Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek,MI)

 Located 120 miles in Battle Creek, MI is a cultural center for natural history and substantial education, wildlife ethical conservation, and outdoor fun recreation.  It is home to It is home to 600 animals, 140 species, and protection to a lot of endangered species like the koala, tigers, and polar bears.  This place is Binder Park Zoo.

   In the 1960s members of the Battle Creek Jaycees, thought of building a children’s zoo in Battle Creek so they formed the Battle Creek Children's Zoo Steering Committee. With a lot of effort and fundraising the committee leased 83 acres of the then 655-acre Charles Binder Park from the City of Battle Creek for $1 per year, and in 1985, the zoo leased an additional 87.  In 1991,it was expanded again to 405 acres and finally in 1997 the zoo sat on an area of 433 acre this zoo was named as one of the largest zoo. This zoo abounds with umpteenth variety of colors and excitement making it a major attraction for revelers and nature fanatics

  The main zoo area features animal exhibits including prairie dogs, a snow leopard exhibit,cheetahs, and red kangaroo.  Also located in the main zoo is the Miller Children's Zoo, gift shop, a railroad station, the Binda Conservation Center, a restaurant, a habitat boardwalk called Swamp Adventure, and the new Conservation Carousel that opened in 2007.


   The Wild Africa Exhibit at Binder Park Zoo is a exhibit featuring giraffes, zebras, storks, and etc. This award winning exhibit allows the animals to roam around, cage free like they are in the savanna. To get a closer view, there is a loop that begins and ends in a small African themed village, selling souvenirs and food and beverages. The trail itself is themed to resemble a trail inside an African National Park complete with a ranger station and fake poachers. Along the trail there is an opportunity to feed giraffes. You can view the giraffes from a raised platform that places them at eye level with the animals. Other species are included in savanna settings and other small exhibits. Some of which include African Wild Dogs, Colobus Monkeys and Black Mangabeys, and a forest farm featuring several African Domestic Animals.


For more information please go binderparkzoo.org 

Renaissance Center (Detroit,MI)

   Located in Downtown Detroit  is the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere that features the largest rooftop restaurant called the Coach Insignia.  It has been the tallest building in Michigan since its 1977.  It is home to one of the big three car company's in North America, it has a movie theater, and a great view of the Detroit River.  This place is the Renaissance Center. 
  
    In 1970, Ford Motor Company Chairman Henry Ford II teamed up with other business leaders to form Detroit Renaissance, a private non-profit development organization, which he headed in order to stimulate building activity in the city.  In 1971 the Renaissance Center became the world's largest private development with a building cost of $500 million. In its first year of operation it generated over $1 billion in economic growth for the downtown.
  
   The first tower of the Renaissance Center opened on July 1, 1976.  For tower 1 of the first five towers was covered with 2,000,000 square feet of glass, and used about 400,000 cubic yards of concrete.  Phase I of the Renaissance Center cost $337 million to construct, employing 7,000 workers.  Thousands of people moved Detroit, because they saw the opportunity of jobs here so in 1977, the central hotel tower of the Renaissance Center, which opened as the Western International Detroit Plaza Hotel or better known as the Detroit Marriott. Since 1986, the Renaissance Center's central tower has held the distinction as the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.  Since more and more tourist were coming to see the Renaissance Center the city of Detroit decided that the Renaissance would be one of the stops on the people mover.  Also they placed a GM World exhibit down stairs of the Renaissance where you can look at and even get in the new cars from GM.
   

The Wintergarden

   Down the line they wanted to remodel the Renaissance Center so all the offices was in one building and the entertainment was in another.The $500 million renovation of the Renaissance Center completed in 2003 has helped improve Detroit's economy. Together, GM's renovation of the Renaissance Center and the Detroit Riverwalk exceeded $1 billion; the project constituted a substantial investment in downtown. More than 10,000 people work in the complex.  In 2001 the Wintergarden was added to the Renaissance Center faces the Riverfront and provides panoramic views of the Windsor skyline. The complex connects offices, the hotel, retail specialty shops, restaurants, a jazz club, and a movie theater. A pedestrian-friendly glass entryway has replaced the former concrete berms along Jefferson Avenue. The redevelopment provides the GM World display of vehicles, a restored hotel, a renovated rooftop restaurant, and the addition of GM's corporate logo to crown the top of the building. Construction of the lighted glass walkway facilitates ease of navigation encircling the interior mezzanine.The completion of the Renaissance Center was in 2004.

Belle Isle Park (Detroit,MI)

 
 Located on Jefferson Ave. and 15 minutes from downtown Detroit is a 982-acre (1.534 sq mi; 397 ha) island park in the Detroit River that separates the United States and Canada, managed by the. It is connected to the rest of Detroit by the MacArthur Bridge which is 2,193 feet. It is the largest island city park in the United States and the third largest island in the Detroit River
   
The island was founded in the 18th century,  by French Colonist who named it Île aux Cochons (Hog Island).  The French saw that it was a great asset to be a recreation facility so in the 1880s, urban park designer,Frederick Law Olmsted, design the park.  One of Frederick's projects was the Belle Isle Casino building.  Everyone thought it was a actual casino but is actually used for occasional public events such as concerts and birthday party.  One of the highlights of Belle Isle is a beautiful botanical garden.  Alot of couples go there to see the exotic trees and have picnics.  They saw how much excitement was going on about the botanical garden so in 1952 Albert Kahn designed a greenhouse called Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. 

