DIA "INSIDE / OUT" ART DISPLAYS HEAD TO NORTHERN MICHIGAN FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS

Six years ago the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) began a community outreach campaign to expand the awareness and appreciation of the museum with local residents.  The DIA placed weather-proof, high-quality reproductions of artistic masterpieces from its collection outdoors in a few select cities within the three counties surrounding Detroit for people to enjoy.  The goal of the displays was to bring the art IN its galleries OUT into communities for people who may not normally visit the downtown Detroit museum to enjoy. These representations were so accurate that police departments in these communities began to receive calls from concerned citizens that stolen artwork from the DIA may have been put up as a prank.  Rave reviews from the public about the displays have made INSIDE/OUT an annual on-going program since its inception.

The INSIDE / OUT program selects several local cities and townships each year to host these art displays. The nice thing about the program is that seven to twelve images are clustered within walking or bike-riding distance so you can have a fun family outing searching for the artwork and exploring the community where it has been placed.  I've gone on an art hunt with my kids in at least one of the INSIDE/OUT communities hosting the displays each year since the program began.  It is nice too that they've rotated the participating cities and townships during the life of the program so the displays aren't always hosted in the same places and new artwork is regularly introduced year to year keeping going on art hunts fun and exciting.  Metro Detroit locations hosting INSIDE/OUT in 2016 include Eastern Market and the Dequindre Cut greenway trail in the City of Detroit, plus the communities of Hamtramck, Ecorse, New Baltimore, Pontiac, and Warren, among other locations.

Because of the popularity of INSIDE/OUT  the displays will also be included over the summer in three northern Michigan towns popular with summer vacationers -- Alpena, Traverse City and Mackinac Island.  If you are planning on going on an Up North Michigan adventure this summer these INSIDE / OUT exhibits will be on display until September.  I hadn't realized that the INSIDE / OUT artwork was going to be on display in Northern Michigan until we stumbled upon one of the portraits during a family trip to Mackinac Island while walking to our hotel.  Because of our family's past art hunts we instantly associated it with being INSIDE/OUT artwork.

 Mackinac Island is known for prohibiting motor vehicles so walking, bike riding and horse drawn carriages are the primary means of getting around while visiting the Michigan state park which is filled with historical buildings, scenic landscapes, and lots of fudge shops and souvenir stands. The INSIDE / OUT artwork is sprinkled throughout the island's downtown and the grounds of the historic Grand Hotel.  Some of the artwork really stands out along the island's thoroughfares while others are a bit more subdued so they are not so easy to discover without looking out for them.  Of course we went on an art hunt to our Mackinac Island activities once we realized the DIA reproductions were there searching for all the INSIDE/OUT displays adding an extra element of fun to our trip.

I've shared a few of the Mackinac Island INSIDE/OUT portraits we discovered.  If you visit can you find them all?  If so let us know!  Plus if you make it to Alpena or Traverse City this summer, have some Pure Michigan fun and go on an art hunt!  Of course we'd enjoy seeing your INSIDE/OUT art hunt photos.  Please share your pictures by tweeting them to @Geekdad248 so we can share in your fun!

If you are planning a Metro Detroit art hunt be aware that they switch up the locations and displays in August with the new exhibit locations staying up through October.  Upcoming locations include Belleville (Wayne County), East English Village (Detroit), Beverly Hills (Oakland County) and Romeo (Macomb County).   For more information, visit www.dia.org.

The Dennos Museum Center - Traverse City, Michigan

I've always taken the approach in parenting that it is important for my children to not just be educated but also to develop an appreciation for life long learning.  Instead of seeing school and homework as a chore, I want them to treat their lessons like solving puzzles so they hopefully will perceive entertainment and education as mutually compatible rather than polar opposites.  One of the ways our family tries to combine entertainment with education is taking a break from our leisurely activities during a family vacation or road trip to visit an aquarium, museum, historical site, science center, zoo or some other location where they can learn a few lessons.  Hopefully this is developing a sense of curiosity and exploration that will help them with their educational endeavors as they move through life.

An example of this parenting approach is during our beach vacation to Traverse City, Michigan we took some time to stop by Northwestern Michigan College's Dennos Museum Center.  It features a variety of displays, exhibits, and facilities to promote the visual and performing arts plus hands-on experiences to encourage people to be scientifically inquisitive.  The Dennos Museum Center was a 2015 winner of TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence.   When we stopped by the building in addition to hosting its Discovery Gallery and art exhibits, they were also screening movies for the Traverse City Film Festival in the 1,000 seat Milliken Auditorium.  We focused our time though on walking around the art displays and playing around with the hands-on activities.

