Michigan Activity Pass Program Expands With Michigan State Parks

Petoskey State Park

It may not look like Spring or Summer outside, but that should not stop vacation plans for the upcoming warmer seasons in 2015. Included in those plans could be trips to museums or state parks for free or discounted prices via the Michigan Activity Pass.

The Michigan Activity Pass is brought to you by The Library Network, made up of 65 libraries in Southeast Michigan. The program was started in 2013 and has now been renewed for a third season, beginning May 24^th, 2015. More than 400 libraries and organizations participate in the program, which encourages learning during the summer months.

A new partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources now adds the 102 state parks found in the state of Michigan. This means some people could save on a normal $11 annual pass to Michigan state parks. It also means you could check out some of our favorites like the PJ Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon or these state parks that border Lake Michigan.

PJ Hoffmaster State Park

There is a long list of participating locations, which changes each year. Here are some highlights I found:

• Holocaust Memorial Center
• Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum
• Jiffy Mix Factory Tour
• Michigan Firehouse Museum
• Mid Michigan Children’s Museum (Saginaw)
• Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum (Marquette)
• Neil’s Dutch Village
• Saginaw Art Museum

Michigan Activity Passes can be obtained from participating libraries. The passes are good for seven days once printed out. Each library has five passes per week for each participating location in the program. The new 2015 Michigan Activity Pass program kicks off May 24^th.  Until then, you can enjoy the current program and the participating locations.

Several new locations have already announced their intention of joining the 2015 program. This includes:

• Mann House Historic Site (Concord)
• Walker Tavern Historic Site (Brooklyn)
• Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic Site (Cass City)
• Tawas Point Lighthouse (East Tawas)
• Civilian Conservation Corps Museum (Roscommon)
• Hartwick Pines Logging Museum (Grayling)
• Father Marquette National Museum (St. Ignace)
• Fayette Historic Town Site (Garden)
• Michigan Iron Industry Museum (Negaunee)
• Wilkins Historic Site (Copper Harbor)
• Michigan Historical Museum (Lansing)

Fayette State Park

Of course, two of those areas have been featured in separate articles on Travel the Mitten. You can check out those posts on Fayette and Ft. Wilkins for more information on why you should plan a visit. This is an exciting program and another way to save money on visiting museums and state parks throughout the year. Also don’t forget Bank of America members can attend several Michigan museums for free the first weekend of every month.