Things To Do In Norton Shores

Snap Fitness's around-the-clock gyms enable visitors to fortify their physical well-being with a cornucopia of advanced fitness equipment and certified personal trainers. With 24-hour access, members don't have to let The Man or one of his many secretaries tell them when to help themselves to Snap's strength-training gear or top-of-the-line cardio machines, which feature televisions and other media diversions. A friendly, unintimidating atmosphere provides a refreshing change of pace from aloof gym employees and ear-splitting pump-up jams. Members also enjoy nationwide access to all Snap Fitness locations, ideal for working out while traveling.

Norton Pines Athletic Club's rave-attracting staff maintains an expansive offering of workout facilities including muscle-challenging machinery, group-exercise studios, ball courts, and a rock-climbing wall. Day passes include access to all of these facilities, with the exclusion of the tennis courts (tennis-court access costs an additional $13/day). An array of cardio machines, such as elliptical machines, treadmills, and rowing machines, elevate heart rates so they can reach the cookies on top of the refrigerator. Varying sizes of bicep curlers are available to primp muscular aesthetics in the weight room, which houses both weight-training machines and free weights.

Carved through dense woodland, Chase Hammond Golf Club's 18-hole course showcases a scenic backdrop and a well-manicured landscape. Throughout the course, a tapestry of towering trees sways over the edges of fairways, shrinking landing zones for the tiny Scottish pilots who steer golf balls from their dimple-size cockpits. Wildlife such as deer, turkeys, eagles, and foxes occasionally emerges from the foliage to check in on players' rounds, adding character to the vibrant fringe. Before rounds, golfers and their clubs can warm up swings at the club's driving range.

Scores of dedicated volunteers fuel the nonprofit community Muskegon Civic Theatre, which has entertained western Michigan audiences with classic and contemporary shows since 1985. The catchy melodies, energetic cast, and colorful sets of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat resuscitate the Old Testament in the historic Frauenthal Center. Musical styles ranging from country-western to calypso drive the biblical story that follows Joseph and his kaleidoscopic coat from his enslavement to his eventual inception as the dream interpreter of the Pharaoh and number-one active-wear model in Egypt.

A nonprofit movie house, The Harbor Theater offers cinefiles a welcome reprieve from stale screen fillers by stocking its theater with rich, artistic, and fresh independent and foreign films. Sharpen subtitle-reading skills by catching an upcoming screening of The Illusionist (coming soon), an animated feature from the French filmmakers behind The Triplets of Belleville. Or brush up on American history with Made in Dageham, a period drama exploring sexual discrimination during a 1968 walkout at the Ford Dageham plant.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks continue to mow down their United States Hockey League competition with a brand of fast and physical hockey that draws on their student athletes’ strengths and prepares them for the breakneck speeds of college or the NHL. Head Coach Kevin Patrick draws on his experience as an assistant with the University of Wisconsin’s 2006 NCAA championship team to ensure that the squad stays one skate ahead of its opponents, forcing his players to practice with their skates covered in half-dried maple syrup. The Jacks will certainly have a leg up on defense, as Minnesota Wild draftee Nick Seeler freezes oncoming forwards with frequent stick slaps and Army recruit Christian Pomarico awaits enemies in his snow-camouflage coveralls.