Emily Tennyson, Michigan Travel Ideas contributing writer, shares her favorite places to pick up the freshest Michigan foods around her hometown of Detroit. Sample the state’s bounty yourself along three food trails that are highlighted in the article “Get Fresh” in the 2010 issue of Michigan Travel Ideas. Also be sure to check out “Fresh” – one of our new TV ads this year focused on the bounty of Pure Michigan.

As a lifelong Detroiter and all-around foodie, I’m in the habit of watching trends. Lucky for me, I have a lot of fresh food options nearby and decide to reserve a couple Saturdays to visit some surrounding area farmers markets.

Mount Clemens is a quiet lakeside town with a decades-old farmers market.

On a beautiful Saturday morning I drive to Mount Clemens, a quiet lakeside town about 30 miles northeast of Detroit. For many local farmers the decades-old farmers market is their sole opportunity to meet the public and share their wares (open every Friday and Saturday, May through November, from 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.). The vendors set up in the grass and sell everything from the back of their pickups. When I peek into the back of an S-10, I see tiny redskin potatoes the size of grapes, still caked in dirt, and bright green haricots verts. A perfect nicoise salad starts to formulate. One truck over, I find dessert, too – the lone quart of fuzzy yellow raspberries.

I move a couple trucks down to find vendors Ellen and Bill Gass of Centennial Farm. For the past 25 years, they have organically raised the tasty fare they sell at the market. I try their intense, woody raw asparagus. Next time, it might be one of the 50 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, or 60 kinds of lettuce. I head home with my finds, already looking forward to my next weekend’s adventure.

On another beautiful Saturday morning I drive to Ann Arbor and Chelsea, both about 45 miles west of Detroit. I bring along my daughter Chloe, an aspiring chef.

Chelsea's downtown farmers market is alongside the Purple Rose Theatre.

Around the block from Zingerman’s Deli  (open everyday 7a.m.-10 p.m.) we find the open-air green awning farmers market (open every Wednesday and Saturday, May through December, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Even though it’s only 9 a.m., it’s pretty busy. I am pleased to see rows of curly, sage green lettuce, piles of kale, shiny white leeks, towering basil plants and rafts of strawberries. The fruits are appealing, but I’m craving carbs. I taste Anatolian Bakery’s Mediterranean-style almond muffin. A good choice, I decide.

After we’ve had our fill in Ann Arbor we make the 15-minute drive to nearby Chelsea. We find a small but well edited farmers market (open every Saturday, May-October, from 8 a.m.–noon). There, I discover tiny boxes of baby lettuce, organic eggs and aromatic dill.  I purchase shiny yellow peppers from the Beautiful Earth Farm with dinner in mind.  

Full bellies and satisfied palates accompany us as we head home. I wonder if Chloe is busy next Saturday…

Writer Emily Tennyson, a fourth generation Detroiter, cherishes her hometown and Sanders Hot Fudge for dessert and, always, a drive along Lake St. Clair.

Thanks to Joy Alekman for this wonderful guest blog post and poem about her favorite Michigan vacation destination.

 My Haven

I am in my haven now
I sit on the beach and listen to the waves crash
and feel the wind caress my back
I am at peace here

My phone is in the car
The computer is at home
Work is far away from here
I am in my haven now

I build sandcastles with my sons
and feel the sand through my hands
I like the wet sand better
I like to make castles and dig holes
I build my haven here

The wind blows and the waves are high
I love to stand right where they crash
and feel their power, the cool splash
and then jump into them
My haven is always here for me.

I wrote this poem last year as my family was vacationing in South Haven, Michigan.  This is an annual trip that we take.  My parents rent a condo and take my family there for a week of summer fun.  We go in August, and we always look forward to this tradition.

I love the things that stay the same in South Haven: the old movie theatre (where you can see a first run movie CHEAP), the clean beaches, and the quaint downtown.  I love discovering new restaurants from year to year, and seeing which shops are still open and which ones are new.

We always eat dinner at Clementines, a family friendly restaurant which gives great service and always good food.  For breakfast, no place is better than the Phoenix Street Café.  For dessert, we love Sherman Dairy Bar.  You just can’t get a bigger scoop of ice cream anywhere!

One thing we always do each year is go blueberry picking.  There are a few different blueberry farms in or near South Haven.  We go to DeGrandchamp Farms.  My kids love eating the blueberries right off the bushes.  I love baking them into pies!

