If you’re planning on buying your very first home, chances are you are not taking the decision lightly, and for good reason. You should conduct as much research as possible about the process before you commit to your first home. Here are some things that every first time home buyer should know before purchasing a […]
Singing With Sculptures! A Musical Tram Tour At Meijer Gardens
Michigan has become one of the most popular tourist sites. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering the broad number of things to see and do in Michigan. One of these “must see” sights are Meijer Gardens. Meijer Gardens is a wonderful slice of heaven for family tours while vacationing in Michigan.
Teach Your Children about Nature the Fun Way
Singing with Sculptures at Meijer Gardens offers a double treat for children. Adults who love sculptures must see the wonderland of artistic works, some inspiring and some whimsical. For children, singing with sculptures helps them bring out their musical creativity. A specially built tram whirls children around the sculpture as they get to sing their favorite children’s songs and take part in creating sounds, rhythms and fanciful rhymes. This is especially great for parents of pre-school age children. Although, it’s not unusual for parents to exact as much enjoyment from their tram ride and song fest experience.
Take a Musical Tram Tour at Meijer Gardens
Children love riding aboard the tram and rouging the sculptures park area on 30 acres of the most picturesque, scenic land in Michigan. Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is the newest hot spot for family travel. It’s easy to locate and costs far less than some amusement parks. Riding on the tram in the fresh, clean Michigan air and sunshine is a huge treat for children. They learn an appreciation of nature first hand while they sing along to familiar songs.
Keep Up With Activities at Meijer Gardens
One reliable source for discovering the activities at Meijer Gardens is your local Grand Rapids real estate agent’s blog. Who knows fun activities in a specific area better than a realtor? In addition to providing the most current home buying information, check out the real estate blog for a wide variety of other local activities. This is how your helpful realtor connects the purchase of a home or commercial property to local activities that make a sale more attractive. In addition to singing with sculptures and taking a musical tram tour at Meijer Gardens, there’s the well-stocked gift shop and the beautifully appointed Taste of the Gardens cafe. The menus at Taste of the Gardens cafe are purposefully selected to appeal to children and adults. In keeping with the theme at Meijer Gardens accent on nature, these menus are fresh, healthful and worry-free.
The Meijer LPGA Classic Brings The Best In Womens Golf To Grand Rapids
Everyone in Grand Rapids already knows that Blythefield Country Club features one of the most beautiful golf courses in the United States, but the entire country will be able get the same experience. The Ladies Professional Golf Association has recently announced that they will be heading to Grand Rapids to hold the Meijer LPGA Classic at the Blythefield Country Club. This will not only allow some of the greatest golfers in the world a chance to play our amazing course, but everyone will be able to see its beauty when the entire tournament is broadcast on the Golf Channel. The tournament will be taking place August 4-10, and it marks the first time in 10 years that the LPGA has held a tournament in Michigan.
The first two days of the event will be practice for the professionals that will be closed to the public. A pro-am tournament will be held on Wednesday, August 6. The main tournament will start the next day, and it will see 144 of the best women golfers in the world playing their first round of 18 holes. After four days of competition and 72 holes of golf played, the golfer with the lowest score will walk away with the Meijer LPGA Classic title. The purse for the entire tournament is currently set at $1.5 million. Since this is an inaugural event on the LPGA tour, it would not be surprising to see the tournament return every year if everything goes well this August.
There is still plenty of time for residents of Grand Rapids to get a chance to see these great women golfers in action. Tickets to see the action are currently being sold on the Meijer LPGA Classic website. General admission tickets for the entire week cost only $35, or you can get a general admission ticket for one day for $15. Upgraded daily tickets are available for $50 if you are looking to get the VIP treatment. These upgraded tickets entitle you to a premium viewing area of the 17th green and discounted food and drinks. All kids under the age of 17 are able to enter for free with an adult. If you want to give a little back to the tournament, then you can volunteer for $55. The 600 volunteers will get four free weekly guest tickets, shirts, a hat, free food and an invitation to an exclusive party.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://meijerlpgaclassic.com/
Lesson: Home Insurance 101
One aspect of buying a home that people don’t pay enough attention to is homeowner’s insurance. Although lenders require everyone buying a house to get some insurance covering basic risks like theft and vandalism, fire and smoke and other common forms of unintentional damage, such insurance is usually inadequate for your long term needs. Adequate […]
Top Reasons To Buy Your Grand Rapids Home Instead Of Renting
If you are on the fence about buying renting, you need to consider your long-term financial situation. In reality, it’s almost always better to buy a home and here are four benefits of buying a Grand Rapids home instead of renting.
