Written by Brooke Weatherford
Holt
Holt, also known as Delhi township, is located south-east of Lansing.
Holt is a unique community because it effortlessly joins the warm, small
town feel of a rural area, with the comfortability of a suburban
community, while still maintaining the benefits of being located near
the larger cities of Lansing and East Lansing. Holt recently received a
Gold status for the
Michigan Green Community Challenge, recognizing the outstanding efforts to be an environmentally sustainable

community. Holt hosts a number of events, including the
Farmers Market ,
and Music in the Garden, which is a free event occurring Thursdays in
July at the Veterans Memorial Park. Speaking of parks, Holt is home to
100 acres of parks, creating a beautiful scene for outdoor recreation.
The
Holt Public Schools
are among the best in Mid-Michigan, with the spotlight on the
beautifully renovated Holt Senior High, which offer a wide array of
sports, extracurricular activities and a top notch teaching staff.
Overall, Holt is a wonderful, balanced community.
St. Johns
Twenty minutes north of Lansing is St. Johns, also known as the Mint
Festival City. St. Johns is, for the most part, a rural community;
however, it is home to a few big attractions that bring in people from
all over the state. The first of these is the annual
Mint Festival, which celebrates the town’s 100+ years of mint farming, held in early August. The Mint Festival brings together a

variety
of events, family activities, and vendors of food, crafts, and flea
market items. The Mint Festival is a source of pride for the town as it
is an exciting event for people from all over the area. Another St.
Johns attraction is
Uncle John’s Cider Mill and Fruithouse Winery.
Located on the primary artery to northern Michigan, Uncle John’s is an
autumn destination for picking pumpkins, eating homemade doughnuts,
drinking fresh-pressed apple cider and wagon ride orchard tours.
Visitors can actually watch the entire process of making that delicious
cider. Family-oriented fun abounds with tons of fall and Halloween
themed activities such as a haunted house, hayride through the pumpkin
patch, playground and train rides. It provides fun for the whole family
and brings great tourism to St. Johns. Lastly, St. Johns is home to
Sleepy Hollow State Park which provides a host of recreational
activities such as camping, fishing, canoing and kayaking. The park
also features miles of marked trails for hiking, cross-country skiing
and horseback riding. So, although St. Johns is a small town, there are
some big benefits to calling it home, or even just stopping by for some
cider or mint!
Charlotte

Charlotte is located 25 minutes south of Lansing and is the seat of
Eaton County. The town has easy access to interstates 69, 96 and 94,
making for a comfortable commute to and from Lansing. The “
Frontier Days Festival”
city has much to offer, including a healthy array of downtown shops,
restaurants and businesses. With both big chains, and small,
family-owned businesses, the business district can cater to your needs.
Charlotte has an abundance of high quality, yet affordable, houses as
well as charming historic homes. The townspeople value their town’s
heritage and preserving historic sites like the beautiful
Courthouse Square Museum.
Charlotte is home to multiple parks; Bennett Park, Lincoln Park and
Veterans Memorial Park are the largest. During the summer, free concerts
are held at Veterans Memorial Park for all to enjoy. The Eaton Country
Fairgrounds are located here, the site for the annual 4-H fair. As for
educational opportunities, Charlotte has an award winning public school
system and state of the art facilities to make sure the kids get a
successful education. The Charlotte Performing Arts Center is the crown
jewel of the high school and regularly hosts regionally acclaimed
artists. Charlotte is only 15 minutes away from Olivet College.
Charlotte brings the community together for a number of festivals each
year, including the Celebrate Charlotte! Festival held on Father’s Day
weekend each year, the Wilder Bluegrass Festival, Frontier Days, and a
few holiday events such as a Halloween costume parade, and holiday light
parade. So, if you’re looking for a small town with some big
character, stop off the highway and visit Charlotte.
Grand Ledge
Grand Ledge is located 13 miles west of Lansing, and is most commonly
known for its 300-million year old sandstone quartz rock ledges that
extend up the banks of the Grand River. Grand Ledge is a great location
for outdoor enthusiasts who still enjoy close proximity to city life.
The abundant parks and nature trails system, in addition with its
residence along the Grand River, provide a multitude of outdoor
activities. Oak Park is the gateway to “The Ledges” of the town, which
provides some of the only natural rock climbing in Michigan. The most
intense ledges run along the North side of the river, with more family
friendly, scenic trails on the south side. Climbers come from all over
the state to experience this landmark. Other parks in town include
Fitzgerald Park, Island Park, and Lincoln Brick Park. At these parks you
can find up to

3 miles of nature trails, baseball diamonds, basketball courts,
volleyball courts, disk golf courses, playgrounds, canoe launches,
picnic pavilions, swimming beaches, and cross country skiing trails.
There is no shortage of
recreational activity venues in
this town. Grand Ledge hosts a number of other attractions, including
horseback riding at Sundance Stables, Ledge Meadows Golf Course, and the
Michigan Princess Riverboat .
Grand Ledge boasts a great public school system that provides students
access to new computers, wireless classrooms, and advanced technology,
along with award-winning performing arts and athletic programs. The
town’s close proximity to Lansing, East Lansing, and Michigan State
University provides a number of cultural, social and entertainment
opportunities just a short drive away. Grand Ledge is a town that
provides many ways for you to enjoy nature’s gifts, while staying close
to the benefits of city life.