At least one night on our trip we let the kids stay up late to watch the sunset.  There is nothing more beautiful than watching it while sitting on the beach.  You can see the sun slowly melt into the water.  The colors are absolutely beautiful. 

I have such fond memories of our past years vacationing in South Haven, and I know my children do too.  I look forward to this year’s vacation, and more to come.  South Haven is part of my life and part of my heart.  I love it there.

Joy Alekman works full time and takes care of her family while also writing her blog, Intense Auburn.  She enjoys traveling and especially going to the beach.  She loves to make people laugh.

You can leave a comment below to let Joy know what you thought, or contact her via Twitter.

Governor Granholm has declared April Michigan Wine Month, and the opportunities to take part in wine related activities during the next few weeks are endless.

If you have the opportunity to do so, start your Michigan Wine Month off with a visit to any one of the 71 wineries – 7 more to be added by the end of the year – located throughout the state. If you aren’t able to make it to one of the wineries, there are still plenty of wine related activities to partake in around the Metro Detroit area.

Visit Michigan Wineries

Many of the wineries kicked off their season the first weekend in April and are beginning to offer tastings of their 2009 releases.  Visit the Pure Michigan site for a full list of all the wineries and a list of Michigan wine trails. I visit the wineries around the Traverse City area on a yearly basis – a relaxing weekend of wine tasting, beautiful views, and great food is a great way to welcome in Spring and say goodbye to Winter.

Wine Expo

This weekend, the Michigan Wine Expo kicks off. For wine novices who want to sip their way into the world of wine tasting, check out the Wine Tasting 101 seminar, while winos can skip the seminars and focus on the 300+ different wines being poured. I’ll be stopping by the Wine Expo on Friday, so be sure to say hi if you’re there!

Detroit Restaurant Week

On top of it being Michigan Wine Month, Detroit is holding its second Detroit Restaurant Week during the week of April 16-25, 2010 – for a fixed price of $27, diners can enjoy a three course meal at any one of the 17 DRW restaurants. Participating restaurants including The Whitney, Andiamo, Atlas Global Bistro, and Coach Insignia proudly serve a variety of Michigan wines; if you stop by one of the restaurants that hasn’t yet included Michigan wines as part of their offerings, you can always encourage them to do so in the future with a “Meal was fine” card.

Michigan Wine Flights

If you can’t make it up to one of the many wineries in Michigan during April, you can always try a Michigan Wine Flight at restaurants like Vinotecca in Royal Oak (they are currently featuring ‘Sex’ by Mawby, Shady Lane Cab Franc, and Bowers Harbor UnWooded Chardonnay).

If you’re looking to enjoy your Michigan wine in the comfort of your own home, you can purchase a few bottles at local stores and restaurants such as Joe’s Produce and Holiday Market. I always have a bottle of L. Mawby Fizz on hand, and you can’t go wrong with one of the many Michigan Cherry wines. Why not pick up a few bottles of Cherry Wine from each of the wineries that produce it, creating your own Michigan Cherry Wine flight, and plan a night in honing your wine tasting skills.

You can also join the online crowd in discussing Michigan wines by following the Wineries on Twitter list or participating in one of the Tweet & Taste Michigan (#TTMI on Twitter) wine tastings on Facebook and Twitter – Michigan wine lovers all around the world pick up a flight of the featured Michigan wine being tasted that session and compare tasting notes on Twitter.

Michigan Wine Council and Michigan Wine Country Magazine

On top of all the events planned around Michigan Wine Month, the Michigan Wine Council is also distributing the 2010 Michigan Wine Country magazine during the first few weeks of April. Anyone interested in receiving the latest issue can request a free copy.

Happy Sipping

I’ve only included a small sample of the Michigan Wine Month events occurring. For a full list of events, visit Michigan Wines. Know of an event that should be listed or were you one of the first visitors to one of the Michigan Wineries this month? Let us know below in the comments!

Rachel Kuptz writes about cocktails, wine, and dining experiences at Girly-Drinks.com. She can regularly be found online on twitter (@girlydrinks), scoping out the newest restaurants around the Metro Detroit area, and at wine and cocktail events throughout the state.

Here’s Part 2 of Nick Ponton’s Pure Michigan Edition of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate”.  You can catch up on Part 1 here, and let us know what YOUR favorite Michigan eats are by leaving a comment below!

