FAMILY FUN
CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA, THOMPSONVILLE, MICH.
If Crystal Mountain brings to mind
a wintertime wonderland, think again.
Yes, it is famed for snow — even voted
by Parents magazine as a Top Ten Snow
Resort for Families — but it also is an all-
inclusive summertime haven for families
looking for fun in the sun and relaxation.
Opened in 1955 as a community ski
area, the resort has been family owned for
almost 50 years, with new enhancements
(including a widely lauded "green" initia-
tive) constantly added to lure travelers
looking for comfortable digs and daytime
adventure set amid a pristine Northern
Michigan backdrop.
Spread out along 1,500 acres of ex-
quisite rolling terrain, and deep peaks
and valleys (there's a reason it's a mecca
for skiers), the resort is just four hours
northwest of Metro Detroit and two hours
southwest of Charlevoix — and offers 250
hotel rooms, suites, condos, town homes
and resort residences, most with in-room
whirlpools, to suit each family's needs.
Visitors' first stop: the Mountain Ad-
venture Zone at the base of the Loki lift at
Camp Totem, where guides can help plan
the best activities for your family, includ-
ing tubing, kayaking and canoe trips along
the nearby Betsie or Platte rivers, paint-
ball, disc golf, mountain biking and more.
Ride the Loki triple chairlift to the top
of Crystal Mountain, then cruise down the
spectacular 250-foot-high, 1,600-foot-
long Crystal Coaster, Michigan's only
alpine slide. Hike through the on-site 30-
acre Michigan Legacy Art Park, where art
and nature integrate seamlessly along the
densely wooded trails;
Cool off at the Park at Water's Edge,
a one-acre watery playground with a
zero-depth entry pool, multi-platforms, a
tumble pail, bubbler jets, water cannon, a
hot tub, 32-foot climbing wall, sand play
area and more.
And practice your swing with the kids
on Family Golf Nights, a package of hot
dogs and nine holes on the Golf Digest
four-star-rated Betsie Valley course (or es-
cape on your own to the panoramic views
of the Mountain Ridge course).
Onsite childcare camps (with arts and
crafts, hikes, field games, fish-feeding and
lunch) and in-room babysitting mean
Mom and Dad can escape to the luxe
Crystal Spa for a dual massage or soak in
the outdoor meditation garden's hot tub.
Maybe treat yourself and your teen to
a Totally 4 U side-by-side massage and
pedi package. Plus, take part in an endless
roster of family activities, including tie-
dyeing, scavenger hunts, life-size checkers,
a family campfire with s'mores and movies
under the stars.
WHILE YOU'RE THERE Drive 40
minutes to the majestic Sleeping Bear
Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake
Michigan for beach time, a dune picnic or
cruise. 27
and dense, verdant forests abound with
a seemingly endless variety of flora and
fauna.
The state park, which offers free admis-
sion, is home to seven areas, including the
popular Old Man's Cave, where a breath-
taking mile-long gorge allows visitors to
peer into the Earth's subsurface. Dotted
with waterfalls, sandstone cliffs and rock
formations, Old Man's Cave is named
after a 19th-century hermit who lived in
the rock shelter and, it is said, was buried
there (the caves also were hideouts for
early bank robbers).
Another favorite is the awe-inspiring
Ash Cave, the largest recess cave in Ohio,
with a horseshoe-shaped rim that spans
700 feet and a dramatic cascading water-
fall. And at Cedar Falls, water plunges 50
feet to feed a stream of sparkling, fresh
water that is home to large snapping tur-
tles, smallmouth bass and more — as well
as, at one time, an early-1800s trading
post used by Indians and early settlers.
WHILE YOU'RE THERE Take
advantage of Hocking Hills' breathtaking
beauty through hiking, rock climbing,
horseback riding, tube floating and more.
Embark on a family-friendly narrated
train ride through the Hocking Hills in a
historic train with Hocking Valley Scenic
Railway (740-753-9531; hvsry.org ); get
up close and personal with wildlife on
a guided kayak tour; canoe under a full
moon; fly through the tree canopy, day or
night, on the Midwest's premiere Zipline
adventure; and explore the region by
horseback to see the paths less traveled.
Play 18 holes under the shade of
100-year-old oak trees at Adventure Golf,
and feed deer and pygmy goats at Ruby's
Petting Zoo, both at Rempel's Grove (old-
edutch.com). Experience the Wild West in
Ohio and bunk on a working cattle ranch,
like Smoke Rise Ranch Resort (800-292-
1737; smokeriseranch.com ). And, if the
kids will allow it, visit the area's many
boutiques, antiques shops, farm stands
and flea markets in the charming towns
of Logan and Lancaster. R -
ORATES: The Pure Michigan Family Va-
cation package starts at $199 per family,
per night; lodging-only starts at $119 per
person, per night.
OCONTACT: (800) 968-7686; crystal-
mountain.com .
HOCKING HILLS, OHIO
If you think Ohio is flat, time for a sec-
ond look. For a back-to-basics, unplugged
reminder of what is spectacular in this
world, head to Ohio's Hocking Hills,
where you can stand behind a crystal-
clear waterfall, take in a soaring 90-foot-
tall rock shelf and hike a craggy cave
— once home to Native Americans, then
frontiersmen and bootleggers.
Southeast of Columbus and a 41A-hour
drive from Metro Detroit, the Hocking
Hills region encompasses 11,000 square
acres defined by the Hocking River Wa-
tershed, which follows the Hocking River
from Lancaster through Logan to the
Ohio River.
The heart of the Hills, though, is the
Hocking Hills State Park, where riv-
ers and streams snake through deep
gorges enveloped by soaring rock faces
www.redthreadmagazine.com
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• CONTACT: For help planning your
trip, including information on the hun-
dreds of hotels, inns, lodges and camping
spots plus restaurants and picnicking
available in the area, call (800) HOCK-
ING or visit 1800hocking.com or
hockinghills.com.
RED THREAD I July 2011 21