Ann Arbor Outdoor Activities

Hot air balloons float into the air from Balloon Quest's idyllic launch location, taking guests on a bird's-eye tour of a stunning natural expanse studded with hills and lakes. Experienced pilots guide the rainbow-colored orbs on languorous tours, sweeping balloons' teardrop-shaped shadows over hills, dales, and the on-site mini-golf course. After their aerial tour, visitors can linger at Balloon Quest for a picnic on the grounds or a thought-provoking discussion of their top 10 favorite gravity-defying experiences. While flights are made year-round, Balloon Quest has very specific weather guidelines for flying, and rescheduling may be common.

Dietz Creek Golf Range promotes on-course improvement with a multifaceted golf practice and service facility. Flush drives pierce the atmosphere above the course’s 300-yard driving range, where grass tees accommodate those who prefer a natural feel and turf mats cater to pacifistic 5-irons who consider divots barbaric. To fine-tune their short-game feel, players can chip balls at the short-game area or splash them out of the practice bunker. Inside, the darkened wonderland of Dietz’ Creek’s glo golf course invites guests to steer orbs across a black-lit circuit of rail-lined corridors teeming with obstacles including tricky ramps, a loopty loop, and swooping pterodactyls.

Lansing Metro Marinas's Giselle and Ken Settimo had a vision for a new way to see Lansing—from the waterways. The couple purchased a 28-foot pontoon boat, staffed it with a captain and deck hand, and set about their mission to show Michiganders the beauty of their city. Today, the boat cruises down the Grand River from Old Town to Moore's River Park, Red Cedar to Potter Park Zoo, offering stunning views of downtown Lansing. Charters, evening cruises, and private events float down the waterway, enjoying access to seating, party lighting, and a fridge to re-energize glow-stick swords.

Draped over the tree-spotted hillocks of the Michigan countryside, Meridian Sun Golf Club's 6,090-yard course welcomes golfers to hit through its pristine fairways and enjoy its natural splendor. The course eases players into the round with a wide-open, straightaway front nine before challenging swings and waggling sand wedges with a shorter back nine populated by multiple water-lined holes. Risk-reward shot opportunities await throughout the round, including the tee shot on the par-3 13th, where balls must clear nearly 190 yards of water on their way to the green. Club owner and PGA professional Bill Mory—whose golf career spans multiple decades and includes playing in the PGA Tour's Buick Open, where players ride in 1950s Buick Skylarks in place of golf carts—presides over the grounds, conducting lessons at practice facilities that include a 4,000-square-foot practice green and a driving range with 15 hitting stalls. After rounds, golfers can bask in the sunset at the patio of Khakis Restaurant, the club's on-site grill.:m]]

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole course
• Par 70 from men's tees; par 71 from ladies' tees
• Length of 6,090 yards from the farthest tees
• Link to scorecard

First opened in 1927, Portland Country Club's 18-hole course sprawls across 100 acres of rolling countryside terrain stitched by mature trees. The winding 5,558-yard layout challenges duffers with imposing tree lines and sand traps kissed against fairways and greens. Portland Country Club regularly hosts the Michigan Players Junior Golf Tour as well as its annual Best Ball Tournament, which has been played for 54 consecutive years. The club still retains the grounds' original farmhouse, now expanded and renovated into a clubhouse to serve as a testament to its humble beginnings and a quick reference for any Herbert Hoover–related trivia.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Total length of 5,558 yards from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

The sinuous fairways of Whiteford Valley Golf Club's three 18-hole, par 72 courses roam across a rolling, emerald expanse dotted with creeks, ponds, and mature timbers. The most difficult of the three layouts, the east course tunnels through stands of towering trees, placing accurate tee shots and a familiarity with squirrel vernacular at a premium. The north course likewise rolls across hilly, tree-lined terrain, though water hazards play a more prominent role throughout, made evident by the first green, which is entirely fringed by a rippling pond.

Long hitters or golfers trying to make amends to recently neglected drivers can take to the west course, which packs dense tree lines into the Club's longest layout, at 7,016 yards.