Bluebell Beach and Stepping Stone Falls, Genesee County Park, Flint, MI. They are both part of the same city park. The playground was empty so we climbed the wall and played on the swings and slide before taking stroll to the falls.

7

Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Worlds largest Christmas store Frankenmuth, MI. I think you have to stop in here at least once if you’re passing by. It’s just so big. It seemed like everything was fairly well priced. We bought an ornament.

The touristy part of Frankenmuth, MI, is known as Little Bavaria. It reminded me of Gatlinburg, TN or Helen, GA but with a little better quality shopping and more reasonable prices. We stopped in at one bakery that was incredible, i think even the locals must shop there too, (at least out of the busy season) and got some very fresh banana split flavored popcorn. And just around the corner from the touristy area is a regular town.

6.5

Panera Bread for a quick lunch.

Tridge, Midland, MI. The Tridge is the formal name of a three legged wooden footbridge spanning the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Chippewa Rivers in Chippewassee Park in Midland. The Tridge opened in 1981. Each spoke is 180 feet long by 8 feet wide. Midland is very proud of the Tridge and considers it one of their largest tourist attractions. We ran around the Chippewassee skate park until we were tired. Midland seems like a really nice, well-to-do town (largely due to Dow Chemical calling it home base). We stopped to take pictures of their unusual Tudor-style courthouse.

https://cityofmidlandmi.gov/1672/The-Tridge
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midland_County_Courthouse

7.5

Gaylord’s Elk City Park, Gaylord, MI. The City of Gaylord maintains an elk herd and provides viewing areas for the public to stop and watch. The herd started with three elk when a local nature center closed in the late 1980s and has grown to about 40 elk and a couple of Fallow and Sika Deer on 108 acres, making it the largest elk population in Michigan. The pasture area has quite a bit of debris that isn’t explained anywhere. A few of the bulls weigh well over 800 pounds and stand roughly 6′ tall. The bulls will don their massive horns during the fall and winter, dropping them in the spring. During mating season you can see the young bucks play and hear the bellowing of huge male Elk looking to mate. It’s the first time we’ve seen Elk in person and there were several other people there admiring them, too.

4.5

Hampton Inn, Gaylord, MI

Price: $101/night