 Architect Cass Gilbert designed Belle Isle's James Scott Memorial Fountain and the William Livingstone Memorial Light, the only marble lighthouse in the United States, is on the east end of the island.  Additional recreational options include a nature center, wheelchair accessible nature trail, fishing piers, playgrounds, picnic shelters, and handball, tennis and basketball courts, baseball fields, and even a cricket pitch.  Belle Isle turned into the talk of  the city.  There was a canoe concession where you could rent canoes and stored private ones and just ride along the river and often stop to enjoy the concert at the Remick Band Shell. 

   Today Belle Isle is still up and running.  People come there for family picnics, the Detroit Indy Grand Prix, go to the zoo or just to get out of the house.  Belle Isle is the best park in the country.

Detroit Zoo (Royal Oak, MI)

  Located 2 miles north of the Detroit city limits at the intersection of Woodward lies one of Michigan's major attractions.  This family oriented place is home to over 6,800 animals and 270 species.  This place is no other than the Detroit Zoo.
    
   A circus came to town to make their rounds and to put a smile on peoples faces watching the animals perform.  When the circus came to the end of their finances, they didnt have enough money to take care of the animals, and the people of Detroit didnt want to see the animals starve so they put their money together, bought the animals and opened the Detroit Zoological Garden in 1883 that was located on Michigan and Trumbull. In the early 1900's the animals were moved to Belle Isle Park where they can have more wildlife for the animals and to build a better facility. You and your family could just walk through Belle Isle and a deer can just walk up right beside you.  
  
   During World War I the Detroit Zoological Society thought the Belle Zoo was a good idea but they thought it would be a better idea to get a bigger facility and more exotic animals, they wanted to make a more realistic wild life adventures for families.  So in 1928, they purchase 100-acres of land on Woodward and build the new and improved Detroit Zoological Park.  Many plans and new exhibits were designed from a big bird houses full of birds from all over the world to a large lion and tiger den.  Summer of 1928 the park was finally going to open but the owners were very nervous about their outcome of their grand opening. The same day they had some serious competition the first movie was showing at the Fox Theater, the tigers were playing and gas was up to the all time high of 26 cent a gallon.  They thought all their hardship was just going to be a waste but they were wrong.  On opening day their were over 150,000 people that came to the zoo that day.  You see all the smiling faces of families looking at the different types of animals; bears, deer, elephants, etc.  The Detroit Zoo was the major attraction in the 1920's, it was designed for all ages to enjoy their selves and just to have fun.
  
   Today the Detroit Zoo is doing great they have different shows, an underwater exhibit, a train ride that goes around the park and more exotic animals.  The Detroit Zoo is great place to go to just get out of the house and act like a kid again.

Motown Records/Motown Historical Museum (Detroit, MI)

Located on 2648 West Grand Blvd. in Detroit, Michigan is the place that started the movement of African- American music.  Artist such as, The Marvelettes, Steve Wonder, and The Jackson Five was all discovered at this place called Motown Records.  Motown Records "Hitsville U.S.A" was founded by Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1959.  In this building was the record label's administrative building and a recording studio where the artist layed down all their #1 tracks.

Berry Gordy started off as a songwriter for Detroit artist Jackie Wilson and The Matadors.  Jackie Wilson's first hit single "Lonely Teardrops" was a huge success but Barry believe he didnt get the amount of money he should have received so he decided to start his own record label.  On January 12, 1959, he founded his first record label Tamla Records.  It didn't start off so good, but in the Summer of 1959 one of Berry's artist, Barrett Strong, hit song "Money (That's What I Want)" made it to #2 on the R&B Billboard charts.  Later on that year he signed his first group called The Miracles and decided to start a second label "Motown Records".

                                                                                    
                                                                           

On April 14, 1960 Tamla Records and Motown Records merged into a new company called Motown Record Corporation and started making hit after that. The Miracles hit "Shop Around" shot up to #1 on the 1960 Billboard Hot 100 and the next year Gordy's new act The Marvellettes song "Please Mr.Postman" was #1 on the Pop Billboards. Artists around the country saw the amazement and the unique sound of Motown Records they wanted a piece of it.  From 1961 to 1971 had 110 top hits from artist such as Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin and many more.

In 1972 Berry Gordy moved Motown to Los Angeles to look for new material and new sound.   While Berry was making hits in California his sister, Ester Gordy Edwards, refused to move to California so she was in charge of the old Motown building.  Many citizen of Detroit wanted to see the history of Motown Records up and personal.  So her and granddaughter made an exhibit that consist of some costumes, photos, and gold records of all the success of Motown and made it into a museum.

Since 1985, Motown Historical Museum is up and running.  Thousands of people from all around world come and experience going down the years of all the accomplishments of Motown.  Unfortunately Motown shut down in 2005 but it will never die.  Everyday you hear all age groups singing Motown Records songs from Steve Wonder's "Superstition" to Brain McKnight "Back to One".

