With a newborn baby and the global pandemic still raging, our family spent most of 2021 close to home. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy ourselves in a number of safe, mostly outdoor ways.
Here are a few of our favorite activities and events from across the Lansing area this year — maybe our experiences will help you find inspiration for something new to try in 2022!
Sledding in Moores Park
We’re going in consecutive order, so we’ll start with the first activity of our year — sledding in our very own neighborhood park, Moores Park! On the first big snow day of 2021, we walked down our street and took Rosie sledding for the first time. She loved it, and only wiped out once.
While we love Moores Park in every season, this was an especially fun day for us. For more excellent sledding options, check out this list on the Lansing Family Fun website.
Supporting Local Businesses
In the months of December through February, I served as a #LiftUpLocal ambassador for Downtown Lansing, Inc. and Michigan Premiere Events. That meant I joined a team of neighbors to shop local and share with others about restaurants and businesses across Lansing. Not only did I have an excuse to eat amazing takeout (which my eight-months-pregnant self truly enjoyed), but I learned about so many new places in my own town!
Three of my favorite new places were:
Chasing flowers in Fowlerville
If you’ve met me, you know I love flowers — in home decor, in fashion, on my dining room table and especially outside in the Michigan springtime!
I usually stalk the Cooley Gardens for the magnolia blossoms, but this year we added the Munsell Farms sunflower fields to our flower hunt, and they did not disappoint. We’re talking thousands upon thousands of sunflowers, bright and beautiful and manicured into a maze for more walkable exploration. There were also thousands of bees — and if you’ve met me, you know these flowers MUST be good if I’m willing to brave the bees for it.
Shopping at the Farmers Market every week
The South Lansing Farmers Market runs every Thursday during the summer in a church parking lot on our street. This year I made it a priority to get down there every week and I’m so glad I did!
I bought fresh peaches, and learned how to make peach cobbler. I found beautiful cut flowers and warm crab rangoon and connected with neighbors and old friends, too. I already can’t wait to go back next summer.
Loving the local library
We took advantage of just a few of the Capital Area District Libraries programs this year, and I’m so glad we did! Rosie completed the summer reading program, Ben listened to dozens of audiobooks, and I met new friends (as did the kids) at weekly Storytime events.
Beyond book-related events, our library card got us free passes to the Potter Park Zoo and we even some very friendly llamas decked out for the holidays at a Christmas library event. Seriously, check out your local library — and maybe I’ll see you there!
Exploring new places on playdates
We got creative with safe, fun outings for the kids, and found some new favorite places to visit, including:
- MSU Museum
- Dinosaur bones, animal exhibits, and walking distance to the MSU Dairy Store.
- Dinosaur bones, animal exhibits, and walking distance to the MSU Dairy Store.
- Horrocks Beer Garden
- Warm greenhouses, beautiful plants and flowers, and gelato at 10am — what more could you ask for?
- This is also our new favorite date spot, with live music, pizza and drinks in the evenings…and maybe more gelato, too.
Spending all of fall at the cider mill
No Michigan autumn is complete without a trip to your favorite cider mill, and this year we started early on the weekend of Labor Day. We visited our favorite spots five times this year — from picking apples to fall colors and pumpkins, eating donuts all along the way.
Our favorites are Phillips Orchards and Cider Mill for apple picking and a more rustic orchard experience, and Uncle John’s Cider Mill for pumpkins, hayrides, and more organized children’s activities.
A year close to home
We made it to December, and closed out the year with a visit to the Potter Park Zoo Wonderland of Lights. This was our second time attending this local holiday event, and we have plans to return every year.
Who knows what 2022 will look like? Hopefully we will be able to see more friends from far away, and safely return to normal activities soon. But in the meantime, it’s good to know we have so many options right here in and around our city.
Did I miss something great in Lansing? Please share! I’d love to know what you have found in your hometown, wherever you are! Let’s all learn to love our hometowns more this coming year.
Hometown Found 