April 2, 2010

Holland, Michigan: Tulip Time Festival; sights to see

Tulip Time Festival  

held in May; 800-822-2770.

Founded by Dutch settlers seeking religious freedom in 1847, Holland, Michigan holds on to many Lowlands traditions. Many of the outlying towns here—some are just tiny bergs--are named after The Netherlands’ 12 provinces. In 1871 a fire destroyed most of the town’s buildings, but the white Pillar Church still stands and performs Dutch services and some Dutch step-style architecture remains. Currently there are 174 churches in town.

Holland is one of the first cities to introduce a snow melt system beneath the sidewalks and streets. Theirs uses 125 miles of plastic piping and recycled warm waste water from a water treatment plant to heat sidewalks and melt the snow.
800-506-1299.

And the perfect time to visit Holland is next month, when the 81st annual Tulip Time Festival celebrates the area's Dutch heritage and blooms with 6 million tulips, 1,500 wooden-shoe dancers (mostly high school girls), and 3 parades. Fireworks and trolley tours are also part of the fun.





More things to do in Holland, Michigan.

More ideas for exploring the U.S.


video cCarole Terwilliger Meyers
(this is my first video, and one of my most popular)

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