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A EXPERIENCE DOWN MEMORY LANE, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME OUT AND GO VISIT THE MOTOWN HISTORICAL MUSEUM.

Michigan Adventures (Muskegon, MI)

   Located 200 miles from Detroit, and that's down the street from Silver Lake is a 250 acre amusement park that's for the whole family.   The largest amusement park in Michigan it has a amusement park with 7 seven rollercoasters and water park with 4 water rides for one low price of $27.00.  This amusement park is called Michigan Adventures.

HISTORY

  

   The park first was "Deer Park" founded by L.R. Beardsley, Dr. E.S. Gillam, Hardin Dey and Martin Kasichke in 1956.  The park originally featured a petting zoo with deer,monkeys, chickens, ducks, and llamas and had an Alan Herschell 16-gauge train named "the Deer Park Special" built in 1958.  In 1968, Roger Jourden bought the park and renamed it "Deer Park Funland".  He sold the animals and purchased new attractions such as Tilt-a-Whirl, a Merry-Go-Round, and a Ferris Wheel.  In 1979 the park introduced their first roller coaster which was a standard model Corkscrew from Arrow Dynamics.  It was a huge success.

 

HELLO MICHIGAN'S ADVENTURE/WILD WATER ADVENTURE 

   

   In 1988, they wanted to make a few changes to the park so they introduced a new General Manager, Camille Jourden- Mark and as well a new name "Michigan's Adventures".  That same year the park introduced a new wooden roller coaster, the Wolverine Wildcat, manufactured by the Dinn & Summers partnership and also introduced two new shows.  As year went on new rides were being built and old ones are retiring.

   In 1990 the staff saw they had competition with the popular water park, Pleasure Island, in Norton Shores so in 1991, that's when Wild Water Adventure was built.  It started of with eight water slides, a wave pool, a children  area, and a lazy river.  When Wild Water Adventure first opened it had great views and was getting more of  audience then their competition so they wanted to take it up a notch.  In 1997 that had some new additions to the park that included two more wave pools, two more children areas, a second large raft slide, and three more tube slides.  Each year they were coming out with new attractions and attraction more people, but in 2005 they built a tornado type slide with a 300-foot tube that you go through and end up in a giant funnel as you sway back and forth called the "Funnel of Fear".  It was named one of the top water rides in 2007.

So if you would like to visit Michigan's Adventure go to http://www.miadventure.com for more information

MICHIGAN'S ADVENTURE... FUN AND ONLY!!!!!!!!!

Cobo Center & Cobo Arena (Detroit, MI)

Located in the heart of downtown Detroit is a convention center on Jefferson Ave, just along the Detroit International Riverfront is where most concerts are held and the famous boxers Joe Louis boxed at.  This place is called Cobo Center also known as "Cobo Arena and Cobo Hall ".

Cobo Center was designed by Gino Rossetti in 1960 and was named after Albert E. Cobo, the major of Detroit (1950-1957).  Expanded in 1989, Cobo Center is 2,400,00 sq ft and contains 866,00 sq ft of exhibition space that holds the hosts the biggest event in Detroit every January.

North American International Auto Show consists of showing off the Big Three American automakers, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors cars that's coming out the following year.  The first auto show was in 1907 at Beller's Beer Garden at Riverside Park and was moved to the Cobo Center in 1961.  The auto show last for about two-three weeks.  The first couple of days is the press preview, the industry preview, and the charity preview, and then the rest of the days is to the public.  Thousands of people from all over the country come look at the cars that they never going to have in their life or thinking about buying right then and there.

Right next to the Cobo Center is the Cobo Arena.  This 12,191 seat arena was home to many professional teams of Detroit such as the Detroit Pistons (1961-1978) and the Detroit Rockers (1990-2001).  Cobo Arena has hosted several of sold out concert from Madonna to Jay-z free concert he put on in 2008 to support young voters to vote for President Barack Obama.  So if want to hear some good music on look at some hot cars go down to the Cobo Center.

Silver Lake (Mears,MI)

Have you ever seen hills of sand in Michigan like you are in Egypt? Can you ride a quad around your neighborhood?  If you want to experience this go to Silver Lake.  Located in Mears, MI 3 hours from Detroit Silver Lake is a very family oriented community.  Its a small town with restaurants, arcades, mini golf courses, fishing and much more. One of the major attractions of Silver Lake is the Little Sable Point Lighthouse. The beautiful red brick lighthouse was built in 1870 right off coast of Lake Michigan.  While your looking at the scenery from the lighthouse you can look down at watch the people swim in Lake Michigan.




The number one attraction of Silver Lake is the sand dunes. It looks like you are in the dry desert of Egypt As you ride around in a dune buggy you can take a tour and learn the history about each dune.  If you want to experience the dunes yourself  you can walk up and down the dunes or you can rent a quad or a dune buggy. If you want to take a tour 










visit http://www.macwoodsdunerides.com/ or you want to rent a quads http://www.silverlakebuggys.com/ for more information.