Hotels near Michigan's Adventure

Hi All-

Looking for locals and/or regulars at Michigan's Adventure for advice on hotels. My budget is $100 for a night, but would prefer less for a weekend in August. It doesn't have to be fancy, just clean and comfy. Also, any advice on the park itself? Thanks!

Don't park mid-Timbers....

And so it begins.

There aren't any in the area of MA, look in Muskegon They aren't much of a haul from there. Double J ranch in Rothbury will probably be out of your budget and not worth it.

Watch out for the extreme and sudden swings in weather around those parts.

There are several hotels in Whitehall, Michigan, about 15 minutes north of MIA, including a Super 8, a Radisson and a Comfort Inn.

Definitely avoid the Double J.

Hey Alex,

There are some decent hotels near the park but a lot more in Muskegon (as pointed out). Some pretty good ones would be in your budget as well. I could be more of help to you if I knew when you were going.

As for the park itself (I'm taking it would be your first time there) my advice is get there early to avoid having to walk very far to the gate.

There are two game plans that work well:

If you are going for credits, I'd suggest knocking out Shivering Timbers & Wolverine Wildcat early on. Whichever one you want to hit first is up to you, but I can tell you that, outside of the water rides and stuff at the waterpark, Wolverine Wildcat will be your longest wait of the day (so it may be wise to hit that first). From there, hit up Thunderhawk (taking the train or walking).

If you are interested in doing the waterpark, the earlier you do it, the better. The waterpark tends to fill up as the day goes on.

Not trying to be a dick, but have you checked out the hotel sites like hotels.com, priceline, orbitz, etc.? Any time I'm looking for a hotel, it's pretty easy to find the information I need with regards to price, quality (I've always found customer reviews pretty valuable), and proximity to my destination.

Also, for many of the business trips I've taken, Hotwire hasn't failed me, though it's a little more risky since there's no way to tell which hotel you're booking until it's booked. If you're not concerned with brand name, it's a decent way to go.

Not really helpful for the OP, but for those with a bit more in the budget, we use this place for picking up/dropping off our kids at Blue Lake fine arts camp, literally just up the road from MiA. Reserve a corner room; it's worth it. Right on the bay, decent restaurant with waterfront bar (and well-poured drinks) adjacent to the hotel.

http://shorelineinn.com/

Kayak.com has never failed me. They let you know everyones price, not just theirs...and you can book through any of them no problem.

Vater said:

Not trying to be a dick, but have you checked out the hotel sites like hotels.com, priceline, orbitz, etc.?

Yes, I have. Which is what led to to ask here, because I can't find anything I would stay in for under $138, which is the Muskegon Holiday Inn. I didn't know if anybody knew of anything else within an hour of MiA that would be better/more affordable.

Yeah, after a quick search on a couple of those sites, there's nothing I found worth staying in for under $140 either. But there rarely is.

I'd start looking in Grand Rapids then. There are some decent choices between $59 & $100. I already set up a search for you (with random weekend dates) but I hope they don't fluctuate too much on ya.

http://www.kayak.com/hotels#/Grand-Rapids,MI-c21730/2012-08-18/2012-08-19

You could also try Mapquest. Sometimes if you plan your route, there will be a listing of hotels along the way, depending on where you are coming from and how you plan to get there. But, I don't think that it would be that hard to find a hotel in Muskegon. Grand Rapids would probably be a better bet.

I'm not sure where you are coming from, but Fruitport Michigan isn't far from Muskegon, and there is a growing business area there with a shopping mall. I'm sure you could find a decent hotel there. Another place to look is in Norton Shores. Which is a suburb of Muskegon.

I'm not sure, but I think the MA website has a listing of area hotels as well. Since the park is in the middle of nowhere, you won't find a hotel very close by. Like someone else mentioned, you almost have to go north of the park to find something close by. Whitehall or Montague. But, you won't find much there.

I just checked the MA website, and the only listings are to area convention and visitors centers. I looked in the White lake link, and it does list a few hotels in Montague, which is about 10 miles north of Michigan's Adventure.

Thanks, booked the Baymont Inn Grand Rapids Airport. Google maps lists it as 61 minutes away, but I'm sure I can shorten that distance. Might be a bit of a drive but $75 isn't too bad and includes a breakfast. So the plan is to do Wildcat first, then Timbers. Where can I find the best in-park food? Are there any restaurants around the park at all?

Timber-Rider, Norton Shores technically is it's own city and not a suburb (as it's almost the same size as Muskegon). Sadly, when you search Muskegon, Norton Shores hotels are also listed, and they all are expensive (and it all has to deal with the proximity to the lake).

The Airport in Grand Rapids is a little further than the city itself, if you could find a cheaper location in the area of the city or maybe up by Allendale, you would be closer. I'm sure it'd take you less than 61 minutes to get to the park though.

And yes, Wildcat will have the longest line as the day goes on (besides the water rides).

As for restaurants, there are a whole bunch of eateries, but the only indoor, sit-down restaurant is "Coasters" which is located right across from Corkscrew. It's just like the Coasters at the other Cedar Fair parks.