Things to Do in Michigan With Kids: 24 Family Favorites

Last Updated: September 2026

The best things to do in Michigan with kids range from free aquariums and hands-on museums in Metro Detroit to sand dunes, amusement parks, and a glass-clear spring in the Upper Peninsula you cross on a hand-pulled raft. Here are 18 family favorites, sorted by region, with a full Detroit guide linked for the rest, with what’s changed, what’s seasonal, and which ones cost nothing at all.

From the Upper Peninsula to Metro Detroit, Michigan is made for kids, with loads of outdoor adventures and some pretty cool indoor attractions for winter, too. Whether you’re planning a summer road trip or need spring break ideas close to home, start here.

The simplest way to plan is by region. Metro Detroit is where the rainy-day options are, and you can easily fill a weekend without driving more than 30 minutes between stops. West Michigan is summer country, with dunes, farms, and the state’s biggest amusement park. Northern Michigan and the U.P. are the big-nature trips, where the attractions are mostly outdoors and many close or cut back hours after Labor Day or mid-October. Here’s what I’d do with a mixed-age group: pair one “wow” nature stop with one indoor fallback in the same area, so a cold, rainy day doesn’t sink the trip.

Things to Do With Kids in Southeast Michigan and Metro Detroit

LEGOLAND Discovery Center, SEA LIFE, and Peppa Pig World of Play

Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, Auburn Hills

Three kid attractions sit side by side inside Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, which makes this the best rainy-day plan in Michigan. LEGOLAND Discovery Center is an indoor LEGO playground with two rides, a 4D cinema, build-and-test zones, and MINILAND, where Detroit landmarks are built entirely from LEGO bricks.

Next door, SEA LIFE bills itself as Michigan’s largest aquarium, with sharks, rays, and sea turtles, a touch pool with sea stars and anemones, and a walk-through ocean tunnel. Around the corner, Peppa Pig World of Play has 14 play areas themed to the TV show, from Peppa’s Treehouse to Granddad Dog’s Garage, for kids 6 months to 8 years. Adults can’t visit Peppa without a child, and kids need socks.

Pro tip: Park at the mall’s Entrance 7, between SEA LIFE and the Rainforest Cafe, and buy combo tickets online if you’re doing more than one of the three. You’ll save money and skip the line on a rainy Saturday.

Belle Isle Park

Jefferson Ave. and E. Grand Blvd., Detroit

Belle Isle Park, the island state park in the Detroit River, is packed with free things for kids. The Belle Isle Aquarium, North America’s oldest, is open Thursday through Sunday and stays open during a renovation. The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is full of tropical plants, and the Belle Isle Nature Center is where you’ll find the animals now; the old Belle Isle Zoo closed years ago, whatever older guides say. Add a picnic by the river, a playground, and the Giant Slide in summer.

Driving onto the island takes a Recreation Passport, but walking, biking, or riding the DDOT #12 Conant bus is free. Check hours on the DNR’s Belle Isle Park page, then keep going along the Detroit Riverwalk.

Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum

20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, MI 48124

Little kids love trains, and most big ones do, too. At Greenfield Village, you can ride a steam train, a Model T, and a century-old carousel, then walk into Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park lab and the Wright brothers’ bicycle shop. Rides are ticketed separately from admission, or you can buy the unlimited Ride Pass.

Next door, the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is the rainy-day half of the trip, with the Rosa Parks bus inside. The village runs on a seasonal schedule with special evening events around Halloween and the holidays, so check dates before you go. The Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak is a good second stop on a Metro Detroit weekend.

That’s just the start of Southeast Michigan. The riverfront’s new Centennial Park, the free People Mover, the DIA, the Michigan Science Center, Ann Arbor’s museums, and a dozen more are in my full guide to things to do in Detroit with kids.

Things to Do With Kids in West Michigan

Millennium Park, Grand Rapids

1415 Maynard Ave. SW, Walker, MI 49534

This huge Kent County park is an easy full day, with miles of trails, fishing ponds, playgrounds, and a summer beach and splash pad. It’s a free-to-roam break between the paid attractions on a Grand Rapids weekend.

Nelis’ Dutch Village

12350 James St., Holland, MI 49424

This Dutch theme park celebrates Holland’s roots in the Netherlands, with a replica village, a petting farm, a carousel and other small rides, and Dutch treats like banket, an almond pastry. It’s seasonal, so check hours before you go.

Bumbleberry Acres Farm

6906 103rd Ave., South Haven, MI 49090

Whether it’s blueberry season or pumpkin season, this U-pick farm near South Haven has kid-sized fun, from miniature farm animals to a barrel train and a fall corn maze.

Binder Park Zoo

7400 Division Dr., Battle Creek, MI 49014

The star here is Wild Africa, a savanna where giraffes, zebras, and ostriches roam together. Kids can hand-feed the giraffes from the Twiga Overlook deck with lettuce you buy there. It’s a long walk out, so take the tram if little legs are tired, and look for the “Fall into the Zoo” weekends in October.