Control
When you rent an apartment or home, you don’t enjoy any control over how you set up your place. For example, you can’t add a room or put in a swimming pool. On the other hand, homeowners in Grand Rapids can invest in their houses and upgrade as they see fit. This is an advantage for people who want to live in their houses and enjoy them to the fullest.
Fixed cost
At first, it’s more expensive to buy a house. However, within a few years, you will save money as you won’t see an increase in your mortgage payment. On the other hand, when renting, you will see your monthly bill increase, almost every year. In fact, when looking to the future, you will have a low monthly payment while your friends who rent will pay higher costs than you.
Taxes
Let’s face it, it’s difficult to avoid taxes. Unless you run a business or hire a qualified lawyer, you won’t enjoy many opportunities to reduce your tax burden. Fortunately, if you carry a mortgage, you can lower your tax burden with little effort. Over the long haul, you can save thousands of dollars in taxes, every year. Otherwise, if you don’t enjoy this benefit, you will watch as the IRS takes a large part of your monthly paycheck.
Investment
Most of us find it difficult to invest in the stock market or put money away for the future. Luckily, with a home, you can invest in your long-term financial future without second thought. Over the years and decades, your house will increase in value. In fact, in an economically robust area like Grand Rapids, you will enjoy long-term gains with little effort. Not only that, you can upgrade your house and put some money into it. Then, your house will rise in value even more.
Without a doubt, if you want to live in a nice house and take care of it, you are better off buying instead of renting. Remember, when looking to build long-term wealth, you will do so if you purchase a house in Grand Rapids.
Experience Nature By Kayaking Grand Rapids Lakes and Rivers
Grand Rapids has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. With the lush, green, woodland scenery and stunning lakeside views, there’s more nature and beauty to be seen and taken in than most people realize at first glance. One way to explore and experience the beauty of our city and surrounding neighborhood is to get out on the open waters and kayak or canoe your way through some of the stunning landscapes.
GR Paddling offers excursions and adventures for every occasion. They offer full service kayak and canoe trips that span sections of five different local rivers and streams, as well as five of the region’s most popular lakes. Their programming and events offer fun for the whole family in a safe and controlled environment. They’ll teach beginners the ins and outs of paddling, how to stay safe, and how they can get the most out of their experience. From the boats you’ll see wildlife and foliage that brings a whole new perspective of beauty to your family’s world.
There’s also a large number of events that they’ll hold to help you with team building and group bonding exercises. These are great for youth groups, parties, and even office outings or workplace team building exercises. (It certainly beats doing an icebreaker in the office!)
What’s really great about the GR Paddling company is that they not only understand the terrain, layout, and history of the area, but they also understand how to get people connected with the natural environments in up close and personal ways. This is much more than just a kayaking lesson or canoeing trip – it’s an exciting, educational, adventurous, sometimes even spiritual awakening to the magic that the Grand Rapids area truly holds.
GR Paddling is a full service company, and they mean full service! They provide all the essentials of sporting equipment, but they also include and provide all the essentials to keep the trip healthy and safe, such as bug repellant, healthy snacks, safe and efficient transportation to and from the banks the adventures will be taking place on, and more. To make sure you don’t miss one detail of the beauty surrounding you on your trip, they’ll also provide things like binoculars!
Grand Rapids is truly a beautiful area, and experiencing the stunning nature surrounding you on the rapids themselves with a kayaking or canoeing trip might be just the magical memory you’ve been looking for!
The Nationally Recognized Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival Begins July 25
The famous Coast Guard Festival is coming to Grand Haven again this year for the 80th year in a row. The event was established in 1924 initially as a rowing contest, but it has since grown to be a national attraction that brings in as many as 350,000 guests from around the country. These tourists come from a wide variety of backgrounds and the festival offers fun for the whole family. While the event is designed to honor those who have served in the Coast Guard, it can still be a fun experience even for those who haven’t served. The event will start on July 25 and will go until August 3, offering a full week of festivities to honor men and women in the Western Michigan area who served in the United States Coast Guard.
Since the event has become so successful, Grand Haven is often referred to as Coast Guard City, USA. This is because the Coast Guard Festival becomes the capital of Coast Guard activities during this time, with high-ranking dignitaries coming from around the country to give speeches and honor those who have served. In fact, Grand Haven was officially honored with the designation of “Coast Guard City” on November 13, 1998 by an Act of Congress signed by President Bill Clinton. Since then, the event has become especially important both for the local community and the national Coast Guard community as a whole.
