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Perhaps it's because my summer vacation is going to be spent driving through Michigan on our way to the UP, but this latest roundup of cool stuff to do in Michigan from the state tourism office caught my eye. Thought I'd pass it along. More info is at michigan.org.

ARTFUL HIGHWAY

Fill up the tank and head due west for a cruise on the Blue Star Highway to land in Saugatuck for the annual Waterfront Film Festival June 12-15. The Chicago Tribune praises the event as a "laid back Sundance"; Screen Actor Guild magazine ranked it as one of the top five film festivals. Flick fans flock to Lake Michigan’s coastline to suspend disbelief for three days and see indie films made in the US. Considered a "middle coast" venue for independent filmmakers to show their artwork to sophisticated audiences, this event has grown from its inception in 1999. 

Got T? Model T owners can drive their Tin Lizzies right into Greenfield Village, the living history museum in Dearborn (with special pass). It’s the Year of the Car in Michigan, in recognition of the centennials of the 1908 founding of General Motors and Henry Ford’s creation of the Model T. Not surprisingly, it’s possible to immerse oneself in everything Model T, through daily programs and occasional events at the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. Visitors can get hands-on experience building a Model T (miniature and full-size) at the Museum, and take a "Model T 101" class in the Village. The annual Motor Muster June 14-15 features cars from the 1930s through the ‘70s, this year with a special exhibit of "T-bucket" hot rods from the 1950s and 60s. No T? This is the only place in the U.S. where visitors can ride along in an authentic Model T, "the car that put the world on wheels."

MARITIME REALITY SHOW

Visitors can submerge in their own maritime reality show by exploring shipwrecks in real time via live video feeds from the depths of Thunder Bay. The facts and lore surrounding nearly 200 shipwrecks in and around Thunder Bay will be available for maritime history buffs to check out this summer at Alpena’s Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. Serving as a regional resource for maritime history, underwater archaeology, and Great Lakes research, this "green" sustainable building is on track to become certified at the Gold level by the Green Building Council’s LEED Program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The free opening exhibit celebration is scheduled for June 15.

SIX IF BY SEA

Led by the Highlander Sea, the "flagship ambassador" for Michigan’s Blue Water Area, the billowing sails of a half dozen tall ships will delight visitors at the Sail Port Huron festival, June 27-29. In addition to the Highlander Sea, participating vessels include the Pride of Baltimore II, a replica of an 1812 Baltimore clipper topsail schooner, and Niagara, a reproduction of Commander Oliver Hazard Perry’s warship in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813. Activities on land at Vantage Point include an art fair, live music and food, plus fireworks Saturday night.

Located on a 65-acre estate on Old Mission Peninsula, in one of the most scenic areas of the Great Lakes, Chateau Chantal winery celebrates its 15th anniversary in July. What began as a cherry orchard developed by a former priest and Felician sister, this old world winery has reaped several awards for its exceptional wines and offers a charming bed & breakfast plus culinary classes. The Chateau Chantal cherry trees were replaced were with the grafted vinifera grape vines – the same type of wine grape grown along other parts of the 45th parallel in the Bordeaux region of France. 

It’s going to be a party with a purpose with plenty of high voltage music and fun. The Rothbury Festival, July 3-6 at the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury (the Double JJ is one of my family's favs) will corral more than 70 bands including Dave Matthews, Snoop Dogg, John Mayer and Widespread Panic. This year’s festival theme: Finding Energy Independence Scientists have been invited to participate in a "think tank" to lead discussions on clean energy and climate change. Enter the Tripolee Dome for a three-hour music show, yoga workshops, Earth Harp instructions or learn to be a DJ. Watch the Conscious Alliance build the largest "cansculpture" to attempt a Guinness World Record with cans later donated to the Rothbury Food Drive, or see new art installations that will be created to raise awareness of political, social and environmental issues. 

It has about 200 seeds, grows in all 83 Michigan counties, and is the preferred fruit of more than half of kids ages 7 to 9. This member of the rose family is the first fruit to ripen in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula each spring, and its season runs through July in the Upper Peninsula. It is celebrated at festivals---from Belleville in mid-June to the U.P. town of Chassell in July. It is delicious in pies, over shortcake, and by the handful at U-Pick farms across the state.

The Traverse City Film Festival (July 29 – Aug 3) has grown to become one of the largest film festivals in the Midwest, and one of the most respected in the country. Last year, there were over 80,000 admissions to nearly 100 screenings, a number of them U.S. or world premieres. A special emphasis is given to foreign films, American independents, documentaries, and films which have been overlooked but deserve the attention of a public starved to see a good movie. The festival also presents classic movies free of charge on a giant, inflatable outdoor screen overlooking Grand Traverse Bay in the Open Space Park at dusk. Panel discussions with directors, writers, actors, and other members of the film industry are offered daily. This year, five hundred and forty lucky film fans will get to see the all-time queen of popular Michigan’s own -- the one and only, Madonna -- live in person when she brings her new documentary, "I Am Because We Are," to the TCFF this summer. 

71st annual Independence Day parade is preceded by fireworks on the Detroit River on June 27.

The precision flying U.S. Navy Blue Angels launch the 82nd celebration of the region’s fruit at numerous sites around Traverse City and along Grand Traverse Bay. With more than 150 scheduled events there’s something for all ages, from colorful parades to sporting events, contests, and carnival rides and games.