How to Have a Pure Michigan Summer

by Tori Moore

If you grew up in the Mitten, you already have images floating around of the great lakes, roller coasters, and those weird stick/tube shaped popsicle/freezepop/ice-creams that no one knows what to call (you know the ones). Below are a few ways every Michigan native does summer. Even if you aren't from our great state, take notes, 'cause it's fun.

1. Cedar Point

"Cedar Pooo-ooint, Fun and Only." Even though it was in Ohio, Cedar Point was the greatest summer escape, every. single. summer. But somehow, you never got tired of it. With nearly 20 roller coasters, a kids' park, a water park, and great food. it's hard not to have a good time, no matter what the age. Whether you stuck to the ferris wheel or tested your bravery on the dragster, it was always one of your best summer memories. Don't forget your photo with Snoopy!

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2. Faygo

Faygo - Detroit's very own pop! (Yes, we say pop here. What is soda?!) After a long day of riding your bike back and forth, it was nice to go to the Party Store (or the liquor store, or the corner store, whatever you called it) and crack one of these babies open. We all had a favorite flavor, whether it was Rock'n'Rye or Redpop. They tasted best with a bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or Barbecue Lays. The best part? They were much cheaper than the average Coke or Pepsi all while having a million flavors.

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3. Going Up North

Up north... the upper peninsula? West? East? Only an hour away? Basically, up north is a blanket name for anywhere slightly north that you went when going out of town. Your family usually had a cabin and you guys spent a lot of time on the water and having bonfires. When you tell your Michigan friends you're going up north, no questions. If you have out-of-state friends, you have to explain.

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4. .....These things?

Whatever they were, we don't know. We just called them popsicles and freeze pops. And they tasted good after a long day of being outside. And the longest wait of your life was after the grocery store when they had to have time to freeze.
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5. GOOOOOOO Tigers!

Literally every single child from Michigan has either attended a Tiger's game down in Detroit in their over-sized hat and jersey, or had to watch their dad scream at the T.V. when they were losing. If you lived close to Detroit, you can bet that you went to at least one game every summer. You know that Opening Day is like a party for Detroit and the surrounding areas, whether you attended the game or not. And don't forget the Eat Em' Up Tigers guy.

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6. Tubing and Four-Wheeling

These activities usually happened Up North, but you know that many times in the summer, you went to your uncle, cousin, grandpa, friend-of-a-friend, or whoever's house and rode four-wheelers and even went tubing in the lake.

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7. Carnivals

Your parents hated it, you loved it. Those sketchy carnivals that rolled into your town every summer were always so much fun...until you got older and realized the rides could probably break at any given moment. Nonetheless, they were still awesome memories.

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8. Superman Ice Cream

Or blue moon. We don't know exactly what the taste is, we just know it's good. You can't get this at Dairy Queen!

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9.  Mackinac Island

​If you're especially lucky, you got to travel to Mackinac Island for a summer trip. And no, it's not Mack-in-ACK. The fudge, the shops, the horses, the bikes....all for amazing memories in the U.P.

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10. Metroparks

This may or may not be a Michigan thing, but you spent time in the metroparks at least a little bit every summer. Especially the ones that had wave pools and lakes.

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11. Maury and Jerry Springer

This one probably only applies to the kids who stayed home alone in the summer while their parents were at work, but you know you watched these shows when they came on at noon. You'd enjoy a grilled cheese and some Lays while you watched today's scandal. YOU ARE NOT THE FATHER!!!

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