The focus of the festivities is on the National Memorial Service, which will be held in Escanaba Park on August 1st, 2014. The event is open to the public and seeks to honor those who’ve shown exceptional courage and bravery while serving their country. The event also honors those who’ve passed away in the last year in Michigan. The park provides access to the USCGC Escanaba, which is the centerpiece of Escanaba Park.
Beyond honoring those who served, the event also offers a wide range of attractions that are be fun for the whole family. The event has two parades, one on each weekend at the beginning and end of the event that are fun for everyone and honor those who have served. The event also offers a “Fireworks Extravaganza”, which has attracted tourists from around the country since the fireworks started 74 years ago. This magnificent fireworks display has been described as “The best fireworks display in Michigan”, with choreographed music and an intense display that showcases american exceptionalism.
Preparing Your Home: Beat The Summer Heat
In order for you to beat the heat this summer, you will need to start preparing your home before the heat hits. There are several things that you can do to ensure that your home stays comfortable during the summer months. Below are some tips for preparing your home: Update Your Insulation This will help […]
Enjoy Musical Summer Nights With The Grand Rapids Symphony Picnic Pops
For those who want to enjoy the warm summer weather with a family picnic and live music, the the Grand Rapids Symphony is a family-friendly event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Known as one of the most popular events of the season, the music event makes for a hot spot that is enjoyed by locals during the summer nights each month.
The musical event is held at the grounds at Cannonsburg Ski Area with picnic tables that are available for reservation. A new deck is also available at the event, making it easy to enjoy a level and mud-free environment during the performance. Seating is available in the front of the stage, as well as on the grass area on the slopes of Cannonsburg where patrons are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs.
Children can enjoy spending time in the Family Fun Area on the grounds, which offers a free play area to ticket holders before the musical performance begins. Kids can enjoy having their face painted, along with participating in a craft activity that is available each week. An instrument petting zoo is also featured at the site where children can enjoy experimenting with a variety of instruments that are played by the symphony.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m for those who want to find seating and enjoy pre-concert music and picnicking. Admission is free for children under the age of two. Entrance is $5 for ages two to 15 and $13 for students. The lawn price for an adult per show is $15 or $26 to reserve a chair. The ticket price increases $3 if purchasing admission on the day of the show. Patrons can also purchase 3-Concert Series tickets with special pricing available for group tickets of parties that include 15 people or more.
Food and alcoholic beverages are permitted on the grounds. Patrons can also choose to purchase food at the event for options that include soft drinks and grilled items. Cannonsburg catering is also available for those who prefer to reserve a dinner package for the whole family where each person is provided a boxed dinner or gourmet basket.
Free parking for the event is available on the grounds in the field after entering the Cannonsburg Ski Area. Volunteers are available to assist with carrying chairs and food items to the picnic area, along with golf carts that can transport those who are physically challenged.
The “Local First” Movement Boosts Grand Rapids Economy
Over the past decade, the Local First movement has been one of the biggest influences on the economy of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Due at least in part to the tremendous benefits of a strong Local First sentiment within the city, Grand Rapids was recently named the number one city in the U.S. for real estate investors, in addition to continuing to hold its title as the most sustainable midsize city in the U.S. This article will examine some of the ways in which the Local First movement helped Grand Rapids achieve such heights, and how continued support for Local First can continue to help the Grand Rapids economy soar.
Local First is, at its heart, simply a preference for purchasing goods and services from local businesses. This has numerous advantages in a variety of areas: for one, it incentivizes local owners to invest into the community as a whole, as they are both more indebted to the community’s future and less likely to leave than the typical chain store franchise. Furthermore, local stores employ more people and pay them better wages than their national counterparts on average–indeed, local businesses employ more people than any other commercial category in the United States as a whole, and Grand Rapids in particular. Finally, purchasing from local businesses has kept the culture of Grand Rapids unique, which many recent studies suggest has itself positively affected the Grand Rapids economy, as more investors are drawn to the city’s charms.
When it comes to real estate, the best way to support Local First is simply to purchase a home in locations in which one has easy access to local products. Usually, adhering to Local First is simple, but there are a few opportunities unique to Grand Rapids that you might not be aware of–for example, Grand Rapids hosts a number of local charities. By choosing to donate to local charities, you both help the Grand Rapids area, and can more easily see where that money is going. Likewise, working with local banks can be easy to overlook, even though it pays massive dividends in the form of better service and a closer relationship with your financiers. There are lots of ways to give back to the community, and in Grand Rapids, the Local First movement is making it easier than ever before.