#1: Go ice climbing in Fenton

Whether you want to do an adventurous or a classic winter activity, Fenton and Genesee County have you covered. One day you could be ice skating, and the next … you could be ice climbing! It’s one reason Fenton is such a fantastic winter bucket list destination. No matter your level of experience, Peabody Ice Climbing offers a safe environment where you can climb 45-foot and 72-foot ice towers. At The Barn Hockey Ice Rink, you can spend some time ice skating on the hockey rink.

Photo via Facebook / Peabody Ice Climbing

#2: Go fat tire biking in Alpena

If you’re a Michigan biking fan, the biking season doesn’t have to end when snow starts to fall. All you need is a fat tire bike to ride Nordic trails. The North Eastern State Trail follows the former Detroit and Mackinac Railway from Alpena to Cheboygan for 71 miles. The Chippewa Hills Pathway has 9 miles of trails that offer some of the most varied terrain for biking adventures. Rockport State Recreation Area has about 8 miles of trails for fat tire biking. The Norway Ridge Pathway is a 7-mile trail that passes through sandy ridges and tall red pine trees. The scenery is just beautiful as you ride.

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#3: Plan a Nordic ski adventure in Marquette

The Upper Peninsula is a hot spot for outdoor recreation all year round. And when Marquette turns white in the winter, Nordic skiers from all over Michigan and the country can’t wait to plan their next adventure. The Noquemanon Trail Network has more than 78 miles of Nordic ski trails, and a good chunk of those are located in the Marquette area. For more moderately difficult Nordic skiing, the Blueberry Ridge Pathway is a favorite in the U.P. It’s named after the jack pine forest blueberry patches that litter the area. In the winter, it’s home to more than 13.5 miles of groomed ski trails and seven trail loops.

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#4: Go downhill skiing in Petoskey

While Michigan gets an average of about 64 inches of snow every year, Petoskey gets a whopping 111 inches! Because of that, it’s no surprise that the area has several ski resorts and lodges that facilitate downhill skiing and other winter recreation. If you’re a skiing enthusiast, add at least one of these Petoskey ski resorts to your winter itinerary. Offering accommodations and everything that you need for winter skiing, Boyne Highlands is a four-season resort just north of Petoskey in Harbor Springs. For a more intimate skiing experience, check out Nub’s Nob. This ski area and resort is exceptional at grooming the runs and offers private ski lessons. Another large resort, Boyne Mountain is just south of Petoskey in Boyne Falls. The 60 runs offer plenty of thrilling opportunities for all skiers.

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#5: Experience the Flint cultural center

With a rich history, Flint, Michigan is a center for arts and culture. Sprinkled around downtown are several murals on the sides of city buildings, an effort of the Flint Public Art Project that is spread throughout the city. Downtown Flint is known for its attractions, restaurants, and boutique shops too.

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#6: Experience a true Michigan winter festival

A lot of Michigan cities love to celebrate the snow and ice that cold weather brings with winter festivals. For 30 years, Zehnder’s has been hosting the Zehnder’s Snowfest, one of the most iconic ice and snow sculpting competitions in the nation (Jan. 26-30). Tip-Up Town USA is the longest running winter festival in Michigan (Jan. 22-23), featuring a polar bear dip, live entertainment, races, and winter games. Grand Haven Winterfest (Jan. 27-30) will feature a range of outdoor events with fun for the whole family. Just outside of Detroit, the Plymouth Ice Festival (Feb. 11-13) is a world-class event that involves exploring more than 65 ice carvings in downtown Plymouth. Winter Weekend In Downtown Petoskey (Feb. 19-27) is a celebration of the season with more than 30 ice sculptures. The Sault Ste Marie Downtown Winter Ice Festival (mid-February) is an exciting event where you get to watch as more than 50 award-winning sculptures are made using blowtorches, chainsaws, and chisels. The event usually includes a penguin parade too. Michigan Technological University in Houghton has hosted the Winter Carnival (Feb. 9-12) since 1922. This annual winter event, which celebrates 100 years this year, has become one of the biggest in the country.

