Any time of year is a great time to meet in Michigan, but the warm-weather season offers some notable outdoor advantages for groups convening in this standby Midwest meetings player.
"The best thing about ‘Pure Michigan’ is that this outdoor splendor is available on both peninsulas within a short drive from even our biggest cities, allowing groups the opportunity to get in a full day’s work before walking a beautiful beach, hiking a forested trail or getting in a quick nine holes at an award-winning golf course," says Dave Lorenz, spokesperson at Travel Michigan.
Lorenz adds that Michigan offers long, comfortable days—it doesn’t get dark until 10 p.m. during the summer—and even on the hottest days, attendees will enjoy getting outside for fun group activities.
Following are eight popular options to complement any group business gathering.
Golf
Known as "America’s Summer Golf Capital," according to Lorenz, Michigan caters to groups of golfers who’d like to hit the links during the calendar’s warmer months.
Pine Trace Golf Club (248.852.7100), with an on-site restaurant and tents for after-play outdoor gatherings, and Shepherd’s Hollow Golf Club (248.922.0300), with a restaurant that can host up to 120 players, are just two group-friendly courses in the Detroit area.
"Golf is a popular activity for groups meeting in Detroit because it’s a great way to network on a personal level," says Carla Conner-Penzabene, director of sales at the Detroit Metro CVB.
There are a number of courses that enthusiastically welcome groups who’d like to book tournaments in the Traverse City area, which recently ranked No. 12 in a Golf Digest roundup of the world’s 50 top golf destinations, according to Mike Norton, spokesperson at the Traverse City CVB.
Among them are the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear course at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa (231.534.6000) and the Arnold Palmer-designed Legend course at Shanty Creek Resorts (800.678.4111).
Water Vessels
From parasailing excursions in Mackinaw City via Mackinaw Parasailing (231.436.7144) to a dinner/dance or cocktail cruise aboard the Port City Princess (231.728.8387), the only ship that tours scenic Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake, Michigan offers planners plenty of waterborne group activities.
Traverse City is paradise for water-loving groups, with everything from kayaking to windsurfing, sailing and yachting
Popular team-building options include canoeing and kayaking with outfitters PaddleAway (231.715.1454) and Riverside Canoe Trips (231.325.5622), and adventures aboard the schooner Manitou with Traverse Tall Ship Company (231.941,2000).
In Ann Arbor, canoeing, kayaking and pedal boating on the Huron River are wonderful team-building activities from spring to fall.
The city-owned Gallup and Argo canoe liveries (734.794.6240 ) work with groups of all ages and skills and provide transportation to a put-in point for a variety of paddles, from 30 minutes to four hours, according to Marianne Klinker, spokesperson at the Ann Arbor Area CVB.
"Groups can also rent a ‘conference bike’—a bicycle-style pedal boat for 10 people—at Gallup Park, which also has two indoor meeting rooms and several picnic shelters," she says, adding many Ann Arbor-area catering companies will cater to the park or groups can grill their own food at one of the picnic shelters.
"Canoeing and kayaking is a traditional way to celebrate the great Michigan outdoors and is a unique way for a group of people to enjoy being together, to create bonds with each other, to challenge themselves, to relax and to experience nature," Klinker says, explaining that planners can choose an adventurous river trip or a peaceful still-water paddle, whichever best suits the group.
Festivals
Mackinac Island is one Michigan destination that offers a full calendar of festivals, including those held during the summer, like June’s Lilac Festival (906.847.3783) and August’s Music Festival (800.454.5227).
Metro Detroit is another, as it offers a variety of warm-weather festivals celebrating music, cars, culture and food for groups to enjoy, including the African World Festival, Arts, Beats & Eats, and Autopalooza, a celebration of Southeast Michigan’s automotive heritage through a series of cruises, races and shows throughout the year.
The most popular event is the Woodward Dream Cruise, which takes place the third Saturday in August and attracts more than 1 million visitors, spans 16 miles through eight communities and features more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods and custom, collector and special interest vehicles, according to the Detroit Metro CVB’s Conner-Penzabene.
"Group activities are available at just about any festival," she adds. "Teams participate in barbeque cook-offs and community projects that are a part of a festival."
Festivals in Ann Arbor also highlight a variety of themes, including music, art, culture and food, according to the Ann Arbor Area CVB’s Klinker.
"Although each caters to a slightly different audience, everyone feels welcome," she says.
Popular options are the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair (734.662.3382), which turns the streets of downtown Ann Arbor into one giant art gallery, and the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (734.994.5999), which is held over several weeks in June and July and features live music and outdoor movies under the stars.
The Greater Lansing region has more than 75 festivals and events, ranging from the quaint celebrations of surrounding communities to the large-scale Common Ground Music Festival (517.267.1502), which is staged in July, according to Tracy Padot, spokesperson for the Greater Lansing CVB.
Gardens
Also located in the Lansing area is an example of the pretty—and often aromatic—gardens available for group tours and off-site gatherings throughout the state.
East Lansing’s Michigan State University Horticulture Gardens (517.355.5191), where demonstration gardens include annuals, perennials and roses, is wonderfully suited for group receptions, according to the Greater Lansing CVB’s Padot.
Lori Amo, director of tourism at the Great Lakes Bay Regional CVB, says Dow Gardens (989.631.2677) in Midland facilitates guided group tours and has meeting space for up to 80 attendees at the Whiting Forest location as well as a historical barn that may be used for special events.
