Lansing Outdoor Activities

Engines start to roar, propellers spin, and a large parachute expands into the sky, carrying a light aircraft and its passengers toward the clouds. Silver Lining Aviation's certified instructors create adventures like this every day as they teach visitors to soar behind the controls of sport aircrafts such as powered parachutes, weight-shift trikes, and gyroplanes. Led by licensed FAA flight instructor Craig Ewing, Silver Lining's team takes prospective pilots on introductory flights that allow them to experience aircrafts such as the Airwolf 912 and nibble on different flavors of clouds. The aviation experts also sell sport aircrafts, which patiently wait onsite as customers work through custom ground- and flight-training programs. In most cases, the flight instructors prepare their pupils for aerial navigation in as little as two weeks. They also assist new pilots with replacement parts, provide 24/7 support, and cook oil soup to feed hungry aircraft.

Founded five years ago, the Battle Creek Bombers have already shown their mettle, earning the title of 2011 Northwoods League Champions in 2011. The Northwoods League, one of the nation’s most competitive collegiate summer leagues, offers its top-caliber players minor league internships without jeopardizing their college careers. This season, the Bombers hope to conquer their league again and send more of its players to the MLB, having already done so for alumnus Tony Sanchez, who was the fourth pick in the 2009 draft. Led by Daniel Rockett, their top 2011 scorer with 46 runs and 43 RBIs, the team will surely spend this season launching home runs without the help of covert trebuchets.

While the players focus on the game, their mosquito mascot, Mo-Skeeter, mingles with roaring crowds in the Bomber’s home venue, C.O. Brown Stadium. Patrons can look on from general seating or opt for the more luxurious HBC fan-deck seats, where panoramic views complement an included all-you-can-eat feast with draft beer and hot dogs.

Since 1825, the Old Town area has seen both prosperous times and, for the second half of the 20th century, stretches of destitution. Within the last 30 years, dedicated locals have started turning Old Town back around, dropping its building vacancy rates from 90% to less than 10% and establishing a slew of festivals, art venues, and boutiques. The Old Town Commercial Association plays its role in this cultural and economic renaissance by holding the annual Old Town's Taste & Tour to raise funds for community revitalization projects.

More than 300 people attended the event in 2011, sampling bites of cuisine dished out by local restaurants. Owners of local lofts give participants a rare opportunity to tour their unique living spaces and the rooftop cannons that launch them to work each morning.

The course at Lake Forest Golf Club keeps golfers of all abilities on their toes with two unique nines that wind through 176 acres of natural terrain, which helped earn it a spot as host of LPGA Futures Tour events for five years in a row. The links-style front nine lets big hitters pummel their drives without fear of getting permanently stuck in dense forestation or hearing the unsettling scream of a falling tree. Bookended by par 5s on holes one and nine, the front nine rewards long drives but requires that golfers remain nimble, as the second and eighth holes are both treacherous par 3s that punish improper club selection. Between the 9th and 10th tees, golfers see a rapid transformation from links-style to a back nine more reminiscent of northern Michigan, with tree-lined fairways, wetlands, and areas dotted with wildflowers. Here, course-management capabilities become starkly apparent, as golfers must repeatedly make the choice whether to lay up short of water, muscle shots over water onto the green, or wait for the next drought.

In addition to plenty of opportunities to take strokes that count, Lake Forest Golf Club encourages game improvement through risk-free practice strokes at its 5-acre practice facility. Players work on their entire games from long bombs off the tee on a three-tier driving range to short-game dexterity on two large putting greens, two sand bunkers, and a chipping area. Headed up by LPGA teaching professional Debbie Williams-Hoak, the facility also teaches the game through individual and group lessons with male and female instructors.

Course at a Glance:

• Par 72 course
• Length of 6,620 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.8 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 135 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options:m]]

In addition to sharing a first name, brothers-in-law Rick Crandall and Rick Lange share a passion for bow hunting. Together, the pair opened Country Woods Archery and designed its 23-acre range, where bow hunters and target archers mosey along trails and aim at 30 Rinehart targets, sending arrows into multidimensional simulacra of animals such as buffalo, turkeys, and pigs. Bow wielders can ascend to three elevated platforms, lurk in blinds, and hone their aim with unique challenges such as shooting across water or through a corn roll. The Ricks have paid attention to every detail along the course, spraying to ward off mosquitoes and graveling the trails so hunters can wear stilettos instead of boots.

Inside, the Country Woods Archery pro shop outfits hunters and archers with all the equipment they need to nab a deer or bear. The shop’s knowledgeable staff happily recommends targets, repairs and adjusts bows, or gives lessons in hitting the 10 ring or taking down flying saucers.

Brothers and co-owners Joel and Jared Fulton see themselves foremost as educators. They recognize that firearms and defense tactics can overwhelm people, so they guide clients step-by-step to help them feel comfortable with using and owning a firearm. Joel even remembers sitting at the pro-shop counter once for three hours, answering every question a customer had about firearms and the meaning of life.This approach also extends to the six-lane, 50-foot indoor pistol range, where Joel and Jared—both NRA-certified Chief Range Safety Officers—and their team of instructors supervise open shooting and lead NRA-sanctioned training courses. Training courses include the Hunter Safety Program and the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program, a class for kids from pre-kindergarten through the third grade. Back at pro shop, they advise clients on personal firearms use by encouraging them to consider how owning a firearm would impact their lives, asking questions such as, "How well do you handle recoil?" and "How will you need to store it?" This patient approach reflects the brothers' belief that an armed society should also be an informed and polite society, and has earned them a steadfast following—every ladies' night, for example, draws between 50 and 90 shooters who share lady secrets while practicing their marksmanship.