Six of the best

Michigan for foodies

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From refreshing brews to homemade cherry pie, Michigan makes the most of its local produce. Here’s some of the best ways to get a taste of the state, says Jessica Pook

Brews paired

Michigan ranks fifth in the U.S. when it comes to breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs open to the public – and beer is just the start with several breweries also offering food pairings. Visit the Tap Room at Short’s Brewing in Elk Rapids to try one of its eclectic beers, like a liquorice lager, and build your own pizza with beer-infused dough. Or pair a beer with a burger and bourbon-baked beans at Mackinaw Brewing Company in Traverse City.

Detroit delicacies

Detroit’s restaurants are famously good, from Greek Town specialities to sushi and steaks. Try a Detroit-style square pizza, which first appeared at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria in 1946, baked in steel pans borrowed from local automotive plants. Another lauded local recipe is The American Coney Island diner’s hotdogs, served with a secret-recipe chilli sauce, mustard and fresh, chopped sweet onions in a warm, steamed bun.

Beer City USA

Grand Rapids (or ‘Beer City USA’) has 80-plus breweries. Tick them off on a guided tour on a party bike, trolley or tuk, or use the Beer City Ale Trail map to visit craft breweries like Founders Brewing Co., rated one of the top breweries in the world by Ratebeer and among the largest craft breweries in the country. Use the Beer City Brewsader app to check in to any of the eight breweries in or close to Grand Rapids and pick up a Brewsader t-shirt.

Cherry on top

Cherries are a Michigan staple with the state growing 70% of the U.S’s supply of tart cherries. Dubbed ‘America’s superfruit’ due to its high levels of antioxidants, the cherry even has its own annual festival: The National Cherry Festival features pie-eating contests and a Very Cherry Porch Parade. From late June to August families can pick their own cherries at one of the many U-Pick Cherry farms in or near Traverse City.

A vine time

There are more than 140 wineries in Michigan. Follow one of the wine trails, like the Petoskey Wine Region’s 14 wineries along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The southwestern part of the state around the Lake Michigan Shore AVA (American Viticultural Areas), produces reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot while the Leelanau Peninsula in northwest Lower Peninsula bottles whites like Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Riesling.

Homegrown treats

Agriculture is one of Michigan’s leading industries, so visitors can expect fresh produce and farm-to table dining. Farm families take pride in growing high-quality foods and products year-round. Apples are one of the largest fruit crops in Michigan with many used in pies or to make apple sauce, apple cider and apple juice. Peaches, pears and plums are also favourites and asparagus is grown near the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Look Up.

From the dawn of space exploration to the current and ongoing missions, you can get an up-close, hands-on feel for the story of humans in space at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The now and next of space travel

Opening March 2022 is the all-new Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, coming soon to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This immersive will allowing guests to become immersed in the future of space exploration and experience the interstellar travel of tomorrow while celebrating what is happening within our space programme right now. Discover the current innovations by getting up close to actual spacecraft and see visionary designs that will propel the pathway of human deep space travel. Then, enter the spaceport of the future by preparing to launch on one of four spectacular deep space journeys. The thrill is within reach.

Up close and personal with space shuttle Atlantis

A ship like no other, the space shuttle launched like a rocket and landed like a glider while transporting astronauts to space and back for 30 years. Stand in awe of this American icon: space shuttle Atlantis. Explore key missions, learn how to dock and land the orbiter with training simulators and discover the legacy of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.

Witness lifto

Witnessing a live rocket launch is a jawdropping, bucket-list experience. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex provides the closest public viewing of rocket launches with live launch commentary from space experts. Viewing locations are within a few miles/kilometers from the launch pads, so you can see and feel the liftoff of spacecraft leaving Earth under the full power of mighty rocket engines.

Play on the planets

A new, fully-immersive multiple-story play experience is open with Planet Play. Designed for a younger generation of space explorers from ages two-12, Planet Play is an indoor interactive area where children can explore a whole new world of space play.

One small step to the Apollo/ Saturn V Center

The Apollo/Saturn V Center pays homage to the people and machines that made the improbable possible and the future seem bigger than we ever dared to dream. Stand in amazement under the gigantic Saturn V, the largest rocket ever fl own. This oneof-a-kind attraction celebrates the feat of putting humans on the moon, and the awe felt in that moment by all humankind.•