Cheesy – Classic Mac & Cheese at Food Dance in Kalamazoo.  J and I wouldn’t agree on this one, but as far as Mac & Cheese goes, easily the best one I have had is at Food Dance in downtown Kalamazoo.  The imported noodles and aged cheddar just make a perfect, creamy concoction.  J thought it was too cheesy, but is there such a thing?  I loved the fact that I had extra cheese to dip her french fries in.

Salty Goodness – Pulled Pork Sandwich at The Cooks’ House in Traverse City. You don’t really think of pork as being salty, but I was surprised by this sandwich.  When we walked in to The Cooks’ House, I never thought I’d be getting a pulled pork sandwich I’d still be talking about.  This thing is amazing.  The slow cooked pork is smothered in a sweet BBQ sauce, topped with cheese and served on an artisan roll.  At the time, I called it “gourmet pulled pork.”  It wasn’t the sloppy, roadhouse sandwich you expect.  The cheese gave it kind of a salty taste to counter the sweetness of the BBQ sauce.  It’s something I never would have expected and like nothing I’ve eaten since.

Meat Fest – Roast Burger at Roast in Detroit. Does it really surprise anyone that I’m talking about burgers again?  The Roast Burger is one of my all time favorites.  I felt kind of silly ordering a burger in a fancy restaurant, but I’ve learned that if it’s on the menu at a fancy place, it’s probably going to be a fancy burger.  The Roast Burger came with bacon, cheddar cheese, and a fried egg.  In another interesting twist, it was served on an English muffin, so you get the whole “is this breakfast or is it dinner?” thing.  The burger was deliciously juicy and the fried egg adds an interesting touch.

Snack Attack – Home made chips at Craftsman Chop Company in Portage.  At the time, these chips were just an afterthought, but the more I think about it, the more I want to go back just to get some.  I didn’t really write anything about them in my original review, but the chips are fresh cut and fried nice and crispy.  They’re served with a bleu cheese and we tore through them like it was the only thing we had to eat in weeks.

Chocolate – Mackinac Island Fudge at Ryba’s Fudge Shop on Mackinac Island.  Have you ever taken a trip just for fudge?  We did.  Well, we wanted to see the Island too, but the main purpose of the trip was authentic Mackinac Island fudge.  It’s just so much creamier than the stuff you make at home with marshmallow fluff.  The fudge at Ryba’s is another one of those things that I’m really glad I don’t live closer to.  We intentionally made the fudge shop the last stop of the day so we’d be full and not tempted to buy the whole store.  It sort of worked, but as soon as we got on the ferry, the box was open and I was thinking about diving off the boat and swimming back for more.

Crunchy – Make  Your Own Pizza at Rose’s on Reed’s Lake in East Grand Rapids.  When it comes to crunchy, the first thing I think of is pizza crust.  It’s a requirement for good pizza.  Not many places in Michigan do it right, but Rose’s on Reed’s Lake uses a wood fired oven to get that crunchy crust.  I went with the build your own option and got proscuitto on my pizza.  I had never done that before and it was crispy, crunchy, salty goodness.

The Classics – Lasagna Bolognese at Zazio’s in Kalamazoo.  I know I’m kind of going against my rant from the beginning by picking a really fancy place like Zazio’s, but it is seriously the best lasagna I have ever had.  The noodles were so fresh and so soft and bolognese had a rich, meaty taste.  Lasagna is one of my favorite ways to eat pasta and even though the portion size is a little small at Zazio’s, it’s still one of the best Lasagna’s I’ve ever eaten.

Guilty Pleasures – Ice Cream at the MSU Dairy Store in East Lansing. I’m convinced there is no ice cream better than the ice cream from the MSU Dairy Store.  It’s similar to a Baskin Robbins with all their flavors, but the ice cream is made on site from milk from the MSU farms.  The MSU Dairy Store was a huge guilty pleasure and one we would drive across town for.

Hot & Spicy – Jalapeno Burger with Cheese at the Dam Site Inn in Hell.  We had other motives for “going to Hell” when we did, but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of food at the unincorporated town’s only restaurant.  I had eaten Jalapeno burgers in the past, but this one was topped with a mound of Jalapeno’s.  I’m not sure I ever tasted the burger.  It was like eating straight peppers.  My mouth was on fire when we were done, but that was ok.  There’s an ice cream store next door.

Totally Unexpected – Chicken Strips from Olympic Broil in Lansing.  Chicken strips aren’t usually unexpected, but the strips from Olympic Broil were not what we were expecting at all.  Olympic Broil looks like a fast food place, but the strips are actually home made and hand battered.  No GFS box here.  Easily one of the best Chicken Strips I’ve had and by far, the best from a fast food restaurant ever.

