Travel Blog

Category: Celebrate Michigan

Double JJ ranch-resort is back in the saddle with new owners, management

Good news for dude ranch fans and the Michigan vacation scene: Double JJ Resort, north of Muskegon, is under new ownership and management, and plans to reopen next week, according to a press release.

The vacation spot expects to be back in the saddle soon after the second annual Rothbury Music Festival being staged this holiday weekend on the resort grounds. The sale of the Old West-themed ranch, waterpark and golf resort, which shuttered abruptly last year, was finalized Monday, the press release said.

Progressive Resorts, LLC of Michigan announced the resort will reopen for year-round business on July 9. Management services will be provided by American Resort Management, LLC of Erie, Pa., and Heritage Hospitality, LLC of York, Pa.

Spread across 1000+ acres about 15 minutes north of Muskegon, Double JJ offers various lodging options, a waterpark, horseback riding and championship golf on The Thoroughbred, where horses have the right of way.

“Our wide array of attractions, accommodations and amenities will provide couples, families and groups of all sizes an experience of a lifetime,” Richard Coleman of American Resort Management, said in the press release.

Reservations may be made starting Friday at (800) DoubleJJ or www.doublejj.com.

Progressive Resorts plans a multi-year capital improvement campaign next year with some upgrades and refurbishment to existing facilities. Future plans call for the addition of a larger conference and entertainment center, plus additional vacation ownership options throughout the resort.

Tickets are still available for the Rothbury Music Festival, which starts Thursday, following a stellar debut last 4th of July weekend, at www.rothburyfestival.com .

Category: Around the World

Stand up and vote for the planet's top spots at StoodThere.com

If you've ever Stood There, in a special place in a special part of the world, this Web site's for you: at www.StoodThere.com, travelers send in photos showing some of the planet's greatest places --- complete with them standing there, posing for the camera.

It's a great way for travel buffs (and wannabes) to get ideas of where to go in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe or, if you've already been there, to recall what it was like to stand there amid the scenic splendor.

StoodThere.com started with the idea of having participants cast votes on the 100 greatest places to stand in various locales around the globe. You can throw in your two cents --- not to mention your smiling face --- any time between now and Nov. 30 here

It's also fun to bookmark the site and return to see how different spots, including The Henry Ford in Dearborn, move up and down on the various lists.

Besides, if you don't agree with the current 100 showcased spots in the U.S., U.K., or Europe, you can Stand Up and toss in your own suggestions.

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Category: Celebrate Michigan! photo contest

Grand Haven beach lover captures sunset scene

Beaches and sunsets are what many people think of when they think of Michigan in the summertime - and Grant Anderson of Macomb Township is among them.

Anderson spends as much time as he can on the beach in Grand Haven, where he captured a picture perfect image last summer.

"I travel to Grand Haven most weekends in the summer to play beach volleyball and visit with my aunt and uncle who live there," Anderson said. "On this night, my girlfriend and I were just taking a romantic walk down the beach when I came across these kids playing in the sand. It just seemed like the perfect picture; the sky was beautiful and the symbolism of the kids playing into dusk made this a powerful combination."

Anderson's photo wins this week's 2009 Celebrate Michigan! photo contest and tickets to an upcoming Tigers game at Comerica Park.

More than 600 photographs have been submitted since the contest began May 28, showing off what makes Michigan special. You can help spread the word about the people and places that make this state great. All you need to do is upload your photos to our Celebrate Michigan! photo gallery at detnews.com/celebratemichiganphotos.

Each week, we'll choose a photo that best captures the unique character of our state. The winner will receive tickets to a Tigers game, DTE show or Michigan travel-related book who will then be eligible to win one of three Michigan travel adventures at summer's end:

• Two nights at the Otsego Club Resort in Gaylord, dinner and three 18-hole rounds of golf for two at The Tribute, Black Forest and either Wilderness Valley or the Classic golf courses.
• A night at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, including breakfast for two and complimentary valet parking.
• An overnight stay for two at Cobblestone Manor, an upscale bed and breakfast in Auburn Hills, plus a "divine dinner date" at nearby Bistro Bourdeau.

Don't delay! The photo contest ends Sept. 7.

Category: Celebrate Michigan

Cruise down memory lane at Lapeer Road's annual Country Car Cruise

Celebrate the heydays of the '50s, '60s and '70s when cruising was a Michigan summer weekend tradition this Saturday at the second annual Lapeer Road Country Car Cruise.

