LUDINGTON, Mich. — Ready, set, explore!
Today marks the start of our brand new series Day Trippin', where 13 ON YOUR SIDE Photojournalist Doug Grevious and I hit the open road for a West Michigan adventure.
Every month we will feature a new place in the Mitten. To kick start our series, we traveled to the beautiful Ludington, MI. It was an hour and a half drive from Grand Rapids to Ludington, but once on the road the skies cleared and we knew we picked the perfect location!
We began our day trip with SS Badger. Once aboard, this four-hour trip keeps you busy with badger bingo, restaurants and bars, a movie theater, and even a museum. Shelby Soberalski, director of marketing for the ship, explained that this ship is the largest ever and last coal fire steam engine here in the United States.
If a day at sea isn't your style, why not test out one of the nine disk golf courses in the area? It is only a dollar donation to play on the well-kept courses.
After all that activity you may consider heading downtown where the petunia-laced streets were buzzing. Ludington Bay Brewery is one of many delicious options to fuel your appetite. You can also couple that food with one of their award-winning brews.
After dinner, treat yourself at the House of Flavors ice cream parlor. What was once a dairy farm started back in 1948 is now home to the Guinness World Record for Longest Ice Cream Dessert in the world!
Owner Barry Neal said that each year they make three million gallons of ice cream. With that, they offer 40 different flavors; 36 of them remain the same year-round, ensuring that when you find the perfect scoop it will be there for you to come back to year after year.
We also caught up with the city's Mayor Steve Miller.
"Ludington invites you in every single day in the summertime down a two-mile stretch of petunias. Once here I have no problem walking up to strangers in this town. I will ask them, 'Where are you from, how far did you come to get here?' The stories, time after time after time, come down to one thing and that's people love this town," explained Miller.
Whether you wrap up your day with a walk along the pier, fishing, or visiting the Ludington State park, you're sure to have a great time.
We'll be Day Trippin' once a month-- and we want to know where we should go next!
Send us your suggestions on Facebook or text them to us at 616-559-1310.
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