Served Cold – Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Ice Cream from Moomer’s Home Made Ice Cream in Traverse City. Before we left Traverse City, we had to find Moomer’s.  It’s a little out of the way, but totally worth the detour.  I like chocolate and peanut butter in anything and Moomer’s did not disappoint.

So, there you have it:  The Best Thing I Ever Eat Michigan-style.  I’m sure there will be disagreements…heck, there are a couple other restaurants I wanted to get in there…some of the choices were tough.  Some of the choices were easy.  Feel free to add your opinions in the comments section.

Nick is the author of the SW Michigan Dining, a blog that highlights the best of the Kalamazoo area dining and entertainment scene.

A special thanks to Nick Ponton for providing this guest blog post on the great restaurants Michigan has to offer. This is the first part of a two part series.

I love “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” on the Food Network, but there’s a couple of problems.  Most of the restaurants are out of reach of the common person.  Not everyone, but anything picked Alexandra Guarnaschelli or Aaron Sanchez.  I’d like to take one of them to a dive bar somewhere here in Michigan and watch them squirm.   The other annoying thing is most of the restaurants are in New York which makes sense because the Food Network Headquarters is in NYC, but the Mitten State has a number of incredible food finds if you know where to look.  I always thought the show would be a little more interesting if they added some food bloggers from around the country….and there’s enough to choose from.

So, just in the interest of sparking discussions, here’s my list of The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Michigan Edition.

Totally Fried -  French Fries at Dagwood’s Tavern and Grill in Lansing.  I’m totally a fry snob and only happy when I get fresh cut fries.  Dagwood’s does that.  The fries are easily the best fries in Lansing and until we found Penn Station in Kalamazoo, no one had even come close.  The fries are fresh cut, skin on, and actually fried right.  Instead of being soggy from a single fry, they’re golden brown and crispy as if they took a second dip.

Bar-B-Que – Pulled Pork at Slow’s Bar-B-Q in Detroit. Since moving to Michigan, I have complained frequently about the lack of BBQ places.  I’ve found a couple and they’ve been ok, but there’s just not many that knock my socks off.  There is one, however, and that place sits in the shadow of old Tiger Stadium.  The pulled pork at Slow’s Bar-B-Q is southern style BBQ at its best.  J and I stopped in after a day at the auto show and at 3:00 P.M., had to wait twenty minutes.  The pulled pork is served Carolina style with a vinegar sauce, but they have all their sauces on the table.  I added the spicy sauce to the Carolina sauce which made for an interesting combination.  The meat is really tender and has great burnt ends.  This is the BBQ we were looking for in Michigan.  It makes me wish we lived closer to Detroit.

With Bacon - BLT at Tony’s I-75 Restaurant in Birch Run.  A pound of bacon.  Literally a pound of bacon on a BLT.  I didn’t think it was possible.  I had been told about it.  I saw it on the Travel Channel, but never assumed it could really happen.  The BLT at Tony’s isn’t so much a BLT.  It’s all B.  True, there is a slice of lettuce, a couple slices of tomatoes, and a little mayo on the delicious Italian bread, but you can’t even find it.  The bacon was crispy and cooked perfectly.  I ended up breaking down the sandwich and eating the pieces.  I couldn’t even get all the way through the bacon and J put me on a “Bacon Detox” after this little trip.  It was worth it.

Sugar Rush – Doughnuts at Sweetwater’s Donut Mill in Kalamazoo. I never thought I could crave a doughnut.  A friend of a relative was telling us about his family stopping at a doughnut shop in Battle Creek on their way to U of M football games.  A few weeks later, I picked up a box of doughnuts at the Kalamazoo Township location just to see what all the fuss was about.  These doughnuts were amazing.  They do more than typical jelly filled or glazed.  The flavor combinations and toppings are what make these doughnuts unique.

Pizza – Square Pizza at Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit. Being from Chicago, I’m kind of a pizza snob.  We found good pizza, but only one great one.  Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit is in a pretty scary area, but it’s totally worth the trip.  I took my family there before a baseball game at Comerica Park and even though they were very nervous when we got there, everyone agreed the pizza was fantastic.  Buddy’s sort of does a Chicago-style pizza.  The crust is very buttery and the toppings are put on upside down, but they have their own twist with a square pizza instead of a round one.  Buddy’s is the only pizza we’ve had in Michigan that I can say I crave and now we live so far away, I don’t know when I’ll get to have it again.

