Welcome
to Muskegon, Michigan
Overlooking
the beautiful shoreline of Lake Michigan, Muskegon Michigan
is blessed with an abundance of year-round activities that
will suit almost every taste whether you come in the summer,
fall , winter or spring.
Known
for its miles of sugar sand beaches along Lake Michigan,
Muskegon, Michigan, has dozens of parks and beaches to choose
from for fun in the sun. The city’s very popular beach
at Pere Marquette Park has been on the USA Today’s
list of the cleanest beaches in the United States plus gets
top grades for water quality.
Downtown
Muskegon is rich with history and culture ranging from Victorian-era
mansions to the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts
in the historic Frauenthal Theater. Two of the city’s
mansions -- the Hackley and Hume homes--have been totally
restored and are on the Michigan registry as among the best
in restored Victorian homes in the state. The homes were
built by Muskegon lumber barons Charles H. Hackley and his
partner Thomas Hume. Tours of the historic homes are available
through the Muskegon County Museum, which turns the homes
into a magnificent festive display for Thanksgiving and
the Christmas season. Visitors will also delight to drop
in at the Fire Barn Museum in downtown Muskegon. The museum
is a replica of an old local firehouse complete with hose
carts, hook and ladders teams, and a classic 1923 LaFrance
Pumper Fire truck. Located at 510 West Clay Avenue, the
museum is open from May 1 through Oct. 31 and offers free
admission.
Also
on the history tour of Muskegon, you can visit three World
War II ships including the USS Silversides, a real Naval
submarine and adjoining maritime museum berthed along the
channel wall at Pere Marquette Park. Scouts and other youth
groups can book overnight stays on the sub. While you are
at the park, also be sure to take the tour of the Coast
Guard Cutter McLane and the Milwaukee Clipper, a former
lake ferry boat, now retired.
Where
ever there is beaches and water, you can be sure you will
also find lighthouses. And, beautiful Muskegon County, Michigan,
is the home to two of the Lake Michigan coast’s grand
old lighthouses. You can walk right on the pier jutting
into Lake Michigan to get a close up view of the Muskegon’s
majestic Red Lighthouse in Pere Marquette Park. The beautiful
White River Light Station and Museum in nearby Whitehall,
Michigan, is also open to visitors.
Located
just about 180 miles from Chicago and Detroit, Muskegon
is easy to reach by car, air or boat. You can drive to Muskegon
via U.S. 31, fly into Muskegon County Airport, or sail over
from Chicago on your own boat. You can also take the high
speed Lake Express car and passenger ferry daily during
the summer from Milwaukee to Muskegon.
Muskegon,
Michigan, offers many attractions to visitors, but among
them the most popular are its summer events. Besides its
summer celebrations Muskegon offers a place to visit all
year long with boating, camping, beach strolling, hiking
and biking.
Plenty
of education opportunities are available in the Muskegon,
Michigan area including Muskegon Community College and Baker
College of Muskegon. Within a 30 to 45 minute drive are
Grand Valley State University, Hope College, Grand Rapids
Community College and Aquinas College.
Muskegon
Festivals:
There’s
plenty to see and do at the annual Muskegon summer events.
The annual Muskegon Film Festival is two days and nights
of top independent films held the first week in February
at the Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts in downtown
Muskegon. The event offers a selection of independent films,
seminars on film making, and opportunities to meet directors,
actors and producers. Features, shorts, animation and documentaries
have been part of past festivals, but movies from high school
and college students are also included.
The
Muskegon Summer Celebration is ten days of summer fun at
the Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon, Michigan. Held
at the start of July, the Summer Celebrations includes music,
art, great food and great fun.
The
Muskegon Summer Celebration is a fun music tradition. Started
in 1993 as a small local music festival with one national
act, the Muskegon Summer Celebration has since grown into
an 11-day all star music extravaganza drawing upwards to
600,000 music fans. Summer Celebration has played host to
some of the world's best entertainers. Past performers have
included Aretha Franklin, Santana, Ray Charles, Gladys Knight,
James Brown, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind & Fire, Hootie
and the Blowfish, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Joe Walsh,
Chicago and The Temptations. Many local and regional bands
also provide musical entertainment. Also making great music
in mid-July is the Lakeshore Soul Music Festival. The festival
includes African-American culture and music from jazz and
blues, to great Gospel music.
Muskegon
is also host to the Michigan Irish Music Festival in mid-September.
Everyone who comes can be Irish for the weekend while they
enjoy live Irish music and dance while sampling authentic
food and beverages from the Emerald Isles.
Spend
the 4th of July weekend shopping for art at the Muskegon
Summer Celebration’s annual juried art fair, which
is ranked as one of the top 200 fine art shows in the nation.
The art fair, held in picturesque, historic Hackley Park,
hosts more than 180 artists from across the country to display
and sell their handcrafted creations.
Summer
Celebration also includes the Village Craft Market in the
streets of downtown Muskegon. Over 200 crafters from all
regions of the United States and beyond come to the Craft
Market where there is something for everyone including toys,
yards art, woodcrafts, candles, handmade soaps, jewelry
and more.
Michigan
Market Place offers specialty food vendors. Sample "homemade"
foods ranging from salsa, marinade, spice and dip mixes,
dried gourmet mushrooms, jerky, jams, jellies and more.
And, don’t forget to visit the food booths along Clay
avenue where you can dine on everything from pizza to gyros
and more.
Come
out an meet Nick, Nicky, Nicholas and cousin Nick at the
Muskegon Shoreline Big Fat Greet Festival at the end of
July at Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon. The festival
includes everything Greek, from food and pastries to Greek
music and dancing. You don’t have to be Greek to enjoy
this festival. Just have some Ouzo and yell, “Opah!”
At
the celebrated Muskegon Air Fair in July, visitors can watch
feats of acrobatic flying by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels as
well as incredible midair tricks by the U.S. Army Golden
Knight Parachute skydiving team. The Muskegon Air Fair is
a yearly event and attracts thousands of visitors from all
over the country.
From
May until November, you can enjoy thoroughbred horse racing
at Great Lakes Downs just off U.S. 31 in Muskegon. Watch
the ponies run while dining at the enclosed Derby’s
Restaurant or while having a hot dog at the rail. Pick you
horse and place a bet. It’s all great fun and fast-paced
action.
History
comes alive for visitors to old town Muskegon where they
can take a 1/2 hour historic tour of old Muskegon in a horse
drawn carriage on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout
the year. You can also visit the grand old Victorian homes
of Muskegon lumber barons Charles H. Hackley and Thomas
Hume which have been totally restored and are considered
two of the finest examples of Queen Anne Victorian in the
country. Just down the street from the houses is the Fire
Barn Museum, a replica of the original Hackly Hose Company
No. 2 firehouse and equipment of the early 20th Century.
For
winter sports enthusiasts, Muskegon and its annual Snowfest
is the place to be for fun in February. Activities include
outdoor snow volleyball tournaments, hot chili cookoffs
and cold beer, plus a challenging nine hole “ice golf”
tournament.
