Vandenberg Dining Hall

A true gem to visit!! We did two tours back-to-back & I'd highly recommend this option. First we went to the very first guided house tour of the day & we followed up with the guided behind-the-scenes tour. You get see the main parts of the historic house in the regular tour & then see how the house was run and how the staff got around in the behind-the-scenes tour. Just be aware that there are a lot of stairs in that tour. There was a wedding on the day we went so we couldn't do much exploring of the grounds, but we'll be back!!

I love stopping at this place when I get up into Michigan. It is such a beautiful home and has a few different tour options for the avid history lover or just a casual traveler on a fun trip. You must get your tickets in advance from their website and it looks like (at the time of this posting) a regular adult ticket was only $15. I am excited to come back around Christmas time to see the holiday tour and then also for the new winter wonder lights event. 😊 can't wait to visit again.

This was incredible. The lights were amazing, and we were lucky enough to go on a warm-ish night (12/23/2021). The tickets included both outside and inside. A total wonderful perk was that they were selling hot cocoa (optionally with Bailey's!) and other yummy things on the tour route. Highly recommend, and can't wait to do again.

Meadow Brook Hall. This was NOT our first time coming here, it's usually locked down, but today, it was open. It needs to be open more often. We did some looking around. It needs some cleaning up. Also a re-paint would help. Just needs some love. I would give it more stars, but the place REALLY needs some love. Recommended if you have not seen a big castle. A real castle.

Very impressive mansion. Gardens are gorgeous in the summer. This winter they are hosting a wonderful holiday light show. The lights were very bright, colorful, and animated. What a sight ! There was a food vendor with hot cider, drinks and a variety of hot food including brats, hot dogs, soup etc. The show included a brief tour indoors. The house was well decorated for the holidays and it gave you a chance to warm up a little :-)

You can take a guided tour inside for a fee, and walk around the garden for free. The gardens are very well maintained with so much attention to detail with colors, textures and height. It is a great place for a wedding, or just a stroll on a sunny day. There was music playing through speakers in the main pavilion as you enter, just adds to the lovely ambiance.

This is an absolute must see if you're going to be in the area. Expect to spend 1 to 3 hours at the estate depending on your tour, weather and grounds conditions. You can also do a quick walk around in 15 to 20 minutes. I like to walk through the Japanese Garden from the parking lot to the house. It is a much more dramatic reveal when you walk around the end of the garage and the view of the house opens up.