Obsessions – Quad Burger at Krazy Jim’s Blimpie Burger in Ann Arbor. Hamburgers are an obsession of mine and I get so angry that so few people take the time to do them right.  You’d never treat a T-Bone the way most people treat burgers.  One of my first weekends in Michigan, I was working in Ann Arbor and I found Krazy Jim’s Blimpie Burger.  They do burgers right.  Sure, there’s the show you get from the cook yelling at you, but the burgers are fresh ground and flattened out on the griddle.  I never wanted to admit it, but I ordered two burgers that day.  They were greasy and delicious.  If there weren’t so many great restaurants in A2, I would have eaten every meal there.

Wake Up Call – Steak & Eggs at Golden Harvest in Lansing.  I was never much of a breakfast person, but recently, I’ve been giving it more of a chance.  One weekend when J’s parents were in town, we decided to try Golden Harvest for breakfast.  We had no idea that it’s as popular as it is, but once we got inside, it’s pretty obvious why.  I probably got the most boring thing that day when I ordered Steak & Eggs, but it was an amazing breakfast.  The steak was cooked perfectly and like I’d expect if I went to a steakhouse. The eggs were delicious, and to my surprise, the home fries were fantastic.  I almost never eat potatoes, but these were different. They had a great crust and were seasoned just right.  We always said we needed to eat at Golden Harvest more, but we moved before we could.

Between Bread – #40 at Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor. This one is a no-brainer.  Anyone from Michigan knows Zingerman’s makes the best bread.  It doesn’t really matter what you put between that bread.  You know it’s going to be delicious.  On our trip to Zingerman’s, I ordered the #40 which is Siegel’s Smokey Number.  The sandwich consists of smoked turkey breast, Arkansas peppered ham, Switzerland Swiss cheese, lettuce and sweet hot honeycup mustard on rye bread.  What I remember most is the mustard.  It has horseradish in it, so there was a real tangy flavor.  The sandwich was piled real high so even though you may get sticker shock, you’re getting a sandwich that’s more than worth it.

With My Hands – Hard shell Tacos at Andy’s Mexican & American Deli in Holt. Oh, how I miss Andy’s.  J loved the place for their guacamole, but to me, no one made better tacos.  I really craved Andy’s and was sad when the place shut down for several months while Andy dealt with some private issues.  Andy is a one man show and makes everything from scratch to-order.  Whenever I asked for hard shell tacos, he would take his corn tortillas and stick them in the deep fryer.  I loved that I could get warm, fresh hard shell tacos.  Everything we got from this little deli inside a hardware store was incredibly fresh.

Filled with Envy – Triple D Burger at Joe’s Gizzard City in Potterville. I love deep-fried anything, but I was really curious about seeing what Guy Fieri cooked up at Joe’s Gizzard City in Potterville.  We took a short road trip for lunch out to Joe’s after I saw the place on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.  To my surprise, J actually ordered the Triple D Burger.  Joe’s has always done a deep-fried burger, but in this instance, they deep fried the whole sandwich.  The burger is cooked and prepared like a regular burger then it’s battered and deep fried….bun and all.  The beer batter at Joe’s is delicious and it’s really interesting eating a burger that has seen that treatment.  It’s a little greasy, but worth the adventure at least once.

Holiday – Paczki’s at Quality Dairy in Lansing – I couldn’t figure out why so many people said one thing they would miss about Lansing was Quality Dairy.  I eventually figured it out.  I stopped at QD quite a bit and when Paczki Day rolled around, it was the first place we went.  The paczki at QD are more cake like than a “real” paczki, but that’s ok with me.  I’ve had the real things from a bakery in Chicago and while they’re delicious, the packzi at QD seem to be what most of us associate with the Polish holiday.

Hometown Favorites – Houghton Hancock Burger at Leo’s Lodge in Lansing. This one’s a little tough for me since my real hometown is in Illinois, but for this purpose, I’ll call Lansing my hometown since it was the first place I lived in Michigan.  There was only one place in Mid-Michigan that I went to more than once for a burger and that was Leo’s Lodge.  The burger was a delicious 1/2 lb fresh patty.  The Houghton Hancock Burger also came with smoked ham and cheddar cheese on a fresh bun.  A perfect cheesey, salty, beefy combination.

