Shut the front door! Northwest • The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, recently named by Good Morning America as “America’s Most Beautiful Place,” is a 64-mile Michigan curve of vistas, miles of perfect freshwater beaches, forested wilderness islands, and miles of hiking trails. Where new ideas and natural beauty combine to create one of the best • Beaver Island is world renowned for its places to live, work and play in America. beaches, recreational harbor, and seclusion. Northwest Michigan attracts people It was also the home to James Strang, who declared himself “King” in 1850. Long story. globally with their blend of upscale, Suffice to say, the USS Michigan showed up small town vibe and abundance cultural and it didn’t turn out well for “King James.” and recreational experiences. The Good times region is home to some of the most • The region boasts over 1,200 miles of visited communities in Michigan such motorized and non-motorized trails, as well • Named one of USA Today’s top 10 annual as Traverse City, Manistee, Frankfort, as a variety of skiing and golfing opportunities festivals, the National Cherry Festival is an for year round fun! Suttons Bay, Charlevoix and Petoskey. eight-day celebration with more than 150 • The Headlands International Dark Sky Park, events (including the Navy’s Blue Angels Hey Veteran! one of just 31 internationally, offers visitors regularly) along the shores of Lake Michigan’s • Traverse City is one of only 18 cities a chance to learn about the night sky, hike Grand Traverse Bay. or simply stargaze on the park’s 550 acres in America designated a “Coast • Take in a game with the region’s semi-pro of pristine woodlands including two miles of Guard City.” baseball team, the Traverse City Beach Bums. undeveloped shoreline. • Frankfort is home to the luckiest • Traverse City is home to the Detroit Red sailors in the world: stationed at Wings’ training camp. Coast Guard Station Frankfort on • Tall ships—big schooners, sloops and frigates beautiful Lake Michigan. —glide along the Lake Michigan shoreline, • Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver offering excursions and floating classrooms. Training Center is one of the largest military training sites east of the • Enjoy a trip along M-119’s Tunnel of Trees, Mississippi, with over 147,000 acres one of Michigan’s most spectacular drives spanning three counties. They have through an area once largely inhabited by the an awesome AAFES PX, too! Odawa, or Ottawa Indians. • Wine country! Traverse City sits • Visit one of the region’s many wineries, directly on the 45th parallel, halfway distilleries, or breweries for drink or a tour between the equator and the North —a bustling pub and value-added agriculture Pole, which is the same locale as scene that is an eclectic blend of good food, the finest wine regions in France Culture drink and northern Michigan life. and Italy. Sip…Yum… • The Traverse Symphony Orchestra, often performing in the beautifully restored City Opera House, is easily on par with orchestras from large metropolitan areas. • The Dennos Museum Center features one of the largest and most complete displays of artwork by the Intuit people of the Canadian Arctic. • Founded by actor Michael Moore, the Traverse Be more smart City Film Festival brings films and filmmakers • Northwestern Michigan College is home from around the world to northern Michigan. to the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. Top employers • The Interlochen Arts Academy is an prestigious fine arts boarding high • CloudAccess.net school—500 students from around the world • EJ (East Jordan Iron Works) come to learn, create and perform. • Graceland Fruit • According to Bridge Magazine and MLive, • Materne USA five of Michigan’s top 25 school districts call • Magna Interior Trim Northwest Michigan home. Take a closer look at Northwest Michigan: www.mynorth.com www.michigan.org www.mitalent.org/veteran Good times Northeast • US-23 Heritage Route, a Pure Michigan by-way, is a 200-mile recreational touring route along the Lake Huron coast. Michigan • The 22-mile River Road National Scenic Byway extends westward from Lake Huron into the Northeast Michigan is known for Huron National Forest. its abundant waterways, quaint • Visit Colonial Fort Michilimackinac, an downtowns, family-friendly safe 18th-century fort and fur trading village, neighborhoods and natural reconstructed based on historic maps and more than 50 years of archaeological surroundings. Alpena and the 10 excavations that continue today. surrounding counties attract people No way! • Ocqueoc Falls is the largest waterfall in the globally with their blend of upscale, • Iosco County is recognized as the state’s lower peninsula, and you can swim the falls. small town vibe, affordable cost of premier birding location and is home to rare • 59 golf courses. living, educational opportunities Kirtland warbler habitat. and abundant cultural and • Alpena High School and Cheboygan High recreational experiences. The city of School