Winter has finally decided to show up in the mitten state this year! With all this snow, it’s easy to hunker down indoors and catch cabin fever. Fight the urge to Netflix and chill with your sweetie all winter long and get outside! Check out these 10 purely Michigan winter date suggestions.
1. Snowshoeing and Wine Tasting
Recently, Tony & I went up to Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay to participate in their Snowshoes, Vines, & Wines event they have every snowy Saturday from 12 to 4pm in the winter. For $15 a person you can rent a pair of snowshoes to take out on the vineyard trails then later, return and warm up with mulled wine on their heated Terrace Patio.
There are a few other opportunities to pair snowshoeing and wine tasting together in Michigan:
For the more experienced snowshoers, Grand Traverse Bike Tours offers a vine to wine snowshoe tour in Suttons Bay. This tour takes you to Sutton’s Bay Ciders, Ciccone Vineyards and Big Little Wines from 11:30am to 4pm and includes a chili and soup lunch.
The Crooked Vine Vineyard and Winery in Petosky hosts wineshoeing on Saturday’s and Sunday’s throughout the winter from 12 to 5pm. Bring your own snowshoes or contact the winery to rent a pair.
2. Sleigh Ride
Cuddle up and enjoy the view from atop a horse drawn sleigh ride!
Thunder Bay Resort near Alpena has elk viewing sleigh rides with dinner afterwards for $102.68 a person. They also have overnight packages available.
Treetops Resort in Gaylord has a Wilderness Sleigh Ride Dinner with several dates (including Valentines Day) in February to choose from. Cost is $129 per person.
Interested in just the sleigh ride because you have someplace else in mind for dinner? Check out the Wild West Ranch in Allegan for just the sleigh ride, which lasts about 45 minutes. They provide quilts to make your experience extra hyggelig. Bonus, this one costs $50 per person.
3. Day Trip or Weekend Getaway
Take a day or weekend to get away with your sweetheart to one (or more) of these magnificent Michigan destinations. Itinerary included!
- 3 Day, 2 Night Art, Culture, & History Tour of Detroit
- Weekend Trip to Charlevoix
- Winter Day Trip to Ludington’s Lost Lake
4. Dog Sledding
Try out dog sledding together or check out one of the states annual dog sled races going on in February.
Places to dog sled:
- Gaylord’s Treetops Resort – $50 a person during the first and last weekend of February
- The Nature’s Kennel in the UP has a couple different packages to choose from. There’s an overnight adventure where you run 20 miles to the camp you’ll be staying at overnight then 20 miles back the next morning. Save up those pennies because this adventure is $695 a person. There’s also a 10 mile or 20 mile day trip adventure which costs as low as $250 per couple. Both experiences sound incredible!
Where to cheer them on:
- UP 200, Midnight Run, & Jack Pine 30 – Feb 14-18 in Marquette
- Kalkaska Winterfest– Feb 23-24 in Kalkaska
5. Snowmobiling
Would you rather snuggle with the doggo’s but still want to do something thrilling that doesn’t involve balance? We have so much in common!
There are plenty of places where you can rent snowmobiles this time of year in Michigan:
- Traverse City area – Option 1 Option 2
- Indian River Option 1 Option 2
- Gaylord
- Harbor Springs
- Boyne
- Thompsonville
- Mancelona
- Munising
With over 6,500 miles of snowmobile trails in this state, you can’t go wrong… unless it’s not snowy out. Use this map, provided by the DNR, to plan your route!
6. Winter Festival
Embrace the snow, marvel at what can be made out of ice! Attend a winter festival this month! Here are the festivals taking place around Michigan this February:
Weekend of February 1 to 3
- Alpenfrost Festival in downtown Gaylord
- Ice Breaker Winter Festival in downtown South Haven
- Let’s Chill Winter Fest in downtown Milan
- Magical Ice Fest in downtown St. Joseph
- 43rd Annual Mackinac Island Winter Festival
- Groundhog Shadowfest in downtown Charlevoix
Weekend of February 8 to 10
- Ice Fest in downtown Harbor Springs
- MTU Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech in Houghton
- Winterfest in downtown Beulah
Weekend of February 15 to 17
- Petoskey Winter Carnival in downtown Petoskey
- Slush Fest at Drummond Island Yacht Club
- Glen Lake Winterfest at Boonedocks, Glen Arbor
- Valent-ICE: A World of Winter Event in downtown Grand Rapids
- Wassail at Virtue Cidars in Fennville
Weekend of February 22 to 24
- Michigan Nordic Fire Festival at Lincoln Park in Charlotte
7. Romantic Lantern Lit Evening Hike
Want to turn up the romance? There are several state and county parks that are lighting up a portion of their trails with lanterns or torches in the evening. After the hike, the hot cocoa afterwards will be well earned!
The DeGraaf Nature Center in Holland is hosting a torch lit nature hike on Friday, February 15 from 6-8pm. This event will have free hot cocoa, and costs $3 to participate.
Island Lake Rec Area in Brighton – Visit the Hickory Ridge Trailhead from 5-8pm every Saturday in February to walk along the 1 mile lantern lit trail. There is also a heating station at the end of the trail.