Nick is the author of the SW Michigan Dining blog that highlights the best of the Kalamazoo area dining and entertainment scene.

On a recent UP scouting trip, Trevor Meers, Midwest Living’s executive editor, discovers there’s more than whitefish and pasties on the menu. Here’s a sampling of his experiences along Highway 28 between Munising and Marquette:

Pasties, a classic UP meal

Falling Rock Café & Bookstore (Munising) A cool local sandwich shop, coffee shop and vendor of local art. I was here in 2004, but didn’t make it back on this trip. However, another group of people went there the day before I arrived and seemed to universally love it.

Brownstone Inn (Au Train) This is a lovely little stone cottage of a restaurant built in the 1940s. By the 1980s, it had closed and fallen into disrepair when Jeff Van Bremen and Deb Molitor came back from California, bought it, fixed it up and reopened it.

The interior is UP cozy: a full bar dominates the dining room, which features a stone fireplace. Deb and husband Jeff are real lovers of food and wine, so when they opened the Inn, they wanted to bring fine dining to the UP. “We’re still trying to teach people to drink wine,” she says. “People here see wine as a commitment.”

Sweet Water Café (Marquette) College towns beget some good food, and this is one example. It focuses on local and organic foods, but it’s not just for vegetarians. Great coffee and the best orange juice I’ve ever had. People were actually telling others to order it after they tried it. It tasted incredibly fresh, and had a frothy quality almost like milk for a cappuccino. Odd description, but trust me, it was great.

Vierling Restaurant in Marquette

Vierling Restaurant (Marquette) A chophouse and brewery in an old brick building. The downtown location is outstanding with huge windows that look out on Lake Superior. The menu sticks to pretty straightforward chicken/beef/fish entrees, but they mix in a few others like ravioli and stir fry. It’s a welcome change from the usual suspects found on UP menus: whitefish, a pasty or a burger.

Upfront & Company (Marquette) This eatery in the basement of a brick building downtown had the most ambitious menu I’ve seen in the UP. Lots of variations on chicken (including chicken rubbed with ginger)/beef/fish (including coconut shrimp and Cajun salmon)/whitefish, plus they offer wood-fired pizzas, calzones, etc. Bands play many evenings and weekends. Good food, but slow service the night I was there.

Jean Kay’s Pasties & Subs (Marquette) When I asked about where to get the best pasties in town, a local outdoor guide steered me to this no-frills, deli-style location across the street from the University of Northern Michigan’s “Da Yooper Dome.” Owner Brian Harsch says they sell far more veggie pasties in winter because the students at UNM like them, but tourists want the straight-up meat-and-rutabaga classic.

Jasper Ridge Brewery (Ishpeming) I discovered a new ethnic sandwich, cudighi. It’s a hamburger-like concoction of spicy sausage served with pizza sauce and mozzarella on a hamburger bun. It’s of Italian descent and local to the Marquette/Munising area. The restaurant manager said local restaurants are judged on the quality of their cudighis. My vote: His were outstanding, save room for seconds, even thirds.

Trevor Meers, executive editor of Midwest Living magazine, is an avid outdoorsman with a special passion for Lake Superior and the UP. His adventures on Superior have included snorkeling on shipwrecks, kayaking, fishing for lake trout, snowshoeing the shoreline, picnicking with woodland caribou and driving the Superior Circle Tour. He considers Escanaba in Da Moonlight a work of pure genius.  

Earlier this week, Pure Michigan’s own Maria Wygnal and George Zimmermann got a sneak peek inside the 2010 North American International Auto Show. They joined thousands of journalists from around the world as they gathered in Detroit for a first look at concepts and production models, as well as the latest automotive industry announcements. While George has visited the show many times, this was Maria’s first auto show experience.

The show floor is bright, the displays are amazing, the cars are shiny and clean (colors are fantastic!), the interiors sparkle, and you can’t help but notice the workers who are constantly dusting and wiping the vehicles. There’s definitely some glitz and glamour, but the focus of this year’s show is centered on green technology and hybrid vehicles. Electric battery technology is all the buzz, and there’s no shortage of new ideas on display.

This was my first time attending the auto show in Detroit. When it comes to specifics about different models and new features, all I can say is thank goodness the displays are staffed with friendly people who are happy to answer your questions. It was fun to learn about the different vehicles, talk to people about the show and what other plans they had while visiting Detroit, and take photos (lots of photos!).

