preeya

I'm visiting Holland as my husband has a work project there. I will be there in the last week of April and first week of May 2004. Please suggest which places I should visit during that time and places not to be missed. Also, any good places to dine?

SuzieTrue

That is very close to the big Tulip Festival time in Holland. You should be able to see lots of tulips in bloom throughout the area.

SuzieTrue

Check out tuliptime.com for more details.

John71cove

Take a drive thru the campus of Hope College. Beautiful.

Faye

You will be visiting during a very busy time in Holland. If you don't have hotel reservations, you will want to get them in now.

Here are some places I would suggest...

Downtown Holland for a day of shopping while your hubby is working!

Tulip Time parades will run May 5 - 8. Check the tuliptime.com website for times

Windmill Island
Dutch Village
Veldheer's Tulip Gardens
Holland State Park on Lake Michigan (it will be probably cold, but worth seeing the view)
Cappon House

My favorite restaurants downtown Holland include Via Maria, Alpen Rose, Till Midnight, and 84 East

On Macatawa bay for the view, I would suggest the Piper.

If you want to get away from the crowds during Tulip Time, go to Saugatuck, which is south of Holland on US31. Its only a half hour drive. Its a great town for shopping and just fun to walk around.

Hope you enjoy Holland!

Sabrina

Don't know if you will be there during the Tulip Festival, but I just heard about a musical show that they have been doing for years that is great. There was a similiar one in our area that was patterned after this musical revue and the director said that she got the idea from the one in Holland, Michigan. You might check and see if they still do this show.

preeya

Thank you everybody very much!! I would love to see all those places there. What about the wooden shoes factory? And what do I shop there?

Faye

If you want to see how wooden shoes are made, go to Dutch Village (James Street & US31) They have ongoing demonstrations that show how the shoes are made. They also sell a lot of products as it relates to the Dutch heritage. Delft is a big item in the storeThey have beautiful pieces of Delft

Faye

If you want to see how wooden shoes are made, go to Dutch Village (James Street & US31) They have ongoing demonstrations that show how the shoes are made. They also sell a lot of products as it relates to the Dutch heritage. I would check out the Delft (dutch china)for a souvenir from Holland, or maybe you want some wooden shoes!

tomboy

Tomorrow our first daffodil should blossom here (Holland); I'm guessing your timing will be perfect.
There are good restaurants also in Saugatuck (Checkers, Toulouse) and its sister city, Douglas (two whose names escape me)
There's also a mushroom factory about 5 miles south of the Fennville winery; cut-rate portobellos.

Maggi

You will get lots of advice on exploring the touristy coastal towns and Holland itself, so I will recommend taking a drive to Grand Rapids (I'm assuming you will have transportation.) It's only a little over a half hour drive from Holland.

You can visit the Frederick Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park:
http://www.meijergardens.org/

Or, the Gerald R. Ford Museum:
http://www.meijergardens.org/

Perhaps you'd be interested in the Meyer May House, a 1908 masterpiece of the prairie-style design. It is one of the most complete restorations of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in existence. Admission is free. Call 616-246-4821 for hours.

Several have already mentioned the small town of Saugatuck, which is one of my favorites. They have narrated boat cruises: http://www.saugatuckboatcruises.com/

And in Holland itself: http://www.ci.holland.mi.us/windmill/

Have a wonderful time in our great state of Michigan!

preeya

Thanks a lot for the information. I can really feel the pride in the people frm MIchigan who have given their input! I cant wait to go there in 2-3 weeks! Could you suggest if the last week of May and the first week of May would be a good time to view the tulips? Also, what all can I shop from Holland to take back to Boston? Please let me know as I want to take some souveneirs.
Thanks-Preeya

Maggi

Preeya, in your first post you mention the last week of APRIL, in this last you post you write last week of MAY. Tulip time and the official festival week is May 1 - 8. The end of April will probably be OK to see some blooms.
http://www.tuliptime.com/

Faye

Preeya,
I will be waving at you as we are flying to Boston the weekend of 4/29!
I live in Holland, and I'm sure you will have a good time here. Can I ask you a question about Boston? It will be our first trip, and I'm very exciting about going. We have reservations made at 2 restaurants, Antico Forno and Terrmiari Ristorante.
Have you heard of them? My question is what to pack for Boston. With these two restaurants in mind, what is the dress code?

Regarding souvenirs, I would shop at Dutch Village. They have wonderful pieces of Delft, and they have a great candle shop in the back. They hand carve the candles. We shipped out candles for all our relatives at Christmas, and got raving reviews. Check out their website, www.hollandhousecandles.com