Ludington State Park – Saturday February 2 & 16, stop by Ludington State Park between 6-8pm to hike, snowshoe or cross country ski by lantern. There will be a heating station and free hot beverages.
Tahquamenon Falls State Park – On Feb 2, 9, 16, & 23 from 6-8pm, come to the Upper Falls with your own snowshoes or cross country skis to experience a one mile loop illuminated by 70 kerosene lamps. There are a limited number of snowshoes to borrow if you don’t have any of your own (yet). These events are free so long as your car has a rec pass.
Also, check out your local county’s parks department website to see if any hikes are offered in your region.
8. Extreme Winter Sports
Romantic evening hikes lit by flame not cutting it for the adrenaline junkies out there? I understand. Thankfully, you crazy couples can plan a day out to one or more of the following:
- Michigan Ice Fest in Munising from Feb 13 – 17; Sign up to take a course to learn how to climb ice! It’s like mountain climbing – but on ice! Classes range from beginner to advanced.
-
Tobogganing in City Forest, Midland – Rent a toboggan for $8 per hour and enjoy the thrill of rushing down one of our state’s last toboggan ramps.
- Head over to the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex website to buy winter luge tickets! Each ticket earns you a quick how-to session, all equipment, sliding time and a mini competition. The session lasts 2.5 hours.
9. Ice Skating
Ok, let’s take it down a notch. A year in the life of a Michigander is not complete without ice skating at least once in the winter! Here is a list of some of the outdoor ice skating rinks in Michigan:
- Rosa Parks Circle – $3 for rentals, Grand Rapids
- Campus Martius Park – $10 per person, Detroit
- South Haven Ice Rink – $4 for rentals, $4 per person, South Haven
- Buhr Outdoor Ice Arena – $5-$6 per person, Ann Arbor
- Millennium Park – $3 for rentals, $4 per person, Kalamazoo
- Muskegon Winter Sports Complex – $5-$10 per person, Muskegon
- Hemlock Ice Rink – Big Rapids
- UM Flint Ice Rink – $3 for rentals, Flint
- John & Dede Howard Ice Arena -$3 for rentals, $5 per person, St. Joseph
- In Traverse City there are a few options, all are free to use – Thirlby Field, Traverse Heights Elementary School, & F&M Park
- Bay View Park in Alpena
- City Forest Ice Skating Rink in Midland – skates for rent
10. Try out a New Restaurant… in a New Town!
Outdoors doesn’t need to be fully embraced this month. If you’re seriously allergic to cold, get a change of scenery by going on a little drive together. Visit a town you’ve never been to before to check out a new restaurant that not even many of their locals tried yet! Here are a handful of recently opened restaurants from around Michigan:
Eastern Michigan:
- San Morello – 1400 Woodward Ave, Detroit
- Andiamo – 102 W Silver Lake Rd. Suite 100, Fenton
- Hazel, Ravines and Downtown – 34977 Woodward Ave, Birmingham
- Bobcat Bonnies – 240 W Nine Mile Rd, Ferndale
- Fusion Flare Kitchen & Cocktails – 16801 Plymouth Rd, Detroit
- Cork & Gabel – 2415 Michigan Ave, Detroit
- Antihero – 231 W Nine Mile Rd, Ferndale
- Jim Brady’s Restaurant – 209 S Main St, Ann Arbor
- Empire Grill – 39485 Mound Rd, Sterling Heights
Western Michigan:
- Zivio – 724 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids
- The Pub at Paddock – 1033 Lake Dr SE, Grand Rapids
- Ginza Sushi & Ramen Bar – 1015 Michigan St NE, Grand Rapids
- TED’s – 14977 Cleveland St, Spring Lake
- Sacred Springs Kombucha – 1059 Wealthy St SE Suite B, Grand Rapids
- Guardian Brewing Co – 3657 63rd St, Saugatuck
- Pumpernickels (reopening, new location) – 202 Butler St, Saugatuck
Northern Michigan:
- Belle Iron Grille – 4029 Old Highway 27 South, Gaylord
- Lake Street Pub – 202 S Lake St, Boyne City
- RAM’S – 127 South Union Street, Traverse City
- Willow – 129 East Bay St., Harbor Springs
- Mangos Tequila Bar – 121 W Chisholm St, Alpena
- Cherry Public House – 6026-B, 5109, S Lake St, Glen Arbor
- Costela Brazilian Steak House – 110 Uptown Dr, Bay City
- Artisan Urban Bistro – 417 Hancock St, Saginaw
- Gratzi – 120 E Main St, Midland
Southern Michigan:
- Rustic Grounds Cafe & Market – 503 N Main St, Lawton
- Grand River Brewery Marshall – 101 W Michigan Ave, Marshall
- Fortress Cafe – 133 W Michigan Ave, Jackson
- One North Kitchen & Bar – 2115 Bondsteel Dr, Jackson
- Albion Malleable Brewing Co – 420 S Superior St, Albion
- Water & Wheat – 6218 M 63 N., Coloma
Bonus: From February 15 to March 15, Grand Rapids is having it’s annual Beer Month. Go on a weekend bar crawl or check out participating breweries and pubs here for the Cool Brews. Hot Eats. food specials!
from Michigan with Love 
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