Here are some quick tips about this year’s show:

1. If this will be your first visit to the auto show, or you’re not familiar with downtown Detroit, take a few moments before your trip to check out the different parking options available near Cobo Center. It took me a couple wrong turns before I found the parking lot I was looking for.
2. I recommend spending some time at the Ford display for two reasons. First, in case you haven’t heard, Ford won the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards. Also, the exhibit includes my favorite car of the entire show, a Pure Michigan blue Mustang!!
3. Check out the Volkswagen display – It’s so white it’s almost blinding, honestly. Plus there is a cool hands-on exhibit behind the cars that lets you interact with a tabletop display screen.
4. Stop by the CT&T United display for a look at some very tiny (and very cute) electric cars.
5. Don’t miss the MEDC EcoXperience, located in the lower level of Cobo Center. It’s your opportunity to experience electric vehicles on a 1/4 mile indoor test track. Get a close-up look at a variety of green vehicles and find out for yourself what it’s like to ride inside! You can also browse the alternative energy showcase located nearby.

There are a lot of other things to do in Detroit while you’re here for the show. There are some amazing restaurants that you should make time to check out, many just a short walk or People Mover ride away. If you’re looking for great Mexican food, check out Xochimilco in Mexicantown, just minutes away. Detroit’s Greektown is home to more great restaurants than we can name, like Pegasus and Niki’s Pizza, which was ranked in GQ magazine’s 25 Best Pizzas in America. If you’re looking for something more high-end, visit Seldom Blues in the Renaissance Center, the Wolfgang Puck Grille, or Iridescence. Detroit also has some great bars and pubs, like the Detroit Beer Company, just across the street from Comerica Park.

Detroit is also home to three casinos, where you can try your luck at the slots, blackjack or craps tables.  If you feel like taking a gamble, you have your choice of the MGM Grand Casino, the Motor City Casino, or the Greektown Casino.

Detroit’s museum district is also just a short drive down Woodward.  If you are bringing the kids (or still a kid at heart), check out the Detroit Science Center, which has several hands-on exhibits, an Imax theater, and a planetarium.  The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is right next door and is the world’s largest institution dedicated to the African American experience.  The Detroit Institute of Arts – the 5^th largest fine arts museum in the world – is just a short walk from there.  The Detroit Historical museum is also nearby.  This museum is dedicated preserving the history of southeastern Michigan, and includes the favorite and newly renovated Streets of Old Detroit, recreating Detroit street scenes from the 1840’s, 1870’s and early 1900’s.

My visit to the auto show was a great experience. If you have the opportunity, check it out for yourself and let us know what you think!

• Where: Cobo Center, Detroit
• When: Public show starts Saturday, Jan. 16, and ends Sunday, Jan. 24
• Price: Adult admission is $12; seniors (65 and older) and ages 7-12 are $6; kids six years and under are free with a parent or guardian; any day pass, group tickets are $8 with a purchase of 25 tickets or more. For more information, go to www.naias.com or call 248.643.0250.

Here are some the pictures George and I took while we toured the show – check out all of these amazing cars! George also had the chance to ride in the Tango – one of the electric cars located in the MEDC EcoXperience (located in Michigan Hall). He got some great video during his ride that you can see. The EcoXperience is not to be missed – it gives you a chance to ride in some the most innovative electric vehicles out there. Learn more about the EcoXperience, and what the MEDC is doing with green technology on the Upper Hand Blog.

Maria Wygnal is a travel marketing specialist with Travel Michigan/Michigan Economic Development Corp. She grew up in the greater Lansing area and currently resides in East Lansing. Her interests include travel, social media, graphic design and photography. 

In Michigan’s “Little Bavaria,” Christmas isn’t just a one-day celebration. From its warehouse-sized Christmas store to its tiny replica chapel, Frankenmuth takes the joy of the holidays into the winter months and throughout the year.

Trimmed in ribbons and pine rope, Frankenmuth’s Bavarian Inn towers over this onetime mill town along the Cass River like a castle straight from the pages of a Christmas fairy tale.

I love the storybook atmosphere that enfolds this Thumb community, from alpine-style buildings that line the business district to the covered bridge and peak-roofed cottages converted to shops along Main Street. The sidewalks and doorsteps look freshly scrubbed, and everyone says “hello.”

Bronners CHRISTmas Wonderland

Above the gingerbread-trimmed inn, the clock tower’s 35-bell carillon peals twice daily, and the Pied Piper and other storybook characters pop out from behind a bronze door at the top. I can’t say I knew this when I arrived. I just followed the shoppers gathering at its base despite a cold wind carrying snowflakes.  The swirling white seems like part of the show!