The first gallery we explored was the Dennos Museum Center's permanent collection of Inuit Art.  Inuit are the culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. Most of the artwork in this collection originates from the Baffin Island area of Nunavut, Canada and is comprised of more than 1,000 prints, sculptures, drawings, tools, and textiles that were created between 1950 and the present day. The Dennos Museum Center is recognized for having one of the most historically complete collections of contemporary Inuit art located within the United States.

Next we checked out a temporary visiting art display by a South Korean artist named Jae Yong Kim that had a theme we could really relate to - Lusting For Donuts.  The art display is filled with ceramic donuts and a few snails taking a bite out of them.  Kim's art explores issues through the use of surrogate subjects such as donuts or snails.  He has developed a reputation for being quirky and having the ability to present to viewers of his artwork complex concepts of cruelty, pain, joy and love through simplistic images.

This is how Jae Yong Kim describes this display:

One of the few things that brought me joy was a donut.  The simplicity of its shape and expression of taste afforded me a brief moment to indulge in childlike happiness.  And it was here in this simple donut that I found the perfect vehicle for my message.  We ultimately become consumed by what we lust after, but when seeking true happiness we become genuine expressions of ourselves.

Hmm is that a profound philosophy or a Homer Simpson moment?  I'm sorry I kept picturing the character from the Simpsons television series as my kids became obsessed with getting an accurate count of just how many donuts were on display.   In addition to trying to interpret the meaning Jae Yong Kim's work and counting donuts, my kids also contributed to the display.  They colored their own donuts and hung them up on the wall to add their own personalization to the art work and leave their own mark that they'd visited the Dennos Museum Center.

After Lusting For Donuts I was ready for a snack, but instead we explored the Hands On Gallery.  I have to admit that after visiting places like the Imagination Station in Toledo and the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum this area could only be described as tiny in comparison.  That being said they had some very nice features that my kids really enjoyed during our visit.

My son loved the Recollections exhibit that transforms your motions into colorful projections upon a huge screen in front of you.  He spent a half hour just dancing around making all sorts of patterns to marvel at.

 

 My daughter really enjoyed the Sound Wall which allowed you to create your own musical scores by hitting various patterns of shapes placed on a wall before you and the Electricity Attractor which shoots patterns of sparking light around your hand when you place it on a screen.

They also have a a Laser Harp where you can play the instrument by strumming your fingers across an open space where the strings should be and an Anti-Gravity Mirror that creates an illusion that you are flying.  The Hubble Space Telescope display which features transmissions from NASA and the Space Telescope Institute was also a hit with my kids.

We wrapped up our visit by walking through a visiting art exhibition called  Sideways: Exploring Skateboard Art + Culture by a Northwestern Michigan College alumnus Aaron Draplin which our family really enjoyed.  My kids are infatuated right now with skateboarding and we had no clue this was on display until we stumbled on it while wandering through the Dennos Museum Center.  You never know what great unexpected discovery you'll make when you visit local museums like this when traveling to new places.

That's not it though there is one more place to explore as you are heading out.  There is an outdoor sculpture collection surrounding the Dennos Museum Center that you should really check out.  There are 13 unique original artworks placed in the vicinity of the building.  Click here for is a listing of the sculptures and and a photo gallery of their pictures.  Getting a little extra exercise to take a stroll around to appreciate these though provoking sculptures is well worth the time and effort.  Don't miss out on this one last thing as you head back to the parking lot for your car.

Admission cost our family of four $20.  $5 per person for an hour or so of learning and family bonding isn't a bad price to pay.  Normal rates are $6 per adult, $4 per child or $20 family package which covers admission and parking.  For more information, visit dennosmuseum.org.

Skip the touristy spots & dine where the locals eat out while on vacation

 When you enter a town known as a vacation destination it can be easy to bust your family's budget on meals with hyped up prices from restaurants looking to cash in on visiting tourists.  If you want to enjoy dining out while on vacation but also need to be a budget conscious traveler consider skipping the touristy spots and find out the establishments the locals frequent.  These diners, restaurants, and taverns will often provide you a taste of what makes the community appealing to the people who live there and a menu that's priced more down to earth to be affordable to the locals who make an average living servicing all the tourists who are in town.  Plus often times you may just find something delicious and unique to eat or drink as these establishments provide something produced locally or that caters to local tastes.

