Are you looking for a change of scenery and new family fun activities? With plenty of educational offerings, festivals and tourist destinations, Flint and Genesee County has just what you’re looking for.
“Genesee County, and the cities within it, really give families the opportunity to enjoy hands-on experiences that are fun but also educational,” says Alaina Wiens the director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau and Marketing for Flint & Genesee. “We’re all about fun and keeping minds active in the summer months.”
Among the options that are sure to keep your kids engaged this summer are the county’s many museums, including the Flint Children’s Museum, which is aimed at ages 2-10 and features exhibits on “Health & Fitness,” “How Things Work” and “Performing Arts.”
The city of Flint also houses a variety of rotating traveling exhibits and historic vehicles from the area. You can see them at the Courtland Center, which is temporarily housing exhibits as the Flint Cultural Center’s Sloan Museum undergoes a remodeling, along with the more than 100-year-old Applewood Estate, which features 34 acres of rolling apple orchards, gardens and historic buildings.
“Applewood would be a place to visit for the summer,” Wiens says. “You can tour the home or garden and you can learn the history of the Mott family.”
Beyond Flint, there’s even more educational fun to be had. Burton, for example, is the home of the 383-acre For-Mar Nature Preserve and Arboretum.
“For-Mar is a really great place to go if you’re looking to hike, raft or (enjoy) time in nature,” Wiens says.
“Everything we do (at For-Mar) is super cool and aims to make connections with our community,” Nicole Ferguson, the head park naturalist at the Preserve says.
This nature spot boasts a classroom-style treehouse that was featured on Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters back in 2016, along with educational classes throughout the season, the “Discovery Backpack” program, which allows families to check out a backpack that helps them explore birds, bugs and other topics – plus the super unique Comic Book trail.
“You can walk the trail and read a page of the comic book along the way,” Ferguson adds.
Of course, educational fun isn’t the only fun to be had in Genesee County. The area also offers 25 parks full of splash pads, playgrounds, hiking trails and beaches for families to enjoy – plus plenty of community fairs and festivals.
“As you get into July, downtown Flint offers Alley Fest where you’ll find art, music and food in the alleys of Flint,” Wiens says. And in August, Flushing has the Back to the Bricks car show.
“Summer is a really busy time across the whole county,” she adds.
“I’d suggest checking to see what is happening throughout the week because there’s a good chance there’s going to be an art show, concert, food truck event or festival.”
For more information about the family fun offerings in Genesee County, or for help planning your trip, visit FlintandGenesee.org.
