Outdoor Fun for the Family
By Danielle Alexander
After over a year of spending most of our time at home, we are all ready to get out again; however, with Covid-19 still a threat, we must continue being as safe as possible. With the weather getting warmer, I figured the community could benefit from some tried-and-true “outdoor-family-outings-during-a-pandemic” ideas, so here’s a roundup of my family’s favorites in and around metro Detroit.
For the animal lovers
Every year for my daughter’s birthday, my mom purchases her—well, really us—a Detroit Zoo membership. Even throughout the pandemic, we’ve been to the zoo a dozen or so times, making the membership still very worth it. Although a restaurant and food stands are open, we usually pack lunch and enjoy a picnic together, always leaving room for a snack or treat to get halfway through—my kids are big fans of Dippin’ Dots’ Rainbow Ice! Masks are required for those five and up, and my kids love visiting the lemurs to show them they have masks on, too.
As for farms, my kids’ favorites are Maybury in Northville, Domino’s Petting Farm in Ann Arbor and Kensington Metropark Farm Center in Milford. Although all three have had to modify their guest experience this last year, we have still enjoyed spending time together visiting and learning about animals at these farms and love how close each one is to downtown areas, so that we can eat at an outdoor restaurant right after.
If you don’t mind making the trek out to Howell, my husband and I highly recommend the Howell Nature Center and its Wild Wonders Wildlife Park, which is a half-mile trail and home to more than 70 permanently-injured and non-releasable Michigan native birds, mammals and reptiles. Near the animals is a natural children’s play area that includes a waterfall to splash and play, sand dunes for digging and more, as well as a tree house that features over 7,000 square feet of fun with ramps, suspension bridges and platforms. Before heading home, you might as well make a stop at M Street Baking Company in Downtown Howell to pick up one of their famous milkshakes— that alone is worth the drive!
For the thrill seekers
When we’re craving thrill but not wanting to make the drive to a large amusement park like Cedar Point or Michigan Adventure, we either drive to Clinton Township’s C.J. Barrymore’s or Novi’s Paradise Park where we can race one another on Go Karts or release some stress on one of the many other outdoor attractions, including the Loop Roller Coaster at C.J.’s.
If everyone in your family is over the age of six, we definitely suggest checking out TreeRunner Adventure Park in West Bloomfield, as well, which has over 250 obstacles, 45 zip lines, six levels of difficulty and 14 different trails. Since neither my husband nor I had done anything like this before, we were thrilled when we found out that no prior climbing experience was necessary!
For the parents in need of some R&R
There are days where the kids are restless, but my husband and I just want to relax. Luckily, there are many metro Detroit parks we can head to. Typically, we’ll pack a picnic dinner or order carryout from one of our favorite restaurants, set up a picnic space either on the grass or at a picnic table and catch up on our week while watching our son and daughter play, taking turns pushing them on the swings. Our family-favorite parks include Scarlet’s Playground at Dodge Park in Commerce Township, Booth Park in Birmingham and Hess-Hathaway Park in Waterford; although all three can get busy on the weekends, we have never struggled to find a spacious spot with a good view of the kiddos.
Beaches are also great for family outings, especially for those families with children who are not still babies or toddlers— sand in the mouth and eyes are the worst! We prefer the beaches at any of the Metroparks as there is usually plenty of space to spread out away from other families and will often pack our bikes and go for a ride on the trails beforehand, so we can relax on the beach and in the water guilt-free.
At home, my husband and I struggle to sit down and watch a film with the kids; it seems like there’s always something we feel we need to be doing around the house. With that said, one relaxing activity the pandemic introduced us to is drive-in movie viewing. Whether at Movie Magic Lakeside in Sterling Heights, Monroe Street Drive-in in Detroit or the 15 Mile Drive-in Theater in West Bloomfield, we love taking showers, getting on our pajamas and heading to the drive-in for a family-friendly film from the comfort of our own car.
Freelance writer Danielle Alexander is a mother of two and the owner of Edify LLC, a tutoring, editing and freelance writing business. She encourages all families to get out of the house and to do as much outside as possible!