032626 ~ Spring Things! - Nick Nerbonne

0:00It's the springway of doing things on our pure Michigan moment. The Lucian Lanshow 1290 W L B Y Nick Nurban back with us. He is media and digital director at Travel Michigan through the MEDC, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. They have the folks behind the pure Michigan campaign. Nick we made it around the bend and we said a due to winter. We were excited and for me there were some warm temperatures over the weekend and it's been continued this week and it's really inspired me to think about what are some of those spring traditions that we can get out and do. As you can imagine, spring means flowers and we certainly have a bevy of those that are about to bloom here in the state of Michigan. One of my favorites is the delicate spring. I'm going to reveal this really secret

1:00unique trail. It is a great place for walking along and seeing the entire forest floor carpeted with trillium. When I lived up in Traverse City, I would go out to the Pyramid Point Trailhead in Slipping Badoon's National Lakeshore and there are a couple of hillsides that the entire hillside would be blanketed with these white trillium. If you find that time of spring, it is spectacular. Oh, you talked a little bit last week about those and they're just so beautiful. I didn't know how wide spread they are and that fact that when you come across it, it really is a little bit unusual because to see that on full bloom, they kind of stick to one area and it looks really glorious, doesn't it? Yeah, it does and it's one of those things that to me, it's like this is an official sign that I'm like, yeah, warmer temperatures and everything, the snow is melted, but when you start to see those flowers blooming in

2:01the wild, that is absolutely a beautiful site. Next, the cherry blossoms. Tell us about those. Speaking of blooming, I lived in Traverse City for a long time with the cherry capital of the world. Michigan produced over 60% of the nation's cherry crop, the tar cherry crop, and around the Traverse City region, to go out and explore and just kind of drive some of the back roads, especially on old mission peninsula where there are just still cherry orchards up and down the rolling terrain, overlooking the bay. And so when you find one of those viewpoints, you come over a hill and on each side of the road are those pink and white blossoms with the turquoise waters of east and west bay in the distance. It's just an incredible site that you really cannot see in the past. The cherry tree is a beautiful garden with cherry trees. The tradition of the Japanese gift of the cherry tree is to the title based in Washington, D.C.

3:01It inspired that at my garden. Another great place to see the cherry blossoms. Also on Belaya, they have cherry blossoms. A really fun spring activity and beautiful as well. I love that that so many of us take photographs of these scenes around the great state of Michigan. They have a cell phone to do so back when I was growing up. You had to have your camera nearby in order to take photos. And of course, now it's so instantaneous to post them everywhere. Has that really changed the game when it comes to marketing the state of Michigan? So many people want to share it with other people, Nick. It's changed travel. The way we share our experiences along the way and throughout our journey. Share it afterward with our friends because we would develop our film. You know, with digital photography, the availability of our mobile devices and all of the social media profiles that allow us to do that. I personally love Instagram Stories. Excuse me because that

4:02allows me to share things as I'm traveling that day. And if I want to share a little bit larger collection later, I can do that. But it has changed the way we discover new places. But also share them with our friends and family. The great sites in Michigan that are so photographable. The great lakes, light houses. Oh, absolutely. I think over in Port Huron, Fort Greshet Lighthouse, Michigan's oldest lighthouse built in 1414. So another great example there right at the mouth, basically, of the St. Clair River that flows out of Port Huron out of, excuse me, out of Lake Huron down in that area all the way up to the Mackinac Ridge. If you wanted to do a big lighthouse road trip, you can go up through Harbor Beach and Lexington up to Port Austin down through Case Fill around Saginaw Bay to Tawas Point. Going to Great Lakes Lighthouses is such a fantastic activity all year round. But as the spring warms up and it's not quite time to swim, getting some of those

