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Other Travels

Lydia has done a lot of things and been to a lot of places, besides being a veteran of 27 zoos, 22 children’s/science museums and 11 art/history museums. Check these out! (Places visited more than once are highlighted in Red.)

Nature Centers/ Natural History Museums/Etc.	Natural Wonders	Botanical Gardens	Farms
Apple Orchards	Campgrounds	Amusement/ Theme Parks	Indoor Playplaces
Fairs, Festivals, and Recurring Celebrations	Christmas Celebrations	Sports/Entertainment Venues	Specialty Shops/ Restaurants
Miscellaneous

Nature Centers/Natural History Museums/Etc.

Name	Location	Notes
Exhibit Museum of Natural History	Ann Arbor, MI	Lydia and Daddy, pretending to row the old hollowed-out canoe.
Leslie Science and Nature Center	Ann Arbor, MI	We’ve known this place as simply the Leslie Science Center for a good many years. Daddy has led three Awana Sparks field trips there, and Lydia has been there as part of at least one school field trip as well.
Johnny’s Wild Game & Fish Park	Cadillac, MI
Hudson Mills Metropark	Dexter, MI
MSU Museum	East Lansing, MI
Kalamazoo Nature Center	Kalamazoo, MI
Fenner Nature Center	Lansing, MI	Daddy and Lydia at the big rock.
Kensington Metropark	Milford, MI
French Creek Nature Center	Lorain, OH

Natural Wonders

Name	Location	Notes
Silver Lake Sand Dunes	Mears, MI	Lydia and Daddy, with cousin Anthony in the background, rowing on Silver Lake.
Tahquamenon waterfall	Paradise, MI
Pilot Mountain	Pinnacle, NC
Hocking Hills State Park	Logan, OH
Put-in-Bay	Put-in-Bay, OH	At least as enjoyable as the island itself (which has some similarities to Mackinac Island in Michigan, but with cars instead of horses) was the ferry boat ride over. Lydia, I’m glad to report, enjoyed her first ferry ride a lot more than her Daddy did (at age 8, crossing Lake Michigan).
Charleston Falls Preserve	Tipp City, OH
Skyline Caverns	Front Royal, VA	Lydia is apparently impressed at the different rock formations.
Point Pelee National Park	Ontario	Lydia enjoys Daddy’s efforts to paddle a canoe.

Botanical Gardens

Name	Location	Notes
Matthaei Botanical Gardens	Ann Arbor, MI
Leila Arboretum	Battle Creek, MI
MSU Children’s Garden	East Lansing, MI	Lydia stands next to the teddy bear bush.
Frederik Meijer Gardens	Grand Rapids, MI	The chief attraction of the gardens when we went there was a delightful display of butterflies, which frequently alighted on us as we moved slowly through the ‘terrarium’.
Hidden Lake Gardens	Tipton, MI	This was a favorite getaway for Daddy’s family when he was little (it being located only a few miles from his great-grandparents’ farm). Daddy has also led four or five Sparks Club field trips here.
Holden Arboretum	Kirtland, OH
Toledo Botanical Garden	Toledo, OH
Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens	Leamington, ON	Lydia takes a spin on the flying honey bee ride.

Farms

Name	Location	Notes
Domino’s Farms	Ann Arbor, MI	We've been here for several functions, including a party related to Daddy's work and also a field trip from Lydia's preschool.
Calder Dairy Farm	Carleton, MI	Daddy led a Sparks Club field trip here; it remains the only place where he has ever milked a cow.
Maybury Living Farm	Northville, MI	Daddy led two Sparks Club field trips here. Tragically, the main barn burned to the ground not long after our second visit, killing many of their animals. Reportedly they have rebuilt and restocked.
Rentschler Farm	Saline, MI	This farm is marginally-functional; we usually get over here once or twice a year, coinciding with their spring and/or fall open houses. Their once impressive fields have been taken over by area businesses. They still raise a few animals there, but the most impressive features are the barns and some of the old farming equipment.
Sugarbush Farm	Ypsilanti, MI	Lydia and the kids from Little Lamb went to Sugarbush as a field trip. This provided her first experience with milking a cow.

Apple Orchards

Name	Location	Notes
Erwin Orchards	South Lyon, MI
Wasem Fruit Farm	Ypsilanti, MI	Lydia went here as a field trip along with her classmates from kindergarten.
Wiard’s Orchards	Ypsilanti, MI	Here Lydia is riding on a charming little pseudo-train.

