Kalamazoo, MI Outdoor Activities

As the top AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, the Grand Rapids Griffins glide through Van Andel Arena on a quest to dominate the Western Conference. Bone-rattling checks and supersonic breakaways echo in the 10,000-seat venue as the Griffins take on Midwest Division rivals. Having sent 125 former players to the National Hockey League, the Griffins provide audiences with an opportunity to scope out future stars, whose autographed pucks can be added to memorabilia collections or given to mascots Griff and Finn to help build their nest in the arena’s rafters.

Echo Valley brings together tobogganing, tubing, and ice skating into one snowy spot for wintertime revelry. At the tobogganing hill, quarter-mile runs accelerate sledders to speeds as fast as 60 MPH before bringing them to a safe halt at the bottom, where the staff then sends the toboggan back to the top via an overhead lift. Ice skaters find ample space for gliding and pirouetting on the 43,000 square-foot rink. After tubing to their heart’s content or taste-testing snowflake appetizers, visitors can warm themselves around the lodge’s circular fireplace or observe fellow snow-goers from the expansive observation deck while sipping on hot chocolate or nibbling on snacks.

Wings Stadium plays host to more than just board-slamming checks during the Kalamazoo Wings' home hockey games. On select days, the 8,023-seat venue opens its frozen confines to amateurs interested in all sorts of winter sports. Skaters of all ages can glide across the smooth ice during open-skating sessions, and members of the Kalamazoo Curling Club practice and face off throughout the fall and winter. On weekend nights, hockey fans can bring their own skates to a K-Wings home game and finish their night skating and checking the ice for lost incisors.

Patterson Ice Center sends skaters gliding gracefully across NHL- and Olympic-size rinks. Recreational-, speed-, and figure-skating sessions slice through the facility seven days per week, and a spacious, 5,000-square-foot lobby overlooking both glacial sheets lets parents, friends, and easily chilled zambonis survey icy action while staying warm. During lessons—which are open to beginners through advanced skaters—double gold medalist and skating director April Treado draws from 25 years of experience to help students improve. Additionally, Patterson Ice Center also hosts parties, catered events, and USA Hockey–sanctioned adult leagues, as well as an onsite pro shop stocked with the latest gear and equipment.