Fishing
Filled with rivers and lakes, Michigan is a perfect place to add a fishing outing to group itineraries.
Field & Stream magazine recently named Grand Rapids the nation’s sixth-best fishing city. According to Kate Wiltzer, spokesperson at Experience Grand Rapids CVB, you can hook salmon and steelhead in the middle of downtown, and the outlying rivers and lakes are teeming with other freshwater species.
magazine recently named Grand Rapids the nation’s sixth-best fishing city. According to Kate Wiltzer, spokesperson at Experience Grand Rapids CVB, you can hook salmon and steelhead in the middle of downtown, and the outlying rivers and lakes are teeming with other freshwater species.
Addiction Charters (616.292.5823) specializes in salmon and trout fishing excursions on Lake Michigan aboard a fully equipped 30-foot boat with an experienced crew, and All Seasons Guide Service (616.581.9534) facilitates guided fishing trips for steelhead, salmon and trout year-round aboard an 18-foot jet sled on the Muskegon, Manistee and Grand rivers.
"Most fishing activities are appropriate for amateur fishermen," Wiltzer says. "Many like to attend because it is very relaxing being with nature but still being able to access it in a city is appealing."
In Traverse City, fly-fishing, deepwater fishing or panfishing excursions are available, according to the Traverse City CVB’s Norton.
"Fishing outings are quite flexible, but tend to be geared toward smaller groups because of the nature of the sport," he says, explaining that blue-water fishing on a charter boat for salmon, lake trout and other deepwater fish is limited by the size of the boat (most charter operators can accommodate six fishermen per boat, though some operators have enough boats so they can handle groups of 60 or so people), and guided fly-fishing on local rivers is an activity that can’t really be enjoyed in a crowd, so groups are usually kept fairly small. "That doesn’t mean you can’t break a large group up into several small groups."
Both types of fishing, Norton adds, can be enjoyed by anyone since instruction is often part of the experience.
"Attendees will experience both a sense of getting in touch with the natural world in a setting that’s very serene and restful as well as occasional moments of heart-pounding excitement," he says.
Zip Lining (Plus)
If the group would rather take to the sky than to the water, some of Michigan’s meetings-friendly destinations offer zip-lining excursions.
Located five minutes southeast of Mackinaw City, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park (231.436.4100) has a naturalist-guided Adventure Tour that includes a flight on the 425-foot-long Eagles Flight Zip Line, which soars over Mill Creek, plus a walk over the Forest Canopy Bridge and a climb up the Nature Trail Climbing Wall.
In Grand Rapids, according to the Experience Grand Rapids CVB’s Wiltzer, the John Ball Zoo (616.336.4301) not only has amazing animals to see, but also has a four-story-tall ropes course built to test participant strength and courage and a 300-foot zip line that carries them back down to the ground.
"Both the ropes course and zip line can be reserved for group outings at a group rate, and are wonderful activities for corporate parties or team-building events," she says.
Baseball
Michigan loves its sports, from the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and college football’s Michigan Wolverines to Minor League Baseball games that groups are encouraged to attend.
The Great Lakes Bay Regional CVB’s Amo says planners should call the Great Lakes Loons (989.837.2255) office directly to make group arrangements, and adds outings to watch the feeder team for the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dow Diamond in Midland are a lot of fun, with plenty of food options at the park.
"Group rates are available, and the group can get special recognition on the video board," Amo says.
Lansing is home to the Lansing Lugnuts Minor League Baseball team (517.485.4500; ), the class-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, whose games are played at the Cooley Law School Stadium, according to Greater Lansing CVB’s Padot.
"It’s perfect for group outings," she says, adding that the field is conveniently situated across the street from the Lansing Center, where many groups convene when in town.
Group seating during a Lugnuts baseball game is available in designated areas, including Tailgate Terrace, a picnic area that can accommodate up to 4,000 people; Gasoline Alley, a private picnic deck overlooking center field for up to 50 people; the recently renovated Club House suite level lounge for up to 75 people; and Bullpen Bar & Grille, a private dining area right next to the field along the third base line so groups of 25 to 40 feel like they’re part of the action.
Biking
Another terrific way for groups to convene with nature during Michigan’s warmer months is via bicycle.
The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail offers more than 40 miles of bike paths to enjoy, starting from downtown Kalamazoo, according to Renee Newman, spokesperson at Discover Kalamazoo.
"The trail links to Lake Michigan, Battle Creek and Portage," she says, citing the 33.5-mile Kal-Haven segment leading to Lake Michigan and the newest trail segment that features no road crossings.
Bikes can be rented from Alfred E. Bike (269.349.9423) in downtown Kalamazoo.
Grand Rapids is another bikeable destination that in October 2009 received the "bronze" designation from the League of American Bicyclists, which recognizes bicycle-friendly cities, according to the Experience Grand Rapids CVB’s Wiltzer.
Trails and parks that welcome bicyclists in town include Kent Trails, Linus Palmer Park, Millennium Park, Musketawa Trail, Paul Henry Thornapple Trail and White Pine Trail.
Grand Rapids also has some area bike tours, including those facilitated by PedalGR, Wiltzer says, noting that they travel routes in Grand Rapids every other Wednesday evening from late April through mid-September.
"Rides typically include an ‘extra’ to enhance the experience," she says. "Some of their rides may have a theme, like parks, churches, schools, historical landmarks, ice cream or public art. There will be a post-ride gathering inside Founders Brewing Co."
Carolyn Blackburn is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus MidAmerica.
