The last day we were in Grand Rapids, we went up to Cedar Creek to Deer Tracks Junction. It’s a privately run animal farm and safari. You can choose to go through the safari or the petting zoo. Or you can choose both for a different price. I highly recommend doing both. They are both incredible.
We chose to go through the Safari first. You can buy a small bucket of feed to give to the animals as you drive through. The animals know this and they come to the car. You roll up your windows and don’t feed the bears when you drive through their pen!
First, there was a llama who stuck his head in the car. He must get a lot of food because he wasn’t hungry. He did have part of a green plant stuck between his tooth. I guess he didn’t have a mirror to see how silly it looked. We were able to feed bison, deer, ostriches, and several other animals. Martha started screaming when the ostriches came running toward the car.
I would recommend saving some food for the deer toward the end of the safari. I don’t think they got as much food and they seemed a lot hungrier than the other animals. You don’t drive very fast, but you do have a lot of stops to feed the animals.
You might need to wash your car afterward. We had bison slobber on our window. We all thoroughly enjoyed the safari and it’s great for kids of all ages, even after they’re married. It makes great memories!
Then we went inside. They have an ice cream shop inside with great ice cream. I think we all got something there. They also have a lot of cool stuffed animals inside. It was all very well done and I think it’s all owned and run by a family.
Then we went to the petting zoo. Marty couldn’t walk that much so she sat and waited on us. We were able to feed baby bears (with long grippers of course). We held bunnies, baby pigs, and several other animals. I think the kids enjoyed this part as much as the safari.
After we left there, we drove to Holland Michigan. We went to the windmill in Holland. It is a windmill that was built 245 years ago in The Netherlands. It was moved to Holland Michigan in 1964. It was called De Zwaan which means The Swan or Graceful Bird.
They built canals, flower beds and a lot of smaller Dutch buildings around it. It was very informational to learn how they ground the grain and got it up to the grinding wheels. A set of grinding wheels can weigh up to 3.5 tons. The top of the windmill rotates to keep the arms facing the wind. Quite an engineering feat.
The grounds around the windmill were beautiful also. There were flower gardens and paths all over the place. We also went to one of the stores that sold Dutch things and wooden shoes. It was a great place to spend a few hours.
I highly recommend taking a few days in the Grand Rapids Michigan area to visit a few of the things we were able to experience.
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