Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan, with a population of nearly 190,000 residents. With a very diverse community, many ethnic groups, ranging from Dutch, Hispanic, African-American and Polish, call this city home. Grand Rapids is home to several colleges and universities, including Aquinas College, Calvin College, Ferris State University and Davenport University. In historic Heritage Hill, an old Grand Rapids neighborhood, visitors can be led through the Victorian houses on display or go on a walking tour of the district.

Saugatuck is a small artsy town along the southwestern shores of Michigan, often referred to as "the art coast of Michigan." With a population slightly over 1,000 people, this tiny region offers old fashioned streets lined with quaint gift shops and has several one of a kind inns, rather than chain motels. Considered one of Michigan's best resort towns, Saugatuck has a number of art galleries and shopping options as well as a state park with fourteen miles of trails and a stretch of undeveloped beach.

Manistee National Forest is located between Manistee and Muskegon. It contains nearly a half million acres of beaches and woods, as well as the Pine and Pere Marquette Rivers. The Manistee River Trail is a ten-mile route along the east bank of the Manistee River. Trout and salmon populate the waters and the navigable part of the river stretches on for over forty miles. The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area encompasses nearly 3,500 acres of dunes and dune forest.