This place is the best! My family could have spent all day here and we would have, but after 2 hours it was starting to rain. We visited at the end of summer 2014. They have the most wonderful petting zoo and it's free unless you'd like to buy feed. They had all sorts of animals goats, reindeer, birds, rabbits, so much more... even some zebra! We went in the main shop and they had tons of fresh apples, Amish cheeses from the Cheese Haus (the best ever), breads, sweets, and general gift shop things. They also have a second building where you can get ice cream and a bite to eat. My family will be going back here year after year.
We went on the train ride for Halloween in 2014 and it was a fun ride. Young kids loved it and I did too. It wasn't super scary, but it did go pretty fast through the woods. Planning to make this a family tradition every year. I want to go back during the summer because it looked like there was a great area to play and I'd like to see what the train ride is like during the day time.
They do have some seriously huge burgers available here. The Lumberjack is no joke! The building is unique as it was once a saloon and inn and there is a ton of things to look at. We went during the early afternoon on a slower day and we did talk about the ghost with our waitress.
This is a great little museum that is near the historic downtown Alpena and right on the river. There is a replica boat inside, lots of shipwreck artifacts, and a slide and tunnels for kids to go through. It is also free! Plan to spend about an hour walking through the 2 story building and exploring inside the big ship. The river walk is right outside too.
This is a real dairy farm. In the springtime there are tons of cute baby calves that you can get close to. They have chickens that range, rabbits, donkeys, mini horses, sheep, pigs, goats, and kitties. There aren't really tours except for the milking ones that are scheduled. It's free to go here, unless you'd like to buy some feed for the animals. We spent about an hour or 2 here both times. They have the BEST ice cream!
There is a small grassy campground located next to the light house. There is not much of a beach in this area. There is a large picnic and playground area near here. It's quiet and out of the way. The light house is beautiful and there are several of the other historical buildings on the grounds. This is a nice relaxing summertime trip.
This is a mini train that you can ride in. They do a Halloween themed spooky ride that we like to go to. It's not super scary, so it's great for kids. I've only gone once during their normal summer hours. The grounds and route are cool, there are bridges and tunnels that the train goes through, a pond, and some picnic areas. We'll probably try to get there once this summer. Kids who like trains would probably love being able to ride on this one.
This is a mini train that you can ride in. They do a Halloween themed spooky ride that we like to go to. It's not super scary, so it's great for kids. I've only gone once during their normal summer hours and it was really cool. The grounds and route are cool, there are bridges and tunnels that the train goes through, a pond, and some picnic areas. We'll probably try to get there once this summer. Kids who like trains would probably love being able to ride on this one.
One of our favorite zoos in Michigan. You could pack a lunch and make a day out of it. You pay for parking and outside the zoo is a large play area and picnic areas. The zoo itself is perfect for smaller kids and the nice thing is that the animals can be viewed while they are inside or outside. We've gone in the summer and early spring and preferred the spring. They have discounted tickets early in the season too. We had the whole place to ourselves and spent a long time looking at the big cats inside their building.