Turning Canceled Vacation Plans into a Lansing Staycation

For me, heaven on earth is a perfect little beach town off the coast of Lake Michigan called Pentwater. Between the downtown eateries, shops, walking to the beach, and soaking in those beautiful Lake Michigan sunsets, what’s not to love? My family goes each summer and we pretty much spend the entire year looking forward to it. This year a pandemic hit and we had to put on our adult pants and cancel. I am devastated, but determined to have an amazing vacation…staycation style. Our staycation is going to bring what we love while on vacation to our local area.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Whether it’s a soft-serve cone dipped in hard shell, hard serve cookie dough, or a giant sundae, ice cream is a nightly routine while on vacation. We make an event of it and take our ice cream to watch the sunset or to the park. Lucky for us, Lansing is surrounded by ice cream shops no matter if you are a froyo gal or traditional frozen treat consumer. Even with the stay home order, there is nothing stopping us from getting curbside or drive-thru and heading to a park to see the sunset. We will head out to Lake Lansing South and play in the open field while enjoying a cold treat on a hot summer night.

Backyard Beaches

My son turns two roughly two weeks before our vacation, and I was really looking forward to him being able to explore the beach. He wasn’t quite walking yet last year, so this year felt like it would be the best one yet. It may not be Lake Michigan, but we are bringing the beach to us on our staycation.

I made a makeshift sandbox using a large container and sand from Home Depot. We have a water table, and I got him a $10 pool from Target. This will grant hours of fun in the sun and a very happy little boy. If you have bigger kids, think back to our fun summers in the 90’s and bust out those slip and slides, get out the sprinkler, or find a buddy with a pool. There are a ton of options to splash and have fun in the sun, even on a staycation.

Picnic in the Park

One of my favorite parts of vacation is packing our lunches and snacks then heading to the beach. Since that isn’t in the cards this year, we are going to pick a different venue each day and bring those lunches. On our list are Lake Lansing, Hawk Island, The Meridian Historical Village, the MSU Children’s Garden, and Harris Nature Center, to name a few. Our kiddo loves to be outside and what a nice change of pace it will be to have lunch in the sun. If he were older, we would for sure do a day trip to the lake, but this will still make for fun staycation memories. 

Outdoor Adventures

For those with older kids, we are surrounded by kayaking and canoeing opportunities. Get the family out and stop by River Town Adventures, which opens May 29. We love renting kayaks up north, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the same activity here.

Farmers Markets

Pentwater has a farmers market two days while we are up there and I love perusing and bringing back treats for the family. Fortunately, both the  East Lansing Farmers Market and  the Meridian Township Farmers Market will still be on! Nothing says summer like a sunny day at the farmers market with good finds and smiling faces.

Do we need to be creative? Of course, but let’s be real…we’ve all had to be creative for the past 345,756 days of this pandemic. What I refuse to do is waste a vacation sitting around the house and feeling bummed about what could have been. Pentwater is amazing, but it will be just as amazing next year. This year, we will remember the fun memories we made during unprecedented times, and the memories are all that matters. 

Do you have a must-stop for a Lansing staycation? For a special treat, try picking up something from this list to make your staycation a little more fun!

Jessica Walter
I am a working mom who left the education world after 7 years to pursue my business career. I work as a product developer at a local insurance company and love it. My husband and sons are my world. We struggled for 3 years with fertility prior to adopting our first son. Later, we really wanted him to have a sibling so pursued IVF using donor embryos (because we firmly believe love makes a family) and were then blessed with our second son. When I’m not working or playing the wife/mom role, I love to run, read, bake, write, and tinker with photography. We all have a story to share and I hope some of my experiences will help others.

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