From noon to 9 p.m., hotrods, muscle cars, collector and custom wheels will rev it up along a 20+-mile stretch of Lapeer Road through Lake Orion, Oxford, Metamora and Lapeer. Each community will host events throughout the weekend.

Village of Metamora:
An outdoor Sock Hop stars Rich Eddy's Rockin' Oldies Band 2:30-4:30 p.m. in Harmer Park with a limbo, twist and hula hoop contest during the performance.

Staff at the Historic White Horse Inn will dress in '50s-era duds and serve a special diner menu with kids' meals presented in a keepsake classic cruiser car. An outdoor BBQ offers picnic fare, slow-roasted half chickens. For more details, call (810) 678-2150 or e-mail info@historicwhitehorseinn.com.

Oxford:
A deejay will spin '50s and '60s tunes from noon to 4 p.m. at the Oxford Tap while the Oxford Market Place will feature a DJ playing '70s music from 4-6 p.m. followed by the '70s band Along Came Jones 6-9 p.m.

Lapeer:

A DJ will spin tunes in front of the courthouse from 6-9 p.m. and Roadside Attractions will host a free ice cream social.

Lake Orion:

Downtown Lake Orion will host a Jubilee Festival throughout the day with special activities and promotions.

For more information on the daylong event, check www.lapeercountrycruise.com .

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Category: Seeing the U.S.A.

Statue of Liberty's crown reopens July 4 - first time since 9-11

Here's something to celebrate: The crown of the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island in New York, closed since the 9-11 terrorist attacks in 2001, is scheduled to reopen July 4.

If that sounds like a good excuse for a trip to the Big Apple, the Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park is offering a summerlong "Liberty For All" package, complete with an inroom telescope to enhance viewing of America's greatest icon of freedom, hope and optimism.

Starting at $375 per couple, the package includes an overnight in a newly renovated Harbor View luxury room with views of the Statue of Liberty, two ferry tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, breakfast for two in the hotel's 2 West restaurant and a handmade chocolate Statue of Liberty amenity. Check riztcarlton.com.

During your stay, consider sampling a Libertini, the hotel's signature cocktail, a striking sea-green martini garnished with a homemade candy swizzle stick in the shape of the Statue of Liberty (it's $12 but, remember, it's New York). Or, try making one at home, using the hotel's recipe:
The Libertini
2 oz. citrus-flavored vodka
½ oz. pear liqueur
½ oz. Midori
¼ oz Blue Curacao
splash of lemon
Garnish with a candy Statue of Liberty swizzle stick

P.S. New audio tours for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Museum (the latter featuring first-hand immigrant accounts that let visitors relive the immigrant experience as if they were the "new arrival") are now available.

Produced by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation and the National Park Service, they come in nine languages, with a rental fee of $8 each per adult, less for children and seniors. Proceeds will help support creation of the new Peopling of America® Center at Ellis Island.

Find more information and sample audio clips at www.ellisisland.org or www.statuecruises.com.The audio tours will also be available on iTunes.

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Category: Celebrate Michigan

Take a rare walk across the Soo Locks' walls on Engineer's Day on Friday

Here's a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the Soo Locks: Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors may gain a deeper appreciation of one of Michigan's engineering marvels by walking across the lock walls during the Soo Locks Engineer's Day, sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The walls make it possible for freighters to traverse the 21-foot drop between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

Architecture and engineering buffs also may tour other historic structures, including the Edison Sault Hydroelectric Power Plant and LSSU Aquatics Lab, as well as climb observation platforms to watch massive freighters ply the waters of the St. Marys River system.

It's a great family outing on a hot summer's day, whether you're interested in engineering or not. Though we didn't tour on Engineer's Day, my family visited this Michigan attraction several years ago when the kids were younger. It was a great way to absorb some of the fascinating lifestyle and lore of the Great Lakes - a resource about which other parts of the country can only lust.

For more information, e-mail info@saultstemarie.com or call (800) 647-2858. Or check out the locks Web cam.

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Category: Celebrate Michigan! photo contest

Grand Ledge fall bridge shot a winner

Fall is a season when Michigan really shows off, with its beautiful variety of autumn colors and scenery and a favorite for photographers.

Barbara Ann captured a lovely fall scene of the railroad trestle crossing the Grand River at Grand Ledge, near Lansing, to win this week’s 2009 Celebrate Michigan! photo contest and tickets to an upcoming show at DTE Energy Music Theatre.

