WMTA visits Robinette's Apple Haus

Fall is the perfect time to visit an apple orchard and WMTA wanted in on the fun! A perfect solution to our problem: a visit to Robinette's Apple Haus located in Grand Rapids! Upon arrival, the fabulous smells coming from the bakery enticed us to follow our noses inside to check things out!

After exploring the bakery and sampling homemade donuts and fresh apple cider...we decided to take a peek inside the other buildings located on the property at Robinettes. Here we discovered an ice cream parlor and wine tasting bar! A new fun thing this season at Robinettes is the Make - Your - Own Candy Apple. For only $3.50, you receive an apple (already sliced and cored) topped with fudge or caramel and a choice of a variety of other yummy treats such as sprinkles or nuts!

A visit to an orchard is not complete without taking some goodies home to share.
We decided that Fresh Apples (just bagged that morning!)
would provide the perfect gift to share with those who couldn't visit the orchard with us.

Robinettes serves 13 Michigan made wines for visitors to taste. For $3 per person or $5 per couple, you receive a taste of 6 wines and a souvenir glass to take home with you!

Microbrew Color Tour at Timber Ridge Resort, Traverse City

After setting up our campsite, and envying our neighbors much larger tent...it was time for some refreshment!

Friday night at the welcome reception, Joe enjoyed Pumpkin Ale from New Holland Brewery. It was a great start to a fabulous weekend!

Saturday, after a long bike trip on the Old Mission Peninsula, found us back at Timber Ridge Resort for some fun in their Microbrew Tent! Founders Brewery, Right Brain Brewery, Shorts Brewery and Arbor Brewing Company were all featured. The music was pumping, food was being served and everyone was having a great time!

Sunday, we awoke to some rain, but that did not dampen our spirits! We cleaned up in the very clean bathhouses at Timber Ridge, then decided to head to Traverse City for some breakfast and wine tasting!
What a fantastic weekend!

Plans to visit Timber Ridge during their March 2009 Suds N' Snow event are definitely in the works! Suds n' Snow will combine snowshoeing and more Microbrews from Michigan! For more information visit www.TimberRidgeResort.net!

All Things Autumn-West Michigan will Delight Visitors with its Fall Color Show

The West Michigan Tourist Association celebrates “All Things Autumn” by offering visitors a comprehensive way to plan their fall color tour trips.


Autumn is here in Michigan and the West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) has created a resource for visitors planning their fall color trips. In a campaign to celebrate this colorful season in West Michigan, WMTA’s “All Things Autumn” is a comprehensive, online portal of color tour routes, fall-season FAQ’s, harvest festivals, and weekly color updates.

“All Things Autumn” can be found by logging onto www.wmta.org and access the Great Ideas section at the top of the homepage.

Keep track of the most current fall color conditions by logging onto “All Things Autumn” at www.wmta.org, or calling the West Michigan Tourist Association conditions hotline at 800-442-2084, ext. 304. The recorded line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week with AAA Michigan’s statewide fall color updates. Conditions are updated each Thursday starting at the beginning of September.

Color Tours in West Michigan
There is no single best way to enjoy the fall color display. West Michigan travelers have a plethora of ways to enjoy the show, either by car, train, boat, bicycle, horseback, at festivals, hiking, on golf courses and luxury resorts, or historic highways. Many of these “old roads” cut through great forests of hardwood and pines and make perfect color tours, and some are state-designated scenic routes.

Color seekers can find these 26 scenic driving tours on WMTA’s online feature “All Things Autumn” at www.wmta.org and print detailed directions for each route. From 40 miles to 140 miles, there’s a day trip perfect for everyone. To aid in planning their fall color tour adventure, visitors can request a free copy of the West Michigan Carefree Travel Guide by calling 800-442-2084.

We Hope You Enjoyed Your Summer!

The end of summer in West Michigan can be a little disheartening. The summer is always so beautiful and goes by so fast. Luckily, we still have a few months of warmth left before the snow falls. In a way, Autumn is even more beautiful than the summer because of all the fantastic colors we see during this season. Make sure that you keep up with our All things Autumn portal on www.wmta.org. Also, here are a few harvest-related activities to get you started this month.

Grey Hare Inn Grape Harvest Stomps
September 1 - October 25
Traverse City
231-947-2214
www.greyhareinn.com

September 5 – 6
Mackinaw City
800-750-0160
www.mackinawcity.com

Wine & Harvest Festival
September 5-7
Paw Paw
269-655-1111
www.wineandharvestfestival.com

Family Fall Festival
September 12-14
Jackson
517-841-9203
www.jacksonfamilyfallfestival.org

Apple & BBQ Cook-off Festival, Silver Lake AreaApple & BBQ Cook-off Festival
September 12-13
Silver Lake Sand Dunes
800-874-3982
www.thinkdunes.com

2008 Leelanau Harvest Tour
Sept. 21
Leelanau County
www.leelanauharvesttour.org

The Annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour
Sept. 20 - 21
Leelanau Peninsula
www.lpwines.com

Annual Fall Fest
September 26 - 27
North Mears Parking Lot
800-879-9702
www.whitelake.org

Four Flags Area Apple Festival
September 25-28
Niles
269-683-8870
www.fourflagsapplefestival.org

September 27
Harvest Festival
Friske Orchards
Charlevoix
231-599-2604
www.friske.com

September 27-28
Fallasburg Fall Festival
Lowell
616-897-8545
www.lowellartscouncil.org

September 27-28
Fall Festival
Pentwater
866-869-4150
www.pentwater.org

Niles Haunted House Scream Park
September 19-November 1
269-687-3327
www.haunted.org