taste of Dutch-style theme park, the next two attractions in our radius were quite unlike.
- A botanical garden (Meijer Gardens)
- A lighthouse (South Haven Light)
A Botanical Garden exhibiting endless dimensionally varying sculptures and trust me, endless isn’t a euphemism here. This ginormous place is called Fredrick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Holland, Michigan. If a list of must-see-places is ever created, this extraordinary sculpture garden would be one of it.
Story- Started in 1995 this botanical garden was renamed as Frederick Meijer Gardens when Fredricks and Lena Meijer donated their sculpture collection to this garden.
Inside Meijer Gardens- A fully accessible site having three Indoor Gardens, an Amphitheater, a recently released Japanese Garden, 100s of modern sculptures, left me in awe.
Events- Everyday-special-events are the little bonuses which you don’t have to pay extra for! A large chamber filled with flawlessly round Dahlia-flower bulbs— carefully nurtured, of which many were already declared winners. The moment I entered, 1000s of colorful rounded Dahlia flowers lined in multiple rows on the tabletop dazzled my eyes—saying click me, click me & I agreed! So here’s a few of them-
Tram Ride- The permanent sculptures are installed far apart from each other so we decided to take advantage of the ($3) Tram Ride which turned out to be highly informative. Thanks to that Tram ride that I eventually found myself submerged in art.
By the time we came out of this whimsical botanical garden, it was already late afternoon so, we headed to another picturesque location—a lighthouse in South Haven, Michigan.
South Haven Light- If you see the pictures of this site, you’ll probably feel it’s a quiet, peaceful spot, however, the fact is that this lighthouse is super alive almost all through the year! Snow or Shine you’ll find it active and why not!
Story- Sitting on the Black-river, the lighthouse was truly a feast to my eyes. Apart from it’s beaming red color, it is notable for the twilight sky. Like others, I too tried to seize the magnificence through my phone—
A gorgeous sunset, calm waters, motor-boats, fishing with families, a playful shoreline & a long stroll is what I call true joy.
Contiguous to the lighthouse is South Beach, inviting travelers especially families for tons of fun with an onsite play area. Finally, tons of pictures, a sip of hot coffee and popcorn ended our mini-vacation to the Great Lakes State, Michigan.
ETA- I thought of adding the list (Road Trip: Michigan) for reference. This handy list includes the local attractions/accommodation/parking spaces with their reviews and special notes.
-What does your sunset pictures look like?
-What is your idea of a mini-vacation?
They are beautiful through your lens and writing.