So where do you find out where the locals hang out?  Well you don't want to find out through the visitor magazines and pamphlets that promote a town because those tend to be all sponsored editorials and ads where you'll most likely find some of that advertising expense added into the cost of your dinner tab.  Also beware that often times hotels and resorts get commissions or have referral deals with local establishments looking to cash in on visiting tourists.  One way I often get tips on the best places to eat while on vacation is by picking up some postcards and taking them to the local post office to mail to friends and family.  Instead of just throwing the post cards in a mail box or slot though, I go up to the counter to buy some stamps and strike up a conversation with the person working the counter about interesting things to do and best places to eat at while in town.  I always get great suggestions that help filter out which places are truly worth while to visit and which ones are primarily tourist traps.  Another good spot to get some honest advice of what the locals think about area restaurants is to swing by a grocery store to pick up some snacks.  While you are doing your shopping ask some of the staff where they frequent and which restaurants they'd recommend to their friends and family.  Speaking of friends and family, post online through social media that you are thinking of visiting a particular place and ask if anyone has been there or knows people there that could give you some recommendations.  Then Yelp their suggestions.  Just don't post when you are actually going because you don't want to worry about who knows who seeing that information and returning home to find your house cleared out by some robbers who knew you were out of town.

During a family vacation to Traverse City which has a reputation for being a premiere Michigan summer travel destination, we decided to look into where the locals go to eat out.  We found that a lot of the places where diners or taverns because these have traditionally been the places that stayed up all year long rather than reducing hours or closing up in the winter when the tourists are primarily gone.  If you happen to head that way for a Michigan Up North adventure, check out these fine places:

The Jolly Pumpkin

With its housemade white fish dip for an appetizer and bison sloppy joes for a lunch or dinner this restaurant has a unique menu that for being part of a brewery is very family friendly.  The barn like decor of the building gives visitors a Sleepy Hollow vibe as they enjoy their meals.  The atmosphere and food make this a delightful spot to enjoy a memorable meal.  The restaurant is tied to a brewery which provides some great beer selections to enjoy during a meal but I'd suggest giving their hard cider a taste which is brewed from apples harvested from an on-site orchard.  I'd also note that during our visit we had exceptional service and they even went out of their way to make something special for my picky eater son when he didn't particularly care for anything on the menu.

The Jolly Pumpkin is a bit out of the way from many of the normal tourist spots as it located mid-way up Old Mission Peninsula in a rural spot that is somewhat of a haul to get to from where most of the downtown and beach activities are at.  It is a scenic drive to The Jolly Pumpkin with some great views of Grand Traverse Bay and a nice way to unwind while you are on a vacation getaway by taking the drive over there.  The quickest route is to take M-37 straight there from downtown Traverse City but I'd highly recommend meandering along Peninsula Drive enjoying the wonderful scenery along this path instead.

The Cottage

This casual and comfortable diner is located along M-31 just west of the Traverse City State Park. The Cottage's specialty is All You Can Eat Freshwater Perch which it has been serving for more than 20 years. It caught our attention because it seemed to be the place a lot of seniors were going to eat which normally means good food at affordable prices.  We weren't disappointed!

They have great deals when it comes to Kids Meals which range in price from $3 to $5 dollars.  My kids received generous portions and really devoured their meals which they only do when what they are eating is really good.  So this was a really great deal when it comes to families with kids looking to eat out.  It just wasn't the kids who enjoyed their meals though.  I ordered the meatloaf which The Cottage brags is based on a family recipe.  It was loaded with mashed potatoes, gravy and fried onions and I literally was licking my plate off as I finished off my meal it was that good.

Pangea's Pizza

Located on Front Street in the heart of Traverse City this wonderful pizzeria creates pizza pies from its own housemade dough and locally supplied ingredients that is a perfect meal for a hungry family on vacation.  They still hand-toss the pizzas as they get the dough ready for the oven and each one is handcrafted with sauce and toppings.  No pulling a ready made pizza out of the freezer and throwing it in the oven here.  The restaurant has a great downtown vibe to it and is a fun place to hang out while enjoying a meal.  It does have limited seating though and is a popular place that tends to have a line and crowd to get in.  If you don't feel like eating at Pangea's they offer carry out so you can order ahead and just pick it up to eat at the beach or the place you are staying.  We enjoyed the pizza so much that we went back the day our family was leaving town to bring one back with us to eat when we got home as a final reminder of our great Up North trip to Traverse City, Michigan.

