Things to Do in Muskegon

For 45 years, Baldwin Canoe Rental has outfitted paddlers with the equipment needed to push off into the tranquility of nature and float through the heart of the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Their current fleet includes more than 400 watercrafts, from tubes to tandem kayaks. The wide variety of vessels enables clients to customize their Pere Marquette River journeys, whether they want to gather a full group of friends together for a leisurely glide in inflatable rafts or embark on soul-searching trips in single kayaks with just enough storage space for power crystals.

Featured on the WZZM13 news, Wine-a-Palooza combines international wines with music from local bands during a three-day, outdoor festival. On Friday, vintner Mike Laing from Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan will be onsite to discuss the winemaking process as audience members taste sparkling wines from his vineyards. Later that evening, guests can attend the After Grape Party with music by DJ Stoz and a cash bar. On Saturday, guests can sample 48 wines from around the world, as well as purchase full bottles from an exclusive Wine-a-Palooza label to bolster home collections or christen backyard ocean liners.

Five local musical acts—The Electrixx Band, Kelly Carey, Nick Ayoub, Scott Patrick Bell, and Jane DeYoung—will be on hand to supply the soundtrack to Saturday’s tastings. The concert runs from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The wine festivities conclude with a Sunday brunch buffet, which benefits the Center for Women in Transition.

After slinging itself onto the Michigan art scene in 1996, The Mud Room has since spun into a hub of creativity for artists of all ages and artistic experience. Under the direction of the studio's in-house teachers, small groups learn to wield everything from paintbrushes to pottery wheels during four types of classes, which teach such skills as fusing colored glass tiles into kaleidoscopic works or hand-forming ceramics to recreate ancient casseroles. Customers can also stop in to paint pre-made ceramics themselves. The pieces come in various shapes and sizes, which patrons can adorn with colored glaze before handing their artwork over to the professionals to be fired and finished. The studio also offers group pottery classes for parties including girls' nights out, birthdays, and kids' celebrations. In keeping with its safety-first approach, The Mud Room features only nontoxic, lead-free products, ensuring the finished pieces are safe to use with food.

In 1910, Frederick Nelis sent his 17-year-old son Harry from the Netherlands to America in search of land so that the family of 14 could later join him across the pond. After a tough couple of years, the clan discovered a settlement in Holland, Michigan, whose rich soils proved ideal for growing tulips.

Over the course of the next eight decades, the Nelis’ 80-acre tulip farm blossomed into the theme park it is today. Still family operated and brought to life by the Netherlands’ signature blooms, the park is now home to myriad attractions for all ages. Traditional Dutch dancers don wooden shoes and lead lessons for visitors, and artisans hand carve candles into intricate masterpieces or slightly smaller candles. As guests stroll to the Dutch swing, petting zoo, or carousel, the notes from an Amsterdam street organ float through winding canals and over the looming windmills that, at a glance, may momentarily transport guests to the Netherlands as Harry Nelis last saw it in 1910.

Marksmen with CO2-powered guns volley paintballs back and forth at T.C. Paintball’s four Michigan locations. Indoor and outdoor battlefields beckon players with a number of obstacles to duck under, dive between, or readjust for ultimate feng shui. Referees patrol the color-strewn grounds, where guests celebrate birthdays and special events with games of capture the flag and el presidente. The experienced staff at each of T.C. Paintball's well-stocked pro shops offer sharpshooting tips gleaned from years of chromatic combat, and can replenish paintball supplies that run low.