Tourism in Genesee County, Michigan Genesee County is filled with a variety of fun, family-friendly, educational activities that attract thousands of participants each year. A tourist is able to go to any of three Welcome Centers to find out what to do and where to go to have fun in Genesee County. These are located at Bishop Airport, the Flint Famers’ Market, and the Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce. Once there, visitors can get a copy of the Visitors’ Guide & Community Profile, event and attraction brochures, maps, and information on hotels. The Flint and Genesee Chamber has the same information on its website, located at flintandgenesee.org Tourist spending in Genesee County has increased every year since 2012, and Genesee County generated $133 million in tourism spending in 2017. However, for Genesee County in 2016, Travel MI calculated $454 million in overall tourism spending. This number included direct spending along with related costs. Related costs include items such as food, gasoline, and airport, among others. The following is a small sample of what residents and tourists can enjoy in Genesee County with its urban and rural settings. Crim Festival of Races Each August, downtown Flint hosts the Crim Festival of Races, which attracts about 55,000 visitors. There are several different races and ways to participate in this event. In 2018, there were about 12,000 registered racers. This is Flint’s biggest event—it takes nearly 3,000 volunteers each year to put on the Crim Festival of Races! Go to crim.org for more information.
Agritourism Genesee County has many agritourism destinations. These are defined as any agriculturally-based activity that brings visitors to places such as a farm, farmers’ market, brewery, winery, honey farm, orchard, butcher shop, cider mill, tree farm, natural foods/organic grocery, or plant nursery. The map to the right indicates the variety of agritourism locations in Genesee County. To get more details on the locations shown on the map, go to i-69thumbregion.org/agritourism-directory Back to the Bricks happens every August as downtown Flint is turned into a showplace for classic, unusual, and antique cars of all types. Over 500,000 car enthusiasts attend this event each year. There is music, family-friendly events, food, and a national Corvette reunion. Go to backtothebricks.org for more information. Bikes on the Bricks This three-day event includes a motorcycle show, a police skills competition, a biker fashion show, a police-escorted ride, special guests, food, and thirty-three merchandise vendors in downtown Flint. Bikes on the Bricks donates the proceeds from this event to charitable organizations here in Genesee County. Go to bikesonthebricks.com for more information. The Flint Cultural Center The Flint Cultural Center campus is close to downtown Flint and includes the Flint Institute of Arts, the Flint Institute of Music, the Flint Repertory Theatre, the Longway Planetarium, the Sloan Museum, and the Whiting, a professional performing arts venue. Each one of these is described below. Go to flintculturalcenter.com for more information.
The Flint Institute of Arts (part of Flint Cultural Center) is Michigan’s second largest art museum and is one of the largest museum art schools in the United States. More than 160,000 people visit FIA galleries and participate in FIA programs and services each year. Go to flintarts.org for more information.
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