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We weren't able to hit everyplace that locals recommended we go to during our vacation but here are a few more places we want to visit the next time we make it to Traverse City:

Sleder's Family Tavern

Built in 1882 by a Bohemian wheelwright named Vencil Sleder this is the oldest continually operated restaurant in the state of Michigan.   Among the hunting trophies and stuffed animals that decorate the place is a moose named Randolph and it is a local tradition to KISS THE MOOSE FOR LUCK.  With a tin ceiling, hardwood floors and more than a century old mahogany bar  this place seems like it will really take you back in time to the lumberjack days gone by of the region during a visit.  In fact the tavern is located in a neighborhood called Slabtown which is an old working class district of the city where the houses were built with slabs of scrap wood salvaged from the local sawmills.

Little Bohemia

This tavern the locals call Lil Bo's started off as a hot dog stand that was the cover for a secret speakeasy during Prohibition.  The second oldest tavern in Traverse City after Sleder's it was named in honor of the Bohemian community that settled in this part of the state.  The place is know for its great "sammiches" , olive burgers, eggplant, gnocchi and lasagna plus some Bohemian recipe house specials.

Round's

Is a breakfast joint that locals praise for its homemade hash.  Hash, hash, hash when someone speaks about Round's that is about all that comes out of their smiling mouths.  If you enjoy a good breakfast it appears that Round's is the place to go and is a popular hang out spot of the local residents.  My insider's tip is to order the Red Velvet Hash Omelet but I've head lots of good things about almost everything else on the menu too especially from the helpful lady I spoke to at the post office.  Only downside is that it appears to be a small space and not always easy to get a seat.

Ham-Bonz 

Talk about a tiny, quaint place to eat, Ham-Bonz serves up smoked ham, turkey, beef and pulled pork for enormous omelets and sandwiches cooked up from a backyard pit grill.  I've been told this is the closest thing to pure Southern BBQ you'll find outside of the Mississippi Delta.  My wife and I love pulled pork so we absolutely have to get around to checking this place out.

5 Things To Do When It Rains During Your Vacation

We took a week long "Up North" vacation to Traverse City, Michigan where our family both stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge water park resort for a couple of days and rented a beach front condo on Grand Traverse Bay for the remainder of our stay.  During most of our vacation we were blessed with sunny skies and eighty degree days, but we did have one mornings during our days at the beach that was a dreary, rainy, overcast day.  So what are some things you can do to keep amused and avoid rain ruining one of your vacation days?  Here are 5 suggestions of things to do when it rains on your vacation:

1.  Enjoy a Hobby

I enjoy collecting comic books and sharing that passion with my kids.  So we took some time to stop by Traverse City's local comic book shop "Top Comics" which you can spot along East Eighth Street by looking for the Hulk smashing out of the side of the building.  While many book stores have become big box retail chains, "comic book" retailers still tend to be small, independently owned store fronts where the staff are fans of the medium and love to chat.  You never know what unique comic book, collectible or toy you may stumble upon when visiting one of these stores especially ones that aren't in big cities that may be a little more off the beaten path.

We spent some time browsing through the week's new comic book releases that had just arrived that morning as well as browsing through the store's collection of second hand comics.  I bought the brand new issues of Star Wars, and my favorite comic book Invisible Republic.  The store had an impressive wall display as you walk in the front door displaying all of its newest issues and actually had each comic book wrapped in a complimentary protective plastic sleeve which was a nice touch that the comic book stores near our home don't do.  My kids dove into boxes filled with second hand comic books looking to find themselves a treasure with my daughter buying a handful of issues featuring Disney characters for twenty-five cents each and my son taking home with him a giant-sized edition of Marvel Tales celebrating the series 250th issue featuring Spider-Man teaming up with the Fantastic Four for a $1.  Plus we had a great conversation with the store owner on topics ranging from classic comic books, obscure superhero trivia, and his take on current and upcoming comic inspired movies.

Sure maybe comic books isn't your thing but think about your hobbies and interests than find out if there is an indoor option of something to do that ties into it.  Enjoy video games?  Look to see if you can find someplace that has some old school '80s arcade style video games you can challenge your kids to.  Enjoy art? See if there are any local galleries or exhibits to check out.  Maybe you could explore public places and businesses going on a scavenger hunt for examples of local artwork you could enjoy.  Maybe you could find an art class or workshop to participate in.  Be creative!  Check to see if there are local community centers, recreation departments, libraries, nature centers and colleges in the area that may be hosting an indoor activity that you would like to participate in.

