WINTER AT THE COTTAGE
The hot tub, fire pit, and fireplace feel all the better after venturing out into the crisp air, whether for a few minutes, or a few hours.
WINTER WONDERLAND
There is a magic to this season that no other can match. Come make some unforgettable memories.
WILDWOOD FARMS
Just 20 minutes out from the cottage, this picturesque family farm hosts various winter events in their heated barn and carriage house, or in the beer garden, with fire pits. There are chef led dinners; wine tastings; ice sculpting shows; Taco Tuesdays and Fridays; and winter weekends, featuring food trucks, full bar, and live music.
CIDER & CANVAS
Unleash your inner artist at Red Barn Market, select winter evenings. No prep work or prior experience necessary, as all supplies and instruction (from a college art prof) are included. The kitchen and bar are open all evening, with half off flights and pours of house-made Painted Turtle hard cider, so you can snack and sip as you paint.
VIP ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park, just 15 minutes away, offers intimate guided experiences behind the scenes with select critters during the winter months. Come meet, pet and feed their African penguins, pygmy hippopotamuses, and white rhinoceros, and snag some of your best zoo photos ever. Book early for these encounters!
RED PIN BOWLING
Friday evenings in the winter, red pin bowling comes to Buddy's on the Beach, just across the street from the cottage. It's open to anyone 21 and up, singles, couples, or groups. You bowl 2 games, and then a red pin appears randomly. If it's in the head position, and you roll a strike, you win a prize. Open bowl also available these nights.
CHRISTMAS EVENTS
Early and mid December weekends are packed with festivities. Downtown Lake-O hosts a parade, holiday pop-up stations, and St. Nick. Hometown Holidays in Ionia includes Christmas movies at the historic theater. Of Christmas Past unfolds at Charlton Park, with Santa, hot chestnuts and wassail, and live music. Red Barn Market hosts Santa and reindeer at their Believe event, pictured.
HIKING
Do an event, like the December lantern lit Enchanted Borealist Trail at Ionia State Rec Area, pictured, or choose your own adventure. All paths and access point parking lots are open, at the Rec Area, our local Jordan Lake Trail, just minutes away, and the Eaton Park system in Grand Ledge. Just layer up, and head out.
SLEDDING
Within a half hour of the cottage are two hills that landed in the top twenty best sledding spots for the state. There's Ionia's Bertha Brock Park, pictured, where the occasional sled of a daredevil has been known to break apart on the steep, rolling terrain. And there's Grand Ledge's Fitzgerald Park, whose massive hill has a set of stairs to the top.
TUBING
Want to elevate your sledding experience? Imagine careening down perfectly slick and sculpted hills at warp speed, and then being carpet-carried back to the top. And getting toasty warm at outdoor fire pits and a lodge with hot chocolate and s'mores. This is tubing at Lansing's Hawk Island Park, 45 minutes east.
SKIING
If downhill's your game, head out 45 minutes to Cannonsburg, 65 to Bittersweet (pictured), or 70 to Timber Ridge. If cross country is more your speed, you could be gliding along in mere minutes, right on frozen Jordan Lake, or over at the Jordan Lake Trail. Or head 20 minutes out to Ionia State Rec Area or 25 minutes to Fitzgerald Park or Lincoln Brick Park, in Grand Ledge.
ICE FISHING
Jordan's ice takes a while to set, but it's worth the wait. By the time the shanties spring up, the fish, mostly bluegills, perch, and speckled bass, are good and hungry. Try your luck right on Jordan Lake, or hit the road. Nearby Morrison Lake teems with perch, and Ionia Rec Area's DNR stocked Sessions Lake, with walleye.
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