Nearly 500 photographs have been submitted since the contest began May 28, showing off what makes Michigan special. You can help spread the word about the people and places that make this state great. All you need to do is upload your photos to our Celebrate Michigan! photo gallery at detnews.com/celebratemichiganphotos.

Each week, we'll choose a photo that best captures the unique character of our state. The winner will receive tickets to a Tigers game, DTE show or Michigan travel-related book who will then be eligible to win one of three Michigan travel adventures at summer's end:

• Two nights at the Otsego Club Resort in Gaylord, dinner and three 18-hole rounds of golf for two at The Tribute, Black Forest and either Wilderness Valley or the Classic golf courses.
• A night at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, including breakfast for two and complimentary valet parking.
• An overnight stay for two at Cobblestone Manor, an upscale bed and breakfast in Auburn Hills, plus a "divine dinner date" at nearby Bistro Bourdeau.

Don't delay! The photo contest ends Sept. 7.

Category: Celebrate Michigan

Celebrate like kings and queens at a family Renaissance fair in South Haven

Eat, drink, and be merry at the first South Haven Renaissance Faire Saturday, June 27th, at the South Haven Family Campground in South Haven.

Performers in the Knightwinds Renaissance Group, based in nearby Coloma, will re-enact the lives of kings, queens, jesters and peasants, and audience members are invited to dress the part (though not required) and join in.

Activities include sword fighting, dancing, fortune telling, maypole dancing, pony rides and more. The campground also is hosting a craft fair, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission is free; parking is $5.

The campground is five miles east of downtown South Haven, at the corner of Phoenix Road (CR388) and 64th Street. And it's near the Kal-Haven trail, a fine place to leave life's fast-life and hike, bike or stroll.

For more info, check here or call (269) 637-6153.

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Category: Celebrate Michigan! photo contest

'Three Amigos' at Tigers game wins photo contest

Tim Santoro and his wife were hosting an exchange student from Brazil and decided a trip to Comerica Park for a Detroit Tigers game would be a good taste of local culture. It was not only the exchange student's first Tiger game, it was also for several members of the group of 17 that night.

"During the game, the three cousins - Joshua, Joel and Joey - turned toward me and I snapped this photo," said Santoro of Troy. "It really captured the relaxed atmosphere and enjoyment of the moment, a memory of a lifetime."

Santoro's photo, entitled "Three Amigos," wins this week's 2009 Celebrate Michigan! photo contest and two tickets to an upcoming show at DTE Energy Music Theatre.

Nearly 400 photographs have been submitted since the contest began May 28, showing off what makes Michigan special. You can help spread the word about the people and places that make this state great. All you need to do is upload your photos to our Celebrate Michigan! photo gallery at detnews.com/celebratemichiganphotos.

Each week, we'll choose a photo that best captures the unique character of our state. The winner will receive tickets to a Tigers game, DTE show or Michigan travel-related book who will then be eligible to win one of three Michigan travel adventures at summer's end:

• Two nights at the Otsego Club Resort in Gaylord, dinner and three 18-hole rounds of golf for two at The Tribute, Black Forest and either Wilderness Valley or the Classic golf courses.
• A night at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, including breakfast for two and complimentary valet parking.
• An overnight stay for two at Cobblestone Manor, an upscale bed and breakfast in Auburn Hills, plus a "divine dinner date" at nearby Bistro Bourdeau.

Don't delay! The photo contest ends Sept. 7.

Category: Health & fitness

Escape to Colorado for a mountaintop retreat at the Telluride Yoga Festival

Life doesn't get much more relaxing than this: combine a new luxury resort in the mountains of Colorado with a three-day yoga retreat. Can you say 'ahhhhh'?

From July 10-12, the Telluride Yoga Festival brings yoga lovers and novices together at Capella Telluride, named among this year's top hotel debuts by Condé Nast Traveler, with master Yogi instructors such as Richard Freeman, David Swenson, Tias Little, Sarah Powers and Scott Blossom.

A “Full Yoga Festival Package,” starting at $1,095, includes three nights, a festival pass and buffet breakfast each morning with organic, vegetarian and vegan options available.

The package also features a personal assistant and an 80-minute spa treatment at The Spa at Capella, customized with aromatherapy blends, treatment salts, muds and oils for each individual.

Find more details here