robotics teams qualified for 2015’s Natural wonders FIRST Robotics World Championship. Alpena is the region’s largest city. • Over 350 parks and campgrounds, plus 1.6 • Camp Grayling is ranked as a premier world- million acres of state and national forestland class Joint Maneuver Training Center. for hunting. Hey Veteran! • Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in • 160,000 acres of lakes and 4,000 miles of • Home to the Region 3 Veteran Alpena County has over 200 shipwrecks in the rivers with 200 public water accesses offer only freshwater National Marine Sanctuary in Community Action Team. endless fishing opportunities. the world. • Alpena Combat Readiness • Trails abound: 966 miles for hiking, biking and Training Center boasts the largest cross-county ski trails; 280 miles for horseback airspace east of the Mississippi. riding; 1,253 for ORV and motorcycles; 1,220 • Alpena is home to the Clement miles for snowmobiles. C. Van Wagoner VA community- based outpatient clinic. • Saginaw VA Medical Center is Culture a short drive from the region. • 200-mile arts and culture trail called “ARTown” • More than 25,000 veterans call along the coast of Lake Huron. Northeast Michigan home. • Over 25 art galleries and more than 18 museums. • Numerous outdoor and indoor music venues and eight regional playhouses. Be more smart • University Center: a “communiversity” partnership of colleges, universities, and industry offering certifications and degrees through the master’s degree level. Top employers • Three community colleges. • Arauco NA (coming soon!) • Three high schools ranked in top 100 • Alpena Community College nationally. • Alpena Regional Medical Center • HSB Inspection and Insurance Company • Kalitta Air Take a closer look at Northeast Michigan: www.discovernortheastmichigan.org www.michigan.org www.mitalent.org/veteran Holy mackerel West • Grand Rapids was named the 13th best place to live and the second best city for raising a Michigan family. • Travel + Leisure named Grand Haven as “One Good times of the Best Secret Beaches on Earth.” • Lake Michigan beach towns offer 200 miles With scenic Lake Michigan beaches, • Holland was ranked as one of the happiest of freshwater beaches, plus dunes and 1,300 plenty of wooded parks, lakes, rivers places to live in the U.S. inland lakes. and trails, West Michigan offers • 27,678,445,667,345 places to fish. • In addition to an impressive collection of an unparalleled variety of seasonal 2,000 animals, John Ball Zoo offers the only outdoor activities. Grand Rapids is funicular in the Midwest. the state’s second-largest city and the • Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park urban center of a growing region of is one of the world’s 100 most visited art more than one million people. museums and one of the top 30 must-see museums on the planet. ! • Michigan’s Adventure amusement park offers Hey Veteran excitement for all ages with over 60 attractions. • Visit the USS Silversides Submarine • Sports fans will enjoy West Michigan Whitecaps Museum in Muskegon! baseball and Grand Rapids Griffins hockey. • Grand Rapids is Beer City, USA. • Windmill Island Gardens provides a view into Let’s say that again…Beer City. the region’s Dutch heritage with an authentic Beer. City. windmill and Dutch dancing. • Grand Haven is not only home of Culture • The Silver Lake Sand Dunes is the only place the Coast Guard Festival, it boasts east of Utah where you can drive a motorized • Festivals that attract international attention— vehicle on sand dunes. a beautiful state park beach on ArtPrize, Tulip Time; Grand Haven Coast breathtaking Lake Michigan. Guard Festival, just to name a few. • An old Navy guy named Gerald • Music, Broadway and regional theater venues R. Ford has a museum in Grand offer a variety of genres as well as a rich Rapids. Bring the kids and walk museum scene. the riverwalk! • The region has 14 state parks, providing an abundance of options for day hikes, • The West Michigan Veterans backpacking and camping. Coalition’s Veteran Community Action Team provides seamless access to veteran services. Be more smart • U.S. News and World Report ranks 14 West Michigan high schools in Michigan’s top 50. • The region is home to more than 20 colleges and universities with high ranking programs in areas ranging from engineering to cybersecurity. • Both Baldwin and Muskegon intermediate school districts are designated as Michigan Top employers “Promise Zones,” using private funds to help • Amway Corporation students earn an associate degree or certificate. • Gentex Corporation • Meijer • Perrigo Company • Spectrum Health Take a closer look at West Michigan: www.hellowestmichigan.com www.michigan.org www.mitalent.org/veteran Good times Great Lakes • Sports lovers will enjoy cheering on the Great Lakes Loons minor league baseball team and Bay Region the Saginaw Spirit hockey team. • Bike or hike the Pere Marquette Trail, a flat straightaway trail that extends 30 miles From the bustle of downtown Saginaw between Midland and Clare.