Michigan Is Home To An Underrated Town Bursting With Scenic Beauty And Dutch Charm

Among the underrated midwestern beach towns and creative coastal havens of the Lake Michigan shoreline, a curious Dutch village awaits you in Holland, Michigan. Holland was settled by Dutch immigrants in 1847, and the city retains the historical character of the late 19th century in its charming downtown buildings with the quintessential brick facades of Dutch architecture. Its major annual festival, Tulip Time, begins on the first Saturday of May and includes parades, wooden shoe dancing, and eight days of pageantry and celebration. It dates back to 1929, when the city planted its first crop of seasonal bulbs. Summers bring beach weather at the Holland State Park and nearby sand dunes, while fall festivities and the Dutch-inspired Christmas Kerstmarkt make Holland a great place to visit year-round. 

You can get to the southwestern Michigan town from Grand Rapids Airport in about 35 minutes. From Chicago, it takes just under three hours by car or three hours on Amtrak's Pere Marquette line, which leaves daily at 6:30 p.m. from Chicago's Union Station. You'll find most Holland hotels on U.S. 31, on the east side of Holland. To stay downtown, you can visit the Tulyp Hotel at 61 E. 7th Street or the Courtyard by Marriott Holland Downtown on 121 East 8th Street. To stay on the water, travel 10 minutes from downtown Holland to the Lake Ranch Resort at 2226 Ottawa Beach Road, on the west edge of Lake Macatawa. It opens seasonally, starting at Tulip Time in May, until mid-October.

Even though Holland isn't the only Michigan town to make you feel like you're in the heart of Europe (immigrants from Germany, Poland, Finland, and other countries have also staked their claims among Michigan's trees), its straightforward name tells you exactly what you're getting into when you visit. You're in for some Dutch history and culture — and lots of tulips.

Nelis' Dutch Village, on 12350 James Street, started in 1922 as the family farm of Dutch immigrants after World War I. During the Great Depression, the family switched from farming vegetables to tulips, becoming a popular tourist destination as the Tulip Festival grew in popularity. The family started selling tulip bulbs and other Dutch imports, eventually building a small town of buildings in typical Dutch brick style. Today, kids can learn how to carve wooden shoes, perform folk dances, and make their own stroopwafels, a popular Dutch treat. The park is open from April until September, with hours changing through the season.

Just a few miles away from Nelis' is Windmill Island Gardens, which is home to the last working windmill to leave the Netherlands. The windmill, "de Swaan," functions as a working flour mill, and is surrounded by 150,000 tulips in the spring. In the same park, a working street organ, gifted to Holland by the city of Amsterdam, plays fun, historical tunes. The park opens seasonally from mid-April until mid-August, when its daily hours are 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Adult visitors pay $12 (there's a 50% discount for kids) while Holland residents showing a driver's license can enter for free.

Summer in Holland offers beautiful views of Lake Michigan and Holland's inland lake, Macatawa, which empties into the Great Lakes from the Holland Channel. Whether you're lounging on the beach at Holland State Park, walking along the Holland Channel to the aptly-named Big Red Lighthouse, or climbing the Mount Pisgah sand dunes and boardwalk east of the park (accessible from Ottawa Beach Road near Third Avenue), there's something for the lazy as well as the active. An annual pass to the park costs $17 for Michigan residents, or $36 for out of state residents, who can also purchase day passes for $10. Board the Holland Princess, a paddle-wheel river boat that cruises between Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan for lunch and dinner cruises from May until mid-October.

On Holland's north side, the 300 acres of beech-maple forest at Riley Trails Park are open year-round for hiking, off-road cycling, and cross-country skiing. A small part of the area used to be a local landfill. That area is capped and closed to the public because of the lingering potential for methane gas venting, so be sure to stay on the trails and follow any advisory signs. You can access the trails from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Riley Street between 168th Avenue and 160th Avenue.

Back in Holland's downtown, Christmas time brings the Kerstmarkt, a Dutch word for "Christmas Market," to the 8th Street Market Place (150 West 8th Street). The festive lights, food, and gifts are the perfect way to fire up the holiday season. It's open Fridays and Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with varying times each weekend.