5:02great photos to share on social of the lighthouse. This is a lot of fun. Yeah, that's a good point. We also have a lot of state parks in Michigan. How many do you think? 103 state parks across the state, including Waterloo Recreation Area in Chess, Chess, Chelsea, just outside of at Harbor, which is one of the largest, it's the largest in lower peninsula. There are so many unique places like when I first moved down state from Traverse City to come to work for Michigan and Lansing, I said, you know what? I've never been to Sleepy Hollow State Park. It's just about 20 minutes north of Lansing. And I went over there. It's got lakes, it's got trails. It's even got an accessible fishing pier. So any one of the ability ability can go out there and go fishing right on one of the legs there. So just go on to the Michigan.gov and search for the state parks and see what's out there. There are so many unique places to see. Talking with Nick Nurbin from the state of Michigan's pure Michigan moment and travel Michigan on the Lucian Lanshow, 1290 WLBY. As we're celebrating the beginning of spring

6:02and all the great wonderful sites in our state. Let's go back to flowers in Holland, Michigan. Quite a spectacle coming up. I think we'll talk more about this as this wonderful event approaches, but two of time is a spring tradition for many not just in Michigan, but around the country and beyond. Six million tulips are blooming in Holland and downtown and Windmill Island gardens with home of the famous historic Dutch Windmill that was transported across the Atlantic to Michigan. And I'm telling you, if you have not walked along eighth street and downtown Holland to see all of the ornate tulip gardens as they line the street, it is a site to see. It's very beautiful. I broadcast from tulip time once many years ago and I couldn't believe what I was looking at there. And by the way, as I talk about this every year and I love it, I still have in my closet my little Dutch shoes. My, what do they call

7:02them? It has my name burned into it. They will do that for you there. Isn't that cool? The conditions are wonderful and they even have during tulip time. They have dancing lessons. You can make your own pair of clogs like that. They have all kinds of things really representing the Dutch heritage in the area. Yeah, I was a little girl when we had that done. So I've been there a few times. Next, let's go over to eastern market. Do you know I have never loved it? And flower day is one of the biggest days for eastern market. Everyone what this is. This is a long time tradition in Detroit. And flower day is like you can go and pick it. I want to buy some flowers for my mom for Mother's Day. Okay, you can go do that. But if you wanted to get plants for your entire backyard, you can do that too. 150 plus growers have all different types of agriculture and beautiful flora. You can find there at eastern market throughout the entire property there.

8:02It is definitely a tradition for many because it's so large scale. And it's only one day. So I think Lucian, you should plant on doing that this year. I agree with you. And not only flowers, but eastern market has so much more, right? Yes, absolutely, including subpoenas pizza, some of the best. Ooh, that sounds delicious. Hey, bring it back home to Ann Arbor to conclude our segment today. I'm going to start with the next one. I'm going to start with the flowers. I'm piping up my notes. And it reminded me about the puny garden there at Nichols Arboratum at the arbor. And I still thank you again two years later for correcting me on the puny. Thank you so much for making sure I understand how to do that. But I discovered that while, you know, in Ann Arbor, you know, my sister lives there and it's just such a unique experience. I think it's a great experience to support that and taking more photos to share with my family and friends on

9:02social media. Yeah, last year we had a little problem where someone came and destroyed many of those and it was unbelievable. But I think it gave everyone a new appreciation for something they may take for granted because it's in our backyard, Nick. It kind of calls attention to what a photograph, a white and pink one to your right turn left and there's a bright yellow one with a different blossom shape. It really is something that me is not an expert on hornaculture. I was really blown away the first time I saw it and I can't wait to get back this year. The house I grew up in on Ann Arbor Southeast side. My dad and mom had planted three P&E bushes, um, pink ones for each of the three kids in our family. I was a little mad at myself that I didn't dig those up and take them with me when I moved. But I at the same time think maybe that's where they belong right where they were planted there.

10:02Yeah. And we will go to the arb and we can enjoy the peonies together this year. I love that. We will definitely do that. I'll look for you Nick. Nick Nurbin from Travel Michigan. Your trip begins where? We are going to go to the next year. We are going to talk about the great state of Michigan and all we have to offer Michigan.org. It doesn't get any easier as a website than that name. We love Michigan. And we love Nick Nurbin too from Travel Michigan. The folks behind that pure Michigan campaign. He's on the air every week right here on Ann Arbor's talk station 1290 WLBY.