Southwest Michigan - Top 10 Holiday Destinations

Actually, southwest Michigan is an ideal getaway any time of year, with lighthouses, antique malls, and wineries. There’s also the thrilling Warren Dunes State Park and its six miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails. And in Holland – the Michigan version, where Dutch immigrants arrived in the mid-1800’s – you’ll find DeZwaan, the only authentic Dutch windmill in the U.S.

Yet it’s only fitting that Holland is the center of the St. Nicholas tradition. At Dutch Village, you can hear Sinterklaas tell the story: how St. Nicholas was an actual Christian bishop some 2000 years ago, how the bishop’s staff became a candy cane, how children set out wooden shoes and stockings on the doorstep, and how the oranges we place in the stockings today symbolize the gold balls that legend says St. Nick used leave behind. In fact, this is all part of a Dutch Winterfest in downtown Holland that features a parade of lights, ice sculpting, and local musical and theater events.