Holland Harbor, Michigan, isn't known as a shopping center, but it a popular destination for people who love sports and the outdoors. Lake Michigan is beautiful, and water sports like boating, parasailing, skiing, swimming, or just enjoying the beach are very popular in Holland Harbor. Bike and hiking trails are plentiful. In the winter, ice skating, cross-country hiking, and fishing opportunities are plentiful in Holland Harbor.
Holland Harbor also offers a variety of festivals and events. The best known is the annual Tulip Time Festival, a celebration of the city's Dutch heritage, where more than six million tulips deck the city. Dutch WinterFest, Fiesta!, and the Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival also provide great entertainment for visitors to Holland Harbor.
Holland Harbor has a humid continental climate with large differences in seasonal temperatures. Summers are warm and can be hot. Winters can be severely cold, and snowfall can be deep - some 26 inches in January. Rains are heaviest in September and lightest in February, while humidity is high, ranging from 80% to 90% throughout the year. Temperatures in Holland Harbor range from an average high of about 27.8°C (82°F) in July and August to an average low of about -7.7°C (18°F) in January and February.
The Holland Museum presents the world of the 1800s Dutch immigration. This Holland Harbor museum exhibits the personal belongings, furnishings, and the memories of the Isaac Cappon family. The nearby Settler's House in Holland Harbor is an example of an 1867 Holland Harbor working class home, in contrast to the Cappon home. The museum also houses an Archives and Research Library with photographs, books, and papers related to the Holland Harbor history. The Dutch Galleries offer a large collection of Dutch fine and decorative arts covering the 17th to 20th Centuries. This Holland Harbor museum is open on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 4pm during the summer.
Holland Harbor's newest attraction is Holland Princess Dinner Cruises. The two-hour trip on a Victorian-style paddlewheel boat includes the "Captain's Feast," a cash bar, and great music. The boat cruises from Holland Harbor past the beautiful scenery Lakes Macatawa and Michigan. The dinner cruises operate from the middle of June until late September. Both public and private cruises are available. Both lunch and dinner cruises operate daily. Tickets for the lunch cruise are $35 per person, and tickets for the dinner cruise cost $50 for adults, $30 for teenagers, and $20 for children aged 3 through 12. Private charters are popular for corporate outings, weddings, reunions, and school field trips.
One of Holland Harbor's popular attractions is Nelis' Dutch Village, ten acres of Dutch gardens, canals, and architecture. The theme park recalls the Netherlands of a century ago. A 25-bell carillon greets visitors who delight in watching the Klompen (wooden shoe) dancers. The Frisian farmhouse and barn show how Dutch farm families lived, and the wooden shoe factory produces hand-carved shoes (klompen). Kids love feeding the farm animals, riding the antique carousel, or riding the Zweefmolen (or Dutch Swing Ride). Adults can sample Dutch foods, play an authentic Amsterdam street organ, or find out if they are guilty of witchcraft on a 200-year-old witches scale.
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