Photo via Joe Ross / Flickr Creative Commons

#7: Explore the Eben Ice Caves

Michigan is full of unique destinations and the Eben Ice Caves, within the Rock River Canyon Wilderness of the Upper Peninsula, is one of them. The Eben Ice Caves are the result of water that seeps through the sandstone of the Rock River and Silver Creek canyons. The water freezes as it flows over the cliff edges, creating remarkable stalactites and ice curtains over the bedrock undercuts. Standing up to 50 feet high, the ice has a yellow hue against the nearby cedar trees and sandstone.

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#8: Try an Olympic sport at the Kalamazoo Curling Club

In addition to hockey and ice skating, curling is a fun sport that can be played on any ice rink — indoor or outdoor. If you’re interested in learning more about this winter activity, put Kalamazoo on your Michigan winter bucket list. Since 2008, the Kalamazoo Curling Club has been providing a place for locals and visitors to participate in this Olympic sport. It was established by a group of people who simply like curling and wanted a place to do it with more people. The Kalamazoo Curling Club offers experiences for all skill levels, including rookies.

Photo via Shutterstock

#9: Try an authentic banya at The Schvitz

Do you love saunas during the winter? We find it difficult to survive the cold winters without them, which is why The Schvitz Detroit is one of our top places to visit. It has an authentic banya, which is a Russian steam bath that’s heated with a wood stove. Established in 1930, The Schvitz was the original urban health club in Detroit and is the only historic bathhouse still remaining. As such, it’s more than a bathhouse: It’s a cultural institution and storied landmark that helps you unwind in an ancient environment. Over the years, it has continued to offer old-world holistic healing and heat therapies.

Photo by Tony Lowe

#10: Freeze for a cause with a Polar Plunge

Every year, the Law Enforcement Torch Run raises awareness and more than $1.2 million for Special Olympics Michigan athletes through a series of Polar Plunge events across the state. It’s the largest fundraiser for the organization. Other Polar Plunges include the Super Plunge (Jan. 21-22 at the Unified Sports and Inclusion Center in Grand Rapids), Monroe (Jan. 23 at Brass Monkey & Quatro’s), Jackson (Jan. 29 at the Eagle’s Nest Bar & Grill), Muskegon (Jan. 29 at Fricano’s Muskegon Lake), Southwest Michigan Plunge (Feb. 5 at Watermark Brewing in Stevensville), Fenton (Feb. 5 at the Fenton Moose Lodge), Holland (Feb. 5 at the Holland Elks Lodge), Mt. Pleasant (Feb. 12 at O’Kelly/Wayside), Munising (Feb. 12 at East Channel Brewing Company), Otsego (Feb. 13 at the Bittersweet Ski Resort), Grand Traverse Bay (Feb. 19 at the Centerpointe Marina / Visions Banquet Center), Alpena (Feb. 19 at The Sand Bar & Grill), Detroit (March 4 at Atwater Brewery & Milliken State Park/Harbor), and Marquette (March 19 at the Up North Lodge).

Photo via Special Olympics Michigan / Flickr Creative Commons

#11: Fly down one of Michigan's two luge tracks

If you love sledding but want more speed, you have to try lugeing. This type of tobogganing involves racing down an icy track on a small sled at up to 35 mph. Professional lugers — like those you see in the Olympics — can reach speeds of up to 90 mph. You can only go lugeing on specifically made tracks. There are only four luge tracks in the United States, and Michigan is fortunate to have two of them: Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park and the Upper Peninsula Luge Club.

Photo via Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park / Facebook

#12: Taste the Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail

Just because winter brings cold weather and snow doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy wine at a Michigan vineyard. With its location along the 45th parallel, the Greater Traverse City area has dozens of wineries and vineyards. For our winter bucket list, we favor the Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail because you can visit them all in a single day, or spread out your visits.