Campgrounds

Name	Location	Notes
Camp Hilltop	Ann Arbor, MI
SpringHill Camp	Evart, MI
Camp Linden	Linden, MI
Camp Crawford	Milan, MI
Somerset Beach	Somerset, MI
Beulah Beach	Beulah Beach, OH	Daddy and Lydia frolic in the swimming pool.

Amusement/Theme Parks

Name	Location	Notes
Michigan’s Adventure	Muskegon, MI
Deer Acres Storybook Park	Pinconning, MI	Lydia and Mommy (in the dark) on the old car ride.
Holiday World	Santa Claus, IN
Idlewild Amusement Park	Ligonier, PA	Lydia getting big hugs, with Goldilocks in the Storybook Forest section, and with Ricky Raccoon in the Racoon Lagoon section.
Storybook Gardens	London, ON	Lydia poses with Humpty Dumpty.

Indoor Playplaces

Name	Location	Notes
Chuck E. Cheese’s	Ann Arbor, MI
Putt N Glow	Ann Arbor, MI
Jump City	Ann Arbor, MI
Jungle Java	Ann Arbor, MI
Great Lakes Crossing	Auburn Hills, MI	Lydia has also romped in the play areas of Briarwood and Fairlane malls, if not others.
Jungle Java	Canton, MI
Skatin’ Station II	Canton, MI
McDonald’s	Dexter, MI	Lydia—often along with Daddy—has been able to play in McDonald’s playlands in many places; for several years, our favorite was in Dexter, but they’ve recently overhauled it, and it no longer is as much fun.
Splash Universe	Dundee, MI
Thunder Falls	Mackinaw City, MI
Rolling Hills	Ypsilanti, MI

Fairs, Festivals, and Recurring Celebrations

Name	Location	Notes
Ann Arbor Art Fair	Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor Earth Day Celebration	Ann Arbor, MI	This free-for-all mix of education and entertainment usually takes place at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens; in 2008 it was at the Leslie Science and Nature Center.
Ann Arbor Festifools Parade	Ann Arbor, MI
Ann Arbor Juggling Festival (formerly “Cascadia”)	Ann Arbor, MI
Huron River Days	Ann Arbor, MI	This free-for-all mix of education and entertainment takes place at Gallup Park.
Sounds and Sights on Thursday Nights	Chelsea, MI	Musicians and other performers take up spots around downtown Chelsea.
Branch County 4-H Fair	Coldwater, MI	Lydia rides in the Barney-Copter with her cousin Anthony.
Michigan State Fair	Detroit, MI	Lydia and Mommy in an old car ride.
Fowlerville Fair	Fowlerville, MI	This was Lydia’s first-ever pony ride.
Michigan Renaissance Festival	Holly, MI
Plymouth Ice Show	Plymouth, MI
EMU Family Day	Ypsilanti, MI	Lydia encounters Tony the Tiger for the first time.
Heritage Festival	Ypsilanti, MI
Independence Day Parade	Ypsilanti, MI
Memorial Day Parade	Ypsilanti, MI

Christmas Celebrations

Name	Location	Notes
Children’s Holiday Parade	Ann Arbor, MI	Lydia has not only seen this parade, she has been a part of it, marching with friends from her Girl Scout troop.
Creche Display	Ann Arbor, MI	This impressive display came annually to a local branch of the LDS church; their 25th and final display was in December of 2007.
Kiwanis Christmas Sing	Ann Arbor, MI	Lydia and Santa.
Coldwater Lights	Coldwater, MI
Wayne County Lightfest	Westland to Dearborn Heights, MI
Living Nativity	Ypsilanti, MI	Acted out in pantomime in the front yard of the First Baptist Church.
Children’s Wonderland	Toledo, OH	Lydia gives a special Christmas greeting to Rudolph.
Lights Before Christmas	Toledo, OH	Daddy and Lydia (snugly sitting in her stroller with the transparent windbreak-cover) pose before the signature tree on display, with about 25,000 lights.