2.  Visit a Museum or Historical Site

No matter where you go there will always be a local museum or historical site where the community is celebrating an aspect of its heritage.  We always try to make time on vacation to incorporate an educational element to our trip and find an interesting spot to visit with our kids.  A rain day provides some extra incentive to make a visit a location that has more of a focus on learning than leisure.  While we were waiting for the skies over Traverse City to clear up we visited the Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College.

The facility features a standing exhibit on Inuit artwork.  Inuit are the culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska.  We turned wandering through this gallery as an impromptu social studies lesson for our kids.

 

We had some fun at the building's Discovery Center that provides "hands on" interactive experiences relating to the arts and sciences that both children and adults can participate in and enjoy.  My son loved the Recollections exhibit that transforms your motions into colorful projections while my daughter really enjoyed the Sound Wall which allowed you to create your own musical scores by hitting various patterns of shapes placed on a wall before you.

The Dennos Museum Center also had an interesting temporary exhibit on display Sideways: Exploring Skateboard Art + Culture which our family really enjoyed.  You never know what great unexpected discovery you'll make when you visit local museums like this one during your travels.

 

3.  Go out to Eat Someplace Unique

Find a diner or restaurant that the "locals" frequent and enjoy a meal at a place that you might not otherwise have gone to.  Avoid the chains and touristy destinations and order something adventurous or out of the ordinary for a memorable dining experience.  We picked out the locally owned The Cottage for lunch which really was a warm, comfortable location to take a break to eat.

They had one of the best bargains for a Kids Meal we've seen anywhere!  My daughter had chocolate chip pancakes and my son had a grilled cheese which for $4 came with a huge bowl of fruit and real chocolate milk.  I tried a sip of my daughter's chocolate milk and wow! that sure wasn't hershey syrup poured into white milk ... it was so good!

I enjoyed their meatloaf which The Cottage brags is based on a family recipe and it was very tasty.  It was also covered in mashed potatoes, gravy, and fried onions which I enjoyed every bite of.   The restaurant's specialty which we didn't try but you might want to catch if you happen to be in Traverse City is its All You Can Eat Freshwater Perch which they have been serving for twenty years.  The Cottage is located on Munson Ave a little bit west of the Traverse City State Park

4.  Bring Along Some Travel Games

Enjoy some quality family bonding time by bringing some games along to play on a rainy day.  While attending Blogger Bash 2015, I discovered R & R Games which has a variety of products that are travel friendly and easy to take along with you on vacation.  PANDA HEAD would be a great game to take along for a rain day. This is a card game where the winning Panda is the player who stays awake the longest by scoring the fewest points.  That's correct ... you want to get the fewest points!  The more points you have in your hand the drowsier your Panda gets and you don't want to end up with a Pooped Panda!  PANDA HEAD can be played with 2 to 5 players in 10 to 20 minute games and is recommended for ages 6+.

Another game for ages 6+, note my twins are 6 years old on these recommendations, is Cup-A-Cup which can be played by 3 to 8 players in games that last about 20 minutes.  Roll the dice and quickly identify the missing colored shape then try to be the first person to grab the matching cup off the table.  First to collect three cups WINS!!! Beware though there is a twist to the game that just when you believe you might win another player can swoop in and no cup is safe.  In addition to being a fun game for adults and kids to play together this game also help children with their analytical thinking, memory and reaction speed skills.

Of course I could also spend all day playing Euchre so make sure to bring a good deck of cards along with you as well on any family road trip so they are handy if you need to pass the time on a rained out day.  Euchre's a popular card game that most Michigander's learn to love while they are growing up which involves winning tricks based upon suits that are called trump for winning hands.  I learned to play Euchre as a kid playing cards with my relatives during rainy summer vacation days.  Is Euchre a popular game where you live at?

5. Go Bowling

People may not bowl as much as they used to but it once was one of the most popular sports in the United States and there are still alleys located all over the place.  To help draw in more people, many alleys now also include other features beyond bowling including video game arcades and laser tag.  Often times during the summer months you can also arrange for kids to play free.  So throw on some of those classy bowling shoes and have some fun hurling a ball at some pins.

Traverse City has Lucky Jack's which bills itself as Northern Michigan's Largest Indoor Family Fun Center.  It has 33 lanes of bowling, 8 billiard tables, a 12,000 square foot arcade, laser tag, indoor bumper cars and a laser maze where you have to get out of a room without breaking any of the laser beams.  Check out to see if there might be a bowling alley near where you are going to stay before you leave for your trip in case you are in need to get out of the rain.

While we had an entertaining morning exploring Traverse City my kids were still overjoyed when the sun came out later in the day and we were able to get back to enjoying ourselves at the beach.