Southwestern Michigan Explorations: Lansing

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The final stop of my suggested 5 day southwest Michigan (USA) itinerary after Saugatuck and Holland is in Lansing, Michigan and the surrounding area.

Lansing

Lansing, Michigan is totally different from the other towns I already wrote about in this three part southwest Michigan series. Saugatuck is a very small quaint, resort town. Holland is a city with a larger population that is known for its Dutch roots. The capital city of Michigan, Lansing, is the biggest city on this itinerary. Here you will find lots of options for food, the perfect place to learn about the history of the state and experiences in nature both within and around the city.

What to Do in the Lansing Area

Michigan History Museum

702 W Kalamazoo St, Lansing, MI

A rainy day lead us to the Michigan History Museum and boy am I glad it rained! The museum was such an unexpected treat. I soon realized it is one of the best US history museums. We spent three hours walking through the immersive exhibits that cover the history of the state. We easily could have spent more time, there is so much to see and learn. I loved that each room and part of history was designed to look like that era or topic being described.

Visiting Information: For my full review and visiting information read my museum of the month post about this museum.

Kayaking in Lansing

325 City Market Dr, Lansing, MI

River Town Adventures offers kayaking right in the heart of Lansing, Michigan! You can rent by the hour or pay for one of their adventures. We did the Power of the Grand adventure. From the city market we were shuttled to Moores Park. Then we kayaked down the river back to the city market. Even though it was in the middle of the city, you almost felt like you were out in nature. I spent some time paddling alongside a group of ducks!

It was a fun and scenic paddle, but it went by too quickly. It took under the minimum amount of time suggested (1 – 1.5hrs), so I wish we would have done the zoo to city market paddle which is a little longer.

Visiting Information: Toilets available at the city market and in Moors park. Call for a reservation, the staff was very friendly and helpful when we rescheduled due to weather!

Sleepy Hollow State Park 

7835 E Price Rd, Laingsburg, MI

About 25 minutes from Lansing is Sleepy Hollow State Park. There is a campground, a beach, disc golf, option to rent kayaks and canoes, and well-marked trails.

We spent most of our time hiking here. There are a variety of paths, some in the hardwood forest and others through prairies grasses. There are trails for biking and horseback riding in the park as well. A few hours to walk on the paths was all we had, but you could easily spend a lot of time here. 

Visiting Information: There are toilets and showers next to the main parking lot. This is where the beachfront, boat rentals and disc golf is. There are also maps here which will give you more information about the trails. There are also toilets in the campground and port-a-potties near one of the trails.

If you have an annual MI state park pass you get in free. If not you can buy one for $11 (MI residents) or $30.50 (out of state residents). You can also get a daily pass for $8.40. The cost is per vehicle, not per person.

Where to Eat

The Creole Burger Bar & Southern Kitchen 

1218 Turner Rd, Lansing, MI 

Along Turner Road & César E. Chavez Avenue in Lansing is the perfect area to find a variety of restaurant cuisines with nice atmospheres for outdoor summer dining. We attempted to go to Meat BBQ, but the wait was horrendous so we ended up at The Creole Burger Bar & Southern Kitchen. There are interesting and comfort food options on the menu, all with a great flavor. 

Cugino’s

306 S Bridge St, Grand Ledge, MI 

If you go with my recommend hotel suggestion below (Comfort Inn Lansing on North Canal Road), you may want to eat a time or two in the area without driving into Lansing. Cugino’s is located in the small town of Grand Ledge, about 10 minutes from the hotel. It is a casual Italian place with classic pizza and pasta dishes. When we walked in the door and saw the crowds of people we knew it would be delicious and it did not disappoint us!

Sweetie-Licious Bakery Cafe

108 N Bridge St, Dewitt, MI

Want to know the real reason we took a summer vacation to southwest Michigan? This bakery! Yup, we planned an entire trip around a bakery. A couple years ago for Christmas my mom received a Sweetie – licious cookbook. Me, the non-baker, was incredibly intrigued and spent a great deal of time paging through the book ooing and aaahing over the delights within. When I found out there was an actual bakery I knew I had to visit.

The bakery is really cute and worth a visit. I will admit I was a little disappointed though. I was really looking forward to having pie, but there were only three options when we went. My expectation wasn’t that there would be all the pies in the cookbook, but as pie is the main focus of the bakery I was hoping for some more choices. Perhaps it was the time we visited, at the end of the day Saturday, before Sunday when the bakery is closed.

Visiting Information: The bakery is located about 20 minutes from Lansing. They also serve light lunch fare. There is another location in Grand Rapids.

Where to Stay in Lansing

We stayed at the Comfort Inn, about 10 – 15 minutes outside of Lansing. It was a convenient place to stay next to the interstate for traveling to and from the area. Our room was clean and comfortable, there were a lot of options for breakfast and most importantly an indoor pool and hot tub!

More in Southwestern Michigan

Now you know what to do in Lansing, Michigan, make sure you check out Saugatuck and Holland. Combine all three places for a 5 – 7 day southwestern Michigan vacation! In addition to all there is to do and see, the people are so nice! I kept mentioning that to my mom and she said “That’s the midwest for you.” I always love coming back to the Midwest!

Not quite what you are looking for? Don’t worry, I can help! Through my Personal Travel Planning service I can plan the perfect Michigan itinerary to meet your travel needs…or any other place you dream of visiting! 

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