We’re all glad to put down bags stuffed with parcels from dozens of stores lining the surrounding streets. One store sells Christmas sweaters. In another, I watched cooks shaping huge slabs of gooey fudge. Local crafters’ works fill Schnitzelbank Woodcarving Studio, and comforters crowd Zeilinger Wool Company.

The Bavarian Inn and the sprawling white-frame Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth serve the family-style chicken dinners that have brought travelers to town for generations. By mid-morning, the aroma of the fried chicken and trademark stuffing has me thinking about lunch, but there’s more to see first.

Lighted displays lead the way to Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth’s landmark giant year-round Christmas store that’s the size of four football fields. Inside, 350 trees sparkle with miles of lights amid more than 50,000 kinds of ornaments, trimmings and gifts.

I purposely end my visit at the non-denominational Silent Night Chapel, a replica of a historic church near Salzburg, Austria, where the carol first was performed. Founder Wally Bronner built the chapel on the grounds so that the spirit of the holidays would live on in his complex and the town. It does, especially at this quiet little shrine.

Barbara Morrow has written and edited travel articles for Midwest Living since 1989, including articles about every part of Michigan. Barbara also directs the editorial content and direction of Michigan Travel Ideas, the official Pure Michigan Travel Guide.

Thanks to Mary Archer for sharing her story about her visit to Michigan.  We love hearing from our audience, so if you’d like to submit a guest blog entry, visit our guest blogger information page to learn how. 

I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m not a fan of traveling. In fact I am quite happy to stay within a 10 km. radius (or 6.12 miles) of my house.  Everything I need to survive and I’m okay with it.  Now (and no offense) one place that I feel a little out of sorts with is traveling out of the country. Like I said, I’m a homebody. So you can imagine the way I felt when I found out my daughter had accepted a softball scholarship at the University of Michigan. It meant I would have to visit. 

Fast forward a couple months and I’m getting everything ready to make my first trip down to visit my daughter.  Passport – check. Google Map – check. In fact, looking at my bags it looked like I was getting ready to move there. It’s a long drive to where I planned to spend my first night in Sault Ste. Marie. By the end of the first leg of the trip I was pretty exhausted.  What a shame because it seemed like a charming community. Fall is my favourite time of year and what a glorious time it was to be in Michigan. Unlike Ontario, the temperate forest painted such vivid and robust yellows and oranges that it felt like I was driving through an oil painting. I decided that I would take an extra day off when I came back to go explore this beautiful landscape and do some hiking in Gladwin State Forest.  

Well the drive sure did fly by to Ann Arbor. It was even a little longer because I couldn’t resist exploring all these wonderful little towns. If you’re into finding treasures I found plenty of wonderful antique shops, but my personal favorite was the one I found in Bay City which was aptly named the “Bay Antique Center” (1010 N. Water Bay City 48708). I found a beautiful little brooch which I knew my daughter would love as well as a couple other little gifts for Christmas. It was so interesting to learn about the unique history of Michigan. I recommend that people stop in at all the little roadside points of interest. It’s like getting a museum admission for the price of gas. 

Well no sooner than two days since my little adventure started, I got to see my daughter. She even had a surprise for me that evening and we had a wonderful little “tapas” (or appetizers) at a funky little eatery called the Sweetwaters Cafe (123 West Washington Street) and caught a show at the Ann Arbor Civic Theater. It sure was a wonderful evening.  My daughter insisted we walk and I’m glad we did. Such a lively city with so much going on. 

Well the weekend ended faster than I would have liked but I had to be getting back to my regular life. I made plans to come back though for a skiing adventure in Big Powderhorn over Christmas with the rest of the family and we are really looking forward to it.  I’ve heard the snow amazing and if the pictures on the website are real I won’t be disappointed. The only part I didn’t care for was twisting my ankle at a rest stop outside of West Branch. Considering I work for an insurance agency in Canada, it seemed a little silly that I didn’t get travel insurance (seems I packed everything but!). I decide to hightail it for the border. Oh well, you live and you learn. One thing I did learn was that traveling out of your comfort zone is pretty rewarding, especially in Michigan. 

Mary Archer lives in Ontario and works for the Canadian insurance website Lifecover.ca. She enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with her family.  Let Mary know what you thought of her story by leaving a comment below.