Sports/Entertainment Venues

Name	Location	Notes
The Ark	Ann Arbor, MI	We went to this locally-famed place to see a performance by musicians Madcat Ruth, LaRon Williams, and Christopher Benje.
Crisler Arena	Ann Arbor, MI	Lydia, along with many other members of the Girl Scouts, went to Crisler Arena to watch a women’s gymnastics competition.
Ice Cube	Ann Arbor, MI	Lydia came here to sell Girl Scout cookies, but enjoyed spending some time watching the hockey and figure skating practices that were going on.
Palace of Auburn Hills	Auburn Hills, MI
Comerica Park	Detroit, MI	Susan and Lydia.
Tiger Stadium	Detroit, MI	[9 May 1999] After enduring yet another tortuous Tigers loss (5-0 against the Orioles), we stood in a stunningly long line (that snaked around the outside of the stadium), but it was all worth while, because we got the thrill of a lifetime: circling the bases on the field. Daddy went around backward, camera in hand, and shot several pictures, including the one of the scoreboard as Lydia and Mommy were being broadcast.
Oldsmobile Park	Lansing, MI
WPOS Arena	Maumee, OH
Ned Skeldon Stadium	Toledo, OH	Lydia is being cradled by Muddy the Mud Hen. Lydia models a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts hat (they were sponsoring something and gave out some freebies) and her Tiger dress for a fun day at the ballpark.
Fifth/Third Field	Toledo, OH
Hill Auditorium or Power Center	Ann Arbor MI	Lydia went to one of these as a 4th Grade field trip for a music performance.

Specialty Shops/Restaurants

Image/Link	Name	Location	Notes
	Nature’s Expressions	Ann Arbor, MI
	Sea Shell City	Cheboygan, MI
	Cabela’s	Dundee, MI
	Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland	Frankenmuth, MI
	Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn	Frankenmuth, MI
	Zehnder’s	Frankenmuth, MI
	Cornwell’s Turkeyville	Marshall, MI
	Cherry Point Farm and Market	Silver Lake, MI
	Pirate’s Landing	Elkin, NC

Miscellaneous

Name	Location	Notes
AATA Headquarters	Ann Arbor, MI	Lydia’s kindergarten class got to take a field trip to the headquarters of our local bus system. A highlight was the taking part in a “bus wash.”
Angell Hall Observatory	Ann Arbor, MI	Every so often a gang of local astronomers holds an open house, wherein people can ascend to the top of this UM classroom/office building and peer through the giant telescope. There are generally a couple of smaller but serviceable telescopes on the roof as well; moreover, Angell also houses a planetarium, and they conduct shows at that time.
Buhr Park	Ann Arbor, MI
Gallup Park	Ann Arbor, MI
Petco	Ann Arbor, MI
Cereal City USA	Battle Creek, MI	Lydia and Tony the Tiger.
Golden Park	Battle Creek, MI	Daddy and Lydia beneath the old train bridge. Daddy’s family would stop here every so often in the summer, it being handily located between Battle Creek (where he lived from 1972 to 1977) and Marshall (where his father worked). The spot where we’re standing was then open to traffic, and our big station wagon would zoom through. The Kalamazoo River snakes nearby, and a tributary (such as would flow through the tunnel on the left) had remarkably cold, clean water in it. There were no playground facilities, but whenever we had a patch of grass to roughhouse in, some woods to wander through, and the occasional train going by to observe, it was a great micro-vacation. In 1976-77, when Daddy and Uncle Roger started traveling practically everywhere by bike, they sometimes went to Golden Park of their own accord. Sometimes they would go swimming in the Kalamazoo River; there was even a rope attached to a handy tree limb to enable the more spectacular entrance. When we visited in 2002, we found that things had changed a lot. It is now called “Historic Bridge Park” and serves as a final resting place for old bridges of various types. It’s not as interesting as it sounds, however, and Daddy feels that the place has lost its charm.
Splitz Gymnastics	Canton, MI	We went here to take advantage of their “Open Gym” policy, which permits non-members to have fun trying out everything in their very formidable gym area. Lydia especially liked the pit filled with foam blocks.
Chelsea Teddy Bear Company	Chelsea, MI
Jiffy Mix Company	Chelsea, MI	Daddy visited here as part of a field trip when he was in 2nd Grade, back in the spring of 1972. Lydia has been here twice, once as a group from Little Lamb in the summer of 1977, and back again with classmates a few months later.
Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum	Farmington Hills, MI
The Cascades	Jackson, MI
Detroit Metro Airport	Romulus, MI	Lydia got to go to the airport and ascend into the control tower as part of a special field trip with her Girl Scout troop.
Fast Trax	Silver Lake, MI	Lydia drove a go-kart here in 2008, her first time driving anything. She was good and cautious.
Putterz	Ypsilanti, MI
Parker Bridge	Wyandot County, OH	Lydia and Daddy. Daddy has always had a special fondness for covered bridges. This was a fairly handy one on a day trip into Ohio.
Crayola Factory	Easton, PA	Grandma and Grandpa Dunham—who had always wanted an excuse to go there—were our hosts to this special place.
Gravel Pit	Lydia and her classmates went to a gravel pit as part of a 4th Grade field trip.

Lydia sure loves to travel! In fact, she’s already been to 16 states (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina, and Kentucky) as well as DC and ON, Canada.

Updated most recently on 23 September 2008.