What Great Advice Would You Give Someone Who’s New To West Michigan?

If you've ever had to move away from Michigan to another state, you know it can be tough.
Being born and raised in the Mitten State, I learned to deal with the cold winters.

Summertime is nice, it's not too hot so you can walk outside most days.

Now when I lived in San Antonio, Texas, that was a totally different story. I had a hard time adjusting to the sun and intense heat. In the summer it could easily get up to 100-110 degrees during the day. That was the sweatiest 18 months of my life.

Besides dealing with different weather, you have different cultures and ways of life all across America, and certain things we say here in Michigan will get you a funny look in other places.

For example, when I was in Texas I asked what kind of "pop" do they have?
The server looked confused as if I spoke another language. Down in Texas and other places across the country people call it "soda" or just plain old "coke."

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Ok so the soda/pop situation may not be the hardest thing to deal with, but it leads me into something I saw on a Grand Rapids Reddit thread.

Tips On Adjusting To Michigan

A woman posted the following message:

My family and I just bought a house 30 min outside of Grand Rapids in Belding, MI. My husband found a great career opportunity that had us move from busy Virginia Beach, VA to here. I’m a pretty open-minded person that loves to change things up and have mostly been excited about being so close to somewhere I consider really cool, Grand Rapids. His family is here and has a ton of land up north. Obviously, the weather change is something I’ll need to adjust to but I’m curious if there are any other people who like me have moved from somewhere completely different to Grand Rapids and have actually come to really like it? My family and I are pretty active and will be doing lots of driving and exploring while here. Looking for positive experiences to help me remain excited about this huge move.

 

West Michigan Was Quick To Share Some Advice

Smithsellsthemitt said: Visit northern Michigan in the summer too; primarily Sleeping Bear Dunes for a weekend! You will fall more in love with the state. The lakeshore is definitely my peaceful spot regardless of the weather, but in the summer you just cannot beat it. Warmer days ahead!

Like_Coffee said: West Michiganders, in general, are super nice. If there does happen to be a conflict, they won't be as direct, and you'll need to read people and the room more than you did in Virginia, but you'll also have strangers help carry your kid's car seat through the airport.

Runnr231 said: Plenty of good parks in GR nearby for trail walking or relaxing.

ArtPrize is huge and fantastic.

Also, close enough to the lake for visits if you miss wide open water. The restaurant scene is kind of exploding. Fun to see the diversity of places opening up. Festival of the Arts is also coming up downtown.

Kattastrophe171 said: Be sure to check out tubing this summer too! I like to go to Newaygo down the Muskegon River. There's nothing like tubing down a river all day with your family/best buds and a cooler tube full of snacks. I lived out of state for a couple of years and you just don't find that experience everywhere.

Odd_Fee_6183 said: Be sure to catch as many sunsets as you can on Lake Michigan

Splurge on a night at the JW Marriott in downtown GR

Maybe check out concerts at Meijer Gardens

Meijer (the store) will become your best friend

Check out the wineries in Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas

Drive the tunnel of trees in the fall (Harbor Springs)

Bike Mackinac Island

Ski Boyne

Snowshoe

There is a Winter Festival in GR with ice sculptures

The Tulip Festival in Holland is pretty

Bike South Haven to Kalamazoo

Brave the Halloween parade in Douglas/Saugatuck. Go to Ludington, enjoy the beach, Ludington State Park, or take the Badger across the Lake to Wisconsin.

These are some great ideas! What would you add?