What better way to start out the holiday season than a ride on the Santa Train! This is one of those events that you and your family will not want to miss. Fully embodying the awe and wonder that is Christmastime and Santa Clause, the Santa Train offers children and adults alike an unparalleled holiday experience. With only a limited number of seats available, you’ll want to book your ticket early.

The Event

The Santa Train features an authentic train ride with the “Fun Guy” himself. A perfect vehicle to showcase the love that children have for Santa and the love that he has for them, the Santa Train delivers a true Santa-filled experience. While riding in a vintage passenger car, riders are accompanied by Santa himself. In addition, the children aboard are escorted to sit directly with Santa, and each child receives a present. Not only that, but the story-telling Princess reads from the popular book “The Polar Express”, which was written by a Grand Rapids local, Chris Van Allsburg. Offering passengers the highest level of experience and enjoyment, all passenger cars are heated and have a restroom available.

The Details

Location:

Coopersville & Marne Railway
311 Danforth
Coopersville, MI 49404

To offer the most opportunities possible, the train schedule includes Saturdays and Sundays beginning November 30. The specific dates and times are as follows:

• Saturday, November 30—11:00AM & 2:00PM
• Saturday, December 7, 14, & 21—11:00AM, 1:00PM & 3:00PM
• Sunday, December 1, 8, 15, & 22—1:00PM & 3:00PM

Children and adults of all ages are welcome aboard the Santa Train. Ticket pricing options include:

• Adults—$14.50
• Seniors—$13.50
• Children (ages 2-12)—$12.50
• Children under 2—Free

Advanced purchase tickets can be purchased via telephone or mail-in form. Additional information as well as the purchasing form and numbers can be found via the official Coopersville & Marne Railway Company website.

If you want to offer your family a holiday season that they will cherish for years to come, particularly if you have young children or grandchildren, the Santa Train is the way to go. Support a local company and enjoy a festive holiday while doing so aboard the delightful Santa Train. With a visit from Santa himself as well as his visitors the elves and the storybook Princess, your family will be enchanted aboard this merry train. A Michigan Christmas isn’t complete without the Santa Train.

Michigan is known for its gorgeous waterfronts and woods that are beautiful in every season, but one treasure of this area doesn’t look to the woods and streams but to the universe for an amazing sight seeing of the stars. The James C. Veen Observatory, owned and operated by the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA), is an astronomical observatory located just south of Lowell, Michigan by the Grand River.

Built in the 1960s, it was opened in 1970 and continues to be maintained today. The observatory has two domes; the smaller dome on the east side is the primary research center of the facility which holds a Celestron C-14 which is run by computers in order to handle a variety of tasks such as CCD imagine, photometry and astrometry, to name a few. The larger dome on the west side is a general use area for observation and photography and houses a Meade 16-inch LX-200 that can be operated by either a hand controller or by current computer software. A 17″ Dobsonian is also mounted outside for general viewing of the stars.

The Observatory houses a large meeting room and an extensive library on its lower level. The Veen Observatory is an excellent local resource and offers evening group tours for only $50 that includes a guided tour of the facility, audio-visual presentations, and the opportunity to observe the surrounding skies through the observatory telescopes. The viewing season runs from mid-April to mid-October and groups are able to select a secondary “cloud” date in case the weather is not conducive to viewing. Located in a heavily wooded area kept dark for best observation of the night sky, it is recommended that groups bring flashlights, dress appropriate to the weather and bring bug repellent.

Group tours can be booked at the GRAAA website at www.graaa.org. Not only available for group tours, the Veen Observatory is open to the public on clear sky nights April through October on the second and last Saturdays of the month. You can call Starwatch at 897-7065 for updates on that night’s observation status. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for those 17 years and younger, and free for children under 5 years old.

It is no secret that I love Grand Rapids. The fact that it’s a big city cloaked in small town charm only adds to its appeal. I can always find something exciting to do without traveling more than a half hour from my home. If I feel like golfing, Grand Rapids has more golf courses than any other city in the U.S. If I want a day in the sun I head out to the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan. And if I want world class entertainment I can check out a Broadway show downtown at DeVos Performance Hall.