Photo via Shutterstock

#13: Dash through the snow on a snowmobile trail

While dashing through the snow can be fun in a horse-drawn sleigh, it doesn’t compare to snowmobiling. Hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails cut through most of Michigan. Some of our favorite Michigan snowmobile trails are in Alger County, Sault Ste Marie, Alcona County, trails between Gaylord and Mackinaw City, the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park, and the William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail State Park.

Photo via Shutterstock

#14: Immerse yourself in the Kalamazoo Air Zoo

For indoor amusement and learning opportunities in one place, you can’t go wrong with a visit to the Air Zoo. It actually has two facilities in Portage/Kalamazoo — the Flight Innovation Center and Flight Discovery Center — and you can easily travel between them to see and do everything. The Kalamazoo Air Zoo is home to more than 100 air and space artifacts, about a dozen exhibits, aerospace-related shows, and indoor amusement rides.

Photo via Air Zoo / Facebook

#15: Warm up with a unique & local coffee shop

There’s nothing like grabbing a hot cup of coffee (or other hot beverage) to start a winter day or warm up after playing in the snow. Michigan has an abundance of coffee shops, but several of our favorite Michigan coffee shops are Moose Jackson Cafe in Iron Mountain; North Woods Coffee Guys in Atlanta; Brew in Traverse City; Drip Drop Drink in Muskegon; Foster Coffee Company in Owosso, Flint, and East Lansing; and RoosRoast Coffee in Ann Arbor.

Photo via Brew Traverse City / Facebook

#16: Stargaze in these dark sky spots

Did you know that winter is an exciting time for stargazers? Being so far north, Michiganders have the opportunity to see the Northern Lights. Clear nights during winter offer the best viewing experience, and the farther north you go, the better your experience will be. These include Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, Whitefish Point (a U.P. cape near the infamous SS Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck), Wilderness State Park in Carp Lake, Port Crescent State Park in Port Austin, the Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Clayton, and Dr. Lawless International Dark Sky Park in Vandalia.

Photo via Shutterstock

#17: Take a snowshoeing adventure

Snowshoes have been around for thousands of years and used by numerous cultures as a tool for traversing snowy terrain. Now, snowshoeing is an enjoyable winter activity for people who love to be in nature. Some of the best Michigan destinations for snowshoeing in Marquette, Alpena, Petoskey, Hanson Hills Recreation, Burton, and the Fort Custer Recreation Area in Augusta.

Photo via Shutterstock

#18: Sled or tube down these Michigan hills

Did you know that sledding is an ancient form of transportation and has been a recreational activity for centuries? These activities have become classic ways to have fun with family and friends in the snow. Some great places for snow tubing and sledding around the state include the John & Melissa Besse Sports Park in Gladstone, Timberlee Hills in Traverse City, Snow Snake Ski & Golf in Harrison, Hawk Island Park near downtown Lansing, and Echo Valley in Kalamazoo.

Photo via Shutterstock

#19: Experience the U.P. Pond Hockey Tournament

For the 15th year, the St. Ignace Visitors Bureau and Labatt Brewing Company are sponsoring the Labatt Blue U.P. Pond Hockey Championship in St. Ignace (Feb. 17-20). It’s the largest pond hockey tournament in Michigan and one of the biggest in North America. Additionally, it’s one of only a few events where a Great Lake serves as a pond. About 200 teams have participated, some of them coming from as far away as Prague.

Photo via Discover St. Ignace / Facebook

#20: Capture a snowy winter view

Have you seen breathtaking Michigan winter photos in your social media timeline? Places in Michigan where you can capture similar (or better) views include Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Hogback Mountain in Marquette, the frozen waterfalls in the U.P., Upper and Lower Falls at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Wagner Falls in Munising, and Miners Falls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Ocqueoc Falls, the largest and only natural waterfall in the lower peninsula.

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