Summer Fun + Local Things To Do!

You’re never short of summer festivities or a new lake to visit in Michigan. Each year I try to plan a trip or two to northern Michigan and of course, many day trips to my hometown area in west Michigan. I just returned from a work trip in the upper peninsula and I plan to return hopefully in August to visit Sam! But sadly, I don’t have a summer cottage or cabin to escape to for respite, so this all takes more planning and I find myself mostly wanting to try and relax at home and make the most of summer weekends in Lansing.

If you’re not familiar with Lansing, it’s the state’s capital with a few great neighborhoods to bounce around to like downtown, East Lansing where MSU is located and my favorite: Old Town. I call this neighborhood home now. It’s filled with art galleries, shops and TWO ice cream spots. James and I take walks to visit Celeste at Retail Therapy, grab a cone from Arctic Corner and pop into Pruess Pets for some dog treats.

Outside of my hood, there are a handful of farmer’s markets to visit. I’ll visit the outdoor markets and Horrock’s to scoop up fresh flowers, breads and sugary treats instead of the fresh produce I should be getting. I have the East Lansing Farmer’s Market, Allen Market Place and the farmers market events at the Capitol on my list to visit.

I’m also walking distance to Lansing’s weeklong music festival, Common Ground, and I snagged a pass for the week, giving me something fun to do just after the fourth of July!

There are also so many parks and gardens with lakes and pools–a full list available here. I started going through it and noticed there are public pools and other cool shit I didn’t even know about.

[coral red top + coral red print shorts c/o Lulus, bag by Rebecca Minkoff, Quay sunglasses, rings by Katie Dean Jewelry, velvet choker by Vanessa Mooney, hair by Sarah at the Standard]