Silver Lake Sand Dunes

Silver Lake State Park, Mears

Silver Lake Sand Dunes is endless sand between Silver Lake and Lake Michigan. Older kids love riding the dunes: bring your own off-road vehicle or book a dune ride or rental with one of the outfitters in town, and give the little ones the beach on the Silver Lake side.

Michigan’s Adventure

4750 Whitehall Rd., Muskegon, MI 49445

Michigan’s largest amusement park has roller coasters for the big kids, Camp Snoopy’s family rides for the little ones, and the WildWater Adventure water park. It’s under new operator Enchanted Parks for 2026, its 70th season, and it’s a summer-only park: check the calendar before you plan a fall visit, since it closed on September 1 last year. You’re minutes from P.J. Hoffmaster State Park and the Lake Michigan beaches, and Grand Haven is a short drive south.

Things to Do in Northern Michigan With Kids

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Visitor center: 9922 W. Front St., Empire, MI 49630

Climb the Dune Climb, then race back down and rinse the sand off in Lake Michigan. The shallow, slow-moving Crystal River is a gentle first kayak or tube float for younger kids, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive is the payoff drive at the end of the day. You’ll need a national park entrance pass. There’s more in my guide to northern Michigan with kids and my best Michigan beaches.

Great Wolf Lodge Traverse City

3575 N. US-31 S., Traverse City, MI 49684

Looking for more than a day trip? Great Wolf Lodge’s indoor water park works year-round, and it’s in one of Michigan’s best travel destinations, Traverse City. Avalanche Bay at Boyne Mountain is the other big northern option, and I’ve rounded up more indoor water parks in Michigan.

Mystery Town USA

200 S. Nicolet St., Mackinaw City, MI 49701

A walk-through series of themed rooms on famous mysteries, from Atlantis and Area 51 to Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and Michigan’s own Dogman. Is it a tourist trap? Maybe, but it’s good old-fashioned fun. Afterward, picnic at Alexander Henry Park with a view of the Mackinac Bridge, or head across to the island; see where to stay on Mackinac Island.

Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula With Kids

Kitch-iti-kipi at Palms Book State Park

Near Manistique

Kitch-iti-kipi, the Big Spring, is Michigan’s largest freshwater spring, and the water is so clear kids can watch trout glide over sunken logs far below. The best part is the hand-pulled raft that the kids get to crank across the spring themselves. You’ll need a Recreation Passport, and there’s a playground if the raft line is long.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Headquarters: N8391 Sand Point Rd., Munising, MI 49862

Towering, colorful sandstone cliffs line the Lake Superior shore here, and the best things to do with kids are simple: skip rocks, look for wildflowers, and hike to a waterfall. Miners Falls is a good family hike, and the easiest way to see the cliffs with young kids is a Pictured Rocks boat tour out of Munising. The Munising Falls trail is closed after storm damage, and pets aren’t allowed on some trails, so check before you go. More in my Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore guide and things to do in Marquette, about 45 minutes west.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park

41382 W. M-123, Paradise, MI 49768

Tahquamenon Falls State Park has two sets of falls, and the amber “root beer” Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. For kids, the Lower Falls is the fun one: rent a rowboat and paddle out to the island between the cascades. The park has campgrounds and trails, and you’ll need a Recreation Passport. If your family loves waterfalls, I’ve got more waterfalls in Michigan worth the drive, plus tips for hunting glowing Yooperlite rocks nearby.

Soo Locks

Soo Locks Park, W. Portage Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

Any future engineers in the family? At the Soo Locks, ships are lifted and lowered about 21 feet between Lake Superior and the lower lakes, and kids can watch freighters pass from the viewing platform. The Army Corps visitor center is free, but pets and bikes aren’t allowed in the park and everyone goes through a security check. For a closer look, ride through the locks with a Soo Locks boat tour, or tour the freighter Museum Ship Valley Camp, open through mid-October. More in my Upper Peninsula travel guide.

More Great Places to Visit in Michigan With Kids

• Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island
• Gull Lake near Battle Creek
• The Whirlpool Compass Fountain splash pad in St. Joseph
• Frankenmuth, Michigan’s Little Bavaria
• The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena
• An old-fashioned drive-in theater, like the Cherry Bowl in Honor

Michigan With Kids: Questions & Answers

What are the best free things to do in Michigan with kids?

The Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit, the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History in Ann Arbor, and the Soo Locks Visitor Center are all free. The Detroit Institute of Arts is free for residents of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, and Michigan’s public beaches cost nothing beyond parking or a park pass.

What can you do with kids in Michigan on a rainy day?

Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills has LEGOLAND Discovery Center, SEA LIFE Aquarium, and Peppa Pig World of Play under one roof. The Henry Ford Museum, the Michigan Science Center, the DIA, and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum are all indoors, and Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City has an indoor water park.

Do you need a pass for Michigan state parks?

Yes, to drive in. A Michigan Recreation Passport covers vehicle entry to state parks like Belle Isle, Kitch-iti-kipi, Tahquamenon Falls, and Silver Lake. Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks are national lakeshores and need a separate national park entrance pass.

Pick one region, mix one big outdoor stop with an indoor backup, and leave room for the unplanned stuff, like the ice cream stand the kids spot from the car. Then come back next season and try another corner of the state.

More Things to Do in Michigan