Tag Archives: Michigan

OFIR Warns Michigan Drivers About Fake Auto Insurance

The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) is warning Michigan drivers about the potential that they may have purchased a fraudulent auto insurance policy. An investigation revealed another situation where someone was intentionally selling fake car insurance to unsuspecting drivers. If you live in Michigan, you might want to go check your auto insurance policy to make sure its is real. Every state requires that drivers purchase auto insurance. People tend to look around for a policy that isn’t expensive, yet covers what it is supposed to cover. It is a good idea to do some “homework” and make … Continue reading →

Michigan Genealogy Resources

Michigan is the “Great Lakes State”. The edges of the state touch four of the Great Lakes. Genealogists who have ancestors who lived in Michigan might be searching for a way to reach out and touch the vital records that tell more about those ancestor’s lives. Here are several Michigan genealogy websites that can help you to do that. Ancestry.com has a page that is filled with links to all of their Michigan records collections. In order to access these records, you need to have an Ancestry.com membership. Sometimes, a few collections will be offered for free. Return to their … Continue reading →

Family Travel: A Quacking Good Time

Ernie from “Sesame Street” would be in heaven. If your kids are as enamored with rubber ducks as the lovable orange character from the award-winning children’s television show then head to Michigan next week. That’s where you will find of one the world’s largest Rubber Ducky festivals around. The village of Bellaire in Northern Michigan is holding its annual Rubber Ducky Festival from August 6-17 and is hoping to break a record by stuffing more than 5,000 yellow ducks in the Intermediate River for a quarter-mile race on August 16th. Spectators have a chance to get in on the action … Continue reading →

Saving Money on Summer Escapes

When flying out of state for a family getaway not only do you have to deal with the cost of airfare and hotel accommodations, but in most case you also have to consider the price of a rental car… and record high gas prices. But not with these cool summer travel deals. The following hotel packages cater to families who are looking to explore virtually car-less destinations such as Nantucket, Catalina Island and Mackinac Island where two feet will get you farther than 4 wheels (which are banned in most of these vacation hotspots). NANTUCKET From now until October, The … Continue reading →

Summer Fun—-Wild and Wacky Family Friendly Festivals

A couple of years ago I ran through a list of some of the tastiest summer food festivals I’d ever had the pleasure of attending. This year I’m going wild. Wild for wacky adventures waiting to be had at some of the nation’s most unique hometown festivals. If you are looking for summer fun that will keep you smiling well into the winter consider heading north, south, east and west to these family friendly festivals: CALIFORNIA The Horned Toad Derby in Coalinga, California draws hundreds of thousands of BBQ lovers to town during the second to the last weekend in … Continue reading →

Saving Money on Your Summer Vacation—Work It!

Continuing my series on ways to save on your summer vacation I’m turning my attention to a unique alternative that I doubt would appeal to those of you who enjoy leaving the daily grind behind to relax on a powdery white sand beach. However, if you are on a tight budget and can’t stomach spending a summer camping in your own backyard then you might not be turned off by the idea of taking a working vacation. If you have a passion for lighthouses consider heading to Northport, Michigan this summer. The Grand Traverse Lighthouse offers visitors the chance to … Continue reading →

Travel Tidbits: Unique Holiday Destinations and Good News for Directionally Challenged Travelers

Christmas is exactly one week away and by now most families have their holiday travel plans set in stone. I’ve covered dozens of destinations worth traveling to this season in the past month, and thanks to some well-heeled readers I have a few more to add to the list. Thank you to Angela who reminded me that reindeer parks make for great family outings this time of year. If you live near Redmond, Oregon consider yourself lucky. Operation Santa Clause at The Reindeer Ranch near Redmond bills itself as the home of the country’s largest herd of domesticated reindeer. If … Continue reading →

Rev Up Your Vacation In The Motor City

In just a few days Midwesterners (like me) won’t have to travel to Las Vegas to get a taste of what life is like at a splashy, ultra-luxury resort. Next week, the long awaited, hotly-anticipated $800 million MGM Grand Detroit will open its doors to the public. The resort is the sister property to the famous Las Vegas venue and the first MGM Grand hotel outside of Nevada. The hotel is like nothing we have here in these parts. We’re talking 400 state-of-the-art rooms and suites, celebrity-chef restaurants, a massive casino, and a 20,000-square-foot spa. The new MGM Grand Detroit … Continue reading →

Where To View Fall Colors In Your Neck Of The Woods

In just a few weeks the nation will be awash in spectacular fall colors. One of the beauties of leaf peeping is that in most cases you don’t have to travel far to view Mother Nature at her finest. That includes you city slickers in New York, Philadelphia and Detroit. Don’t believe me? Take a look: NEW YORK Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Most people think if you live in New York you have to drive upstate to the Adirondacks to take in the fall colors. But the fact is there are several great places in urban areas that provide the same … Continue reading →

Visiting Mackinac Island

Looking for a way to get over your pain at the pump? Pack up the kids and travel to a place where high gas prices don’t exist… a place where gas stations don’t exist. In fact, not only don’t you have to worry about exorbitant gas prices; you don’t have to fight to find a parking space or stew in bumper-to-bumper traffic either. That’s because on Mackinac Island cars are not allowed. It’s the first thing you notice when you take a trip to this gorgeous northern Michigan haven. I’ve had the opportunity to visit the island a couple of … Continue reading →