Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Holland (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: De Zwaan Windmill, Holland Harbor Light, and Holland Museum. Also, be sure to include Veldheer Tulip Gardens in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Holland (Michigan).
Table of Contents
De Zwaan Windmill
Park in Holland, Michigan. De Zwaan is an authentic Dutch windmill in the city of Holland, Michigan. The windmill's name is Dutch for The Swan or Graceful Bird. It is the oldest authentic, working Dutch windmill in the United States. De Zwaan is located in Windmill Island municipal park.[1]
Holland Harbor Light
Lighthouse. The Holland Harbor Light, known as Big Red, is located in Ottawa County, Michigan at the entrance of a channel connecting Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa, and which gives access to the city of Holland, Michigan.
The lighthouse is on the south side of the channel. There are two modern lights marking the ends of the breakwaters that extend out into the Lake Michigan beyond the lighthouse.[2]
Holland Museum
Museum in Holland, Michigan. Holland Museum in Holland, Michigan is a local historical museum. Located in a landmark, neo-classical former Post Office building next to Centennial Park. The Holland Museum also operates two historic house museums: the Cappon House and the Settlers House museums.
The Holland Museum features, on its main floor, permanent exhibits on Holland's history "From Settlement to City," reflecting Holland's diverse history and multi-ethnic population. Temporary and traveling exhibits are shown in the Wichers Gallery. The new Dutch Galleries, encompassing the second floor, feature 600 years of Dutch art and culture: 17th-19th-century paintings, fine furniture, delftware, silver and original Dutch costumes. The Archives and Research Library on the lower level houses the museum's collection of books, papers and photographs related to Holland's history.
The Cappon House and Settlers House, a few blocks to the west, tell the story of Holland's early settlers with the beautifully preserved and restored living environments of Holland's first mayor and a common worker's family.[3]
Address: 31 W 10th St, 49423-3101 Holland
Veldheer Tulip Gardens
Garden, Park, Gift shop, Arts and crafts
Address: 12755 Quincy St, 49424-8285 Holland
Third Reformed Church of Holland
Church in Holland, Michigan. Third Reformed Church of Holland is a historic church at 111 W. 13th Street in Holland, Michigan. It was built in 1874 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[4]
Address: 111 W 13th St, 49423-3220 Holland
Lake Macatawa
Lake in Michigan. Lake Macatawa is a lake in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is about 6 miles long with a maximum width of 1.2 miles and a surface area of 1,700 acres. The average depth of the lake is variable but generally less than 10 feet, excluding a navigation channel of fixed depth that crosses the lake to allow deep draft ships to access the dock at the City of Holland. The lake occupies portions of Park Township, Holland Township, and the City of Holland.
The lake contains two bays of significant size: Big Bay, and the smaller Pine Creek Bay to the east. The lake is the drowned river mouth of the Macatawa River (formerly known as the Black River), which feeds into the lake's eastern end in the City of Holland. Other tributaries include Pine Creek, which feeds into Pine Creek Bay, and Winstrom Creek, which feeds into Big Bay. The lake discharges into Lake Michigan at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers channel near Holland State Park. The lake and its watershed encompass 114,560 acres (464 km2) of Ottawa and Allegan counties.
The eastern end of the lake is marked by industrial development within the City of Holland, and includes a decommissioned coal-fired power plant, scrap metal recycling facility, environmental research facility owned by Michigan State University, aggregate mineral loading dock, and a pickle production facility owned by the H.J. Heinz company. The remainder of the lakeshore is marked by high-income residential development, with the notable exception of Holland State Park which borders the northern shoreline of the western end of the lake, Howard B. Dunton park on the north shore of the eastern end, and Kollen Park near the Heinz factory, which connects to a boardwalk installed along the shoreline occupied by the facility.[5]
Kruizenga Art Museum
Museum
Address: 271 Columbia Ave, Holland
Isaac Cappon House
The Isaac Cappon House was constructed as a private house, located at 228 West 9th Street in Holland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is now operated as the Cappon House Museum.[6]
Address: 228 W 9th St, Holland
Pillar Church
Church in Holland, Michigan. The Holland Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, now known as the Pillar Church, is a religious structure located at 57 East 10th Street in Holland, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[7]
Address: 57 E 10th St, 49423-3513 Holland
Hope College
Liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan. Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862 and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and retains a Christian atmosphere. Its 125 acres campus is adjacent to the downtown commercial district and has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884.[8]
Address: 160 E 12th St, 49423-3609 Holland
Windmill Island
Island in Holland, Michigan. Windmill Island Gardens is a municipal park located in the city of Holland, Michigan. It is home to the 251-year-old windmill De Zwaan, the only authentic, working Dutch windmill in the United States.[9]