Established in 1987 Broadway Theatre Guild was reintroduced to the city as Broadway Grand Rapids in 2007 and shares DeVos Performance Hall with Grand Rapids Symphony, Opera Grand Rapids, and Grand Rapids Ballet, making it the only theater in Michigan that has four preforming arts tenants.

Broadway Grand Rapids has been instrumental in delivering the finest Broadway performances from New York to West Michigan for over 20 years. Thousands of performance ticket purchasers have supported the four Broadway productions each year. And over 4,000 season-ticket holders are a reminder of how much this city cares about its arts community.

Theater lovers from Grand Rapids and West Michigan eagerly welcome the 26th Broadway Grand Rapids season. The four-show series is guaranteed to be unforgettable. A new partnership formed between Broadway Grand Rapids and Michigan State University’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts has also helped attract bigger shows to the Grand Rapids area.

Last year Broadway Grand Rapids lit up the town with terrific shows like “Blue Man Group,” “Billy Elliot the Musical,” and “Flashdance.” This year BGR selected shows that will attract a varied audience. Tony Award-winning “Jersey Boys,” Oct. 1-6, offers contemporary adult entertainment, “West Side Story,” Nov. 12-17, is a 1950’s classic, “Sister Act,” Feb. 4-9, is a modern hit comedy, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Wizard of Oz,” April 22-27, is a favorite of all ages. They will also be offering a special Christmas event “Cirque Dreams Holidaze,” Dec. 26-30, and the popular sing-along “Mamma Mia!” March 18-20.

Tickets run from $113-$322 for the four-show subscription series and are on sale at the BGR office, 122 Lyon St. NW, or online at broadwaygrandrapids.com

The Grove restaurant is a true gem among dining establishments in Grand Rapids. They pride themselves on excellent service and locally produced ingredients. As much as possible, they use ingredients that are from local sustainable and family farms. This gives their food a rich, fresh taste that you simply can not find in a franchised chain restaurant.

Heritage Hill is Grand Rapids’ oldest historic district. Recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, most of the neighborhood’s homes were built between 1840 and 1920.

Early residents included lumber barons, teachers, judges and legislators. The neighborhood reflects this diverse population with homes built in a variety of architectural styles, including Greek Revival, Italianate, Colonial Revival, and Shingle. The Meyer May House at 450 Madison Avenue, fashioned from brick in the Prairie style, was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first commission in the state of Michigan. Now the most completely restored of Wright’s homes, it is open for tours several days a week.

Located on a rise overlooking downtown Grand Rapids, Heritage Hill extends from Michigan Street in the north to Pleasant SE in the south. Union Avenue forms the eastern border, Lafayette the western. Occupying the same ground where the city’s first settlers once built trading posts and missions, today Heritage Hill is home to a mixed population of professionals, artisans, and students.

And yet, in the late sixties and early seventies Heritage Hill narrowly avoided demolition. An urban renewal project would have leveled 75% of the neighborhood if local residents hadn’t intervened. They formed the Heritage Hill Association and, in cooperation with national groups, secured protection for the district under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Today, the Heritage Hill Association responds to the needs of residents through education, crime prevention, planning and other activities. It is a model for many other neighborhood associations. The Heritage Hill Foundation continues to preserve and rehabilitate historic homes, as well as organize walking tours of the district–including a yearly Home Tour, held in May, when private homes and historic buildings are opened to visitors.

A tour of the neighborhood shouldn’t miss the Voigt House, a three-story brick mansion built in 1895 and located at 115 College SE, or the Amberg House, at 505 College SE, commissioned from Frank Lloyd Wright in 1909 but designed and constructed by an architect in his firm, Marion Mahoney. For overnight visitors, the Brayton House, at 516 College SE, is an 1889 Georgian Revival home that’s been converted into a B&B.