There are some exciting things happening in Michigan in 2019, from the 60th anniversary of Motown to Goat Yoga!

Detroit

60th Anniversary of Motown Records

There will be dancing in the streets in 2019 as Detroit celebrates the 60th anniversary of Motown Records, founded by Berry Gordy and home to music legends such as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and The Jacksons.

Celebrations will consist of a series of high-profile events led by Hitsville U.S.A., the home of the Motown Museum, including a new exhibit, a spring block party on May 19th in the grounds of the museum with live music, food trucks and free museum tours.

The museum has also launched "Archive Dives," a Facebook video series that will periodically reveal little-seen artefacts from the collection.

The keystone event will be Motown 60th Anniversary Weekend, a three-day affair in September that will include Motown icons and the next generation of artists participating in a black-tie concert dinner, a gospel show and a celebrity golf event.

Shinola Hotel

The first hotel from the Detroit lifestyle, watch and leather goods company, Shinola, opened in January 2019.  The 129-room boutique property is located in the city's Woodward Avenue shopping district and is housed within a mix of newly-constructed and historic buildings, including a former department store. Rooms are outfitted with Shinola products made exclusively for the property, including a desk clock, striped alpaca throw blanket and signature hotel candle.

New Family-Friendly Beach

Opening in the summer of 2019 on Detroit's East Riverfront, Atwater Beach will feature a large, sandy beach; an imaginative children's play scape inspired by a West Coast lifeguard station; a musical garden that will offer children the opportunity to learn about musical sounds; a large shed structure for programs and retail; and a colourful and unique floating barge for food and drink.

Ford Motor Company Acquires Michigan Central Station with New Vision for the Future of Transportation

Ford Motor Company has acquired the iconic Michigan Central Station and plans to transform it into the centerpiece of a vibrant new campus in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood that will serve as an innovation hub for Ford's vision for the future of transportation. Michigan Central Station, shuttered 30 years ago, will be redeveloped over the next three to four years into a magnet for high-tech talent and a regional destination with modern work spaces, retail, restaurants, residential living and more.

Bay City

Bay City will be a host port for the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® (July 18-21, 2019), a series of races and rallies organized by TALL SHIPS AMERICA. In 2019, Bay City also celebrates eighteen years of award-winning maritime festivals and has been named “Port of the Year” four times by TALL SHIPS AMERICA – more than any other host port in North America

South Haven

Mermaid MegaFest (June 14-15, 2019) is where mermaids and mermen gather for an event of imagination, science and family-fun through the wonder of mermaid folklore.

Mermaid MegaFest is a global festival dedicated to the preservation of the planet's aquatic ecosystem. Throughout the two- day event, there will fun activities to promote the Great Lakes natural freshwater resources.

Ludington

Ludington will hold a Guinness World Record-Breaking Attempt (June 8, 2019) by hosting the World's Largest Dessert Party, featuring desserts from downtown Ludington. The first 4,999 people at the event will receive free dessert and be a part of the record-breaking attempt. 

Mackinac Island

New exhibits will debut at Fort Mackinac. Fort Mackinac is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island, which is located between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsula.

The renovated Office exhibit will feature updated period settings and new gallery spaces interpreting the training and duties of the fort's officers. The new North Blockhouse exhibit plunges visitors into an immersive, multimedia presentation, allowing them to step back in time to the War of 1812 and experience the drama of the British capture of Fort Mackinac.

 Lansing

Goat Yoga Michigan is part yoga and part animal-assisted therapy. Located at Williamston's scenic Hilltop Views Farm, Goat Yoga is home to smart, social and profoundly loving goats that join participants during their yoga class. The focus is to combine nature, goats and yoga to create a therapeutic experience that allows participants to disconnect from the stresses of life.

 Grand Rapids

Since its opening in 1995, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has evolved into a major cultural attraction known internationally for its beauty and concentration on horticulture, the environment and the arts.

A new expansion project at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park will include a new welcome centre, covenant learning centre, transportation centre for the outdoor tram tours, expanded and upgraded amphitheatre and more. Completion is planned for 2021. 

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Note to Editors:                   

The State of Michigan is a state blessed with the riches of unspoiled nature: the longest freshwater coastline in the United States, lakes that feel like oceans, shimmering beaches, miles and miles of cherry orchards, glorious sunrises and sunsets, daytime skies of the deepest blue, nighttime skies scattered with stars.

Home to more than 100 public beaches, some of the highest freshwater sand dunes in the world, stunning multi-colored sandstone cliffs, two National Lakeshores and the only national marine sanctuary in the Great Lakes, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron. More than 129 lighthouses, numerous maritime museums, ten shipwreck-diving preserves and historic military fortifications rim Michigan's Great Lakes shoreline.

Lakes, campgrounds, wildlife refuges and 103 Michigan state parks and recreation areas create a wide variety of recreational pursuits. Rivers for water sports, and thousands of miles of hiking, biking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling trails thread their way among some 100 species of trees.

Long days, relaxing weather and more than 650 pristine Michigan courses make for the perfect tee time. Because being able to play all day is Pure Michigan. www.michigan.org

For all PR enquiries please contact Fiona Pettitt- fiona@cellet.co.uk, 01295 722 81