Saturday morning, May 30, my internal alarm woke me up half an hour before my actual alarm clock started blaring.
For someone who is most familiar with the "snooze" function, I don’t have to tell you that my internal alarm works on very rare occasions. In fact, I can count on my hand the amount of times I’ve been awoken early with anticipation and excitement, and it’s almost always when my subconscious knows I’m in for a treat.
Like a child on Christmas morning, or a shopper on black Friday, I was up and raring to go for Lansing’s Be a Tourist in Your Own Town (BATYOT).
My agenda for the day was chock-a-block with touristy things to do, from watching birds hatch at Potter Park Zoo, to tasting “Perfection” at Burgdorf’s Winery.
But none of that would have been possible without a hearty start at Old Town’s Golden Harvest.
Zane Vicknair, owner and chef extraordinaire, delivered with an incredible breakfast croissant and strawberry French toast. As I devoured my breakfast, the skies cleared and I ventured into Old Town to begin being a tourist, discovering and rediscovering aspects of the city I call home.
15 Years of Being a Tourist
Fifteen years ago, the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to put on the first BATYOT event to increase community awareness of the Capital region’s attractions and the tourism industry's impact on the area. As the slogan proclaims, there’s “a world of possibilities in your backyard,” and playing touris’ for a day gives residents the opportunity to discover all the area has to offer.
I picked up my BATYOT passport for a $1, equipping me with free admission to more than 60 area attractions, local businesses and activities. A map was also provided in the passport’s center, with dining options and CATA routes ($.50 to ride the bus all day!), and places to park for free. The aim of the passport—aside from the aforementioned—was also to provide a way to collect “stamps” from the local area attractions visited throughout the day.
Collecting 10 stamps made you eligible for a passport prize, while 15 allowed you to enter to win the Grand Prize. For those of you with passports, you can continue collecting stamps in the month of June to enter! Go to the BATYOT website for more information.
Tourist Time
So off I went with my passport in hand, heading over to the Turner-Dodge House. For as many times as I’ve driven by the place and been enthralled, I’m embarrassed to say I had never been inside. But I have now.
A self-guided tour of the property is like stepping into Francis Hodgson Burnett’s "The Secret Garden." The garden exudes a sense of peace, despite being located on the bustling Grand River Avenue. The interior is in immaculate condition, depicting an essence of the era in which the home was built. Currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places, pioneer James Turner built the home in 1858.
Cookies and coffee were also provided, but I was still too full from breakfast to partake.
After Turner-Dodge, I headed over to Old Town to participate in all the art and activities listed in the passport.
Artists took to the streets for Chalk of the Town, creating chalk masterpieces on their assigned section of sidewalk. The streets of Old Town were full, vibrant and colorful. After meandering through a few of the galleries, I headed over to Preuss Pets where I fell in love with their living tanks, and Autumn, their Catalina Macaw.
Having interned in Old Town, I had frequented many of these establishments, so I was really excited to discover Downtown Lansing. Being the self-proclaimed nerd that I am, discovering the Book Burrow (located on the lower level of the Capital Area District Library) was probably the highlight of my trip. It’s a treasure trove of books that are so reasonably priced, you can’t help but look for hours. I bought seven great books for a little more than $7! I am thankful to BATYOT for this find.
After that, I headed to the CATA Transportation Center, arriving just in time to have my caricature drawn by none other than local artist, Dennis Preston. I will no longer wonder whether the napkin art at Biggby locations around town are based on actual people!
With caricature in hand, I crossed the road and walked over to Boarshead Theater, another location I have yet to traverse while living in Lansing. Although the interactive theater was over, I was allowed to tour the space and see work made by a local artist for the Tennessee Williams play “The Glass Menagerie,” currently playing at Boarshead.
After a mango smoothie at Decker’s, I traipsed over to the Lansing City Market, smelled the flowers and craved some gluten free goodies before walking to Impression 5 Science Center (yet another place I had yet to visit). Although I didn’t get to make slime, I communicated with others from across the room, and watched kids get engulfed by a giant bubble device. Who doesn’t want to be wrapped in a bubble for a moment?
With little left of my day, and so much more to do (I repeat 60 area attractions) I drove to Haslett to end the day at Burgdorf’s Winery...and yes, I’d never been there either.
Offering free wine tasting and cheese appetizer’s, the boutique winery is one of two wineries in the Capital region (the Cork and Bottle Winery in DeWitt being the other). Although I didn’t get to try it, I heard that Burgdorf’s fruit wine, “Perfection,” lives up to its name. Burgdorf’s was definitely a great way to end being a tourist for a day.
I wanted so badly to see the egg hatch at Potter Park Zoo, try the Capital City Sundae at the MSU Dairy Store, visit the W.J. Botanical Gardens, check out the Michigan State University (MSU) Bug House, the Lansing Model Railroad Club and Woldumar Nature Center, to name a few.
But, lesson learned. There is plenty to do in Lansing, and I shouldn’t expect to experience it all in one day. In fact, why should any of us wait for the next Be a Tourist in Your Own Town to support local tourism?
Before the year is out, my goal is to visit all 60 destinations listed, and more. Don’t wait for an event to discover what’s right in your backyard. Lansing is bursting with innovative and exciting things to do, you just have to take the time out to discover the gems.
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Suban Nur Cooley is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to Capital Gains.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos: “Tourists” walk the streets of Old Town outside Absolute Gallery
Chalk artists Jessy Harger & Kristen Warner
A picnic in Cooley Gardens
Suban and her friend Leslie Sunderlin's caricature by Dennis Preston
Young artist Salvador Ulano at the Lansing Art Gallery Downtown
Flowers and plants at the Lansing City Market
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
Caricature by Dennis Preston