Mid-Michigan Dining

As two people who were new to Lansing last year, the “Be A Tourist In Your Own Town” event was a great way to explore our new home.  We only got to maybe twenty of the stops, but we hit the big ones including the Potter Park Zoo, RE Olds Museum, Impressions 5, and a few of the other museums.  This year, we’ll hit the zoo again, but we also plan on finding some of the other things and skip a few of the bigger stops.  Either way, it’s an event that we’ve been looking forward to and plan on getting our passports next for weekend. 

From a Greater Lansing Convention and Visitor’s Bureau press release….

Discover A World of Possibilities In Your Own Backyard During
Be A Tourist In Your Own Town On Saturday, May 30th

LANSING, Mich. – What would you say if someone asked, “What is there to do in Greater Lansing?” If you had to think about it, get ready to discover (or rediscover) your own backyard during the 15th Annual Be A Tourist In Your Own Town celebration. The Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau will host the event on Saturday, May 30th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While a dollar sure doesn’t buy much these days, it’s STILL enough to purchase a Greater Lansing passport, allowing event participants to visit more than 60 local partnering establishments. Old favorites include: Impression 5 Science Center, Potter Park Zoo and the Michigan Historical Museum. Be sure to visit one of the many new stops including, FRAG Center, MSU’s Breslin Center, WKAR Studios and taste the new “Capital City Sundae” ice cream flavor at the MSU Dairy Store. Some attractions will offer a discount on services through June with the passport.

“The tourism industry is a key component of the Greater Lansing economy,” said Tracy Padot, Vice President, Marketing Communications. “Based on a study conducted by Michigan State University, more than 5 million out-of-town guests visit Greater Lansing each year, generating $431 million in direct spending and supporting 7,500 jobs in the tourism sector. We want residents to not only enjoy the leisure options Lansing offers, but also recognize the importance of creating a hospitable environment for our guests by serving as community ambassadors.”

Here’s how the event works:
1. Participants need to purchase a $1 passport from the Celebration Cinema or Meridian Mall customer service desks, the AAA Michigan–Grand River Avenue location, Impression 5 Science Center, Lansing Art Gallery, CATA C.T.C or the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau in Old Town. Passports will also be available on May 30th at information stations throughout the city.
3.Throughout the month of June, “tourists” can have their passport stamped at participating attractions, and once they receive 10 stamps, they are eligible to enter a prize drawing. Participants that get 15 or more stamps, are entered in for the grand prize – a night in a suite at Oldsmobile park and 10 tickets.

2.Passport holders can park at the Breslin Student Events Center on the campus of MSU, in Old Town, at the Lansing Community College parking ramp on N. Grand Avenue or at the lot adjacent to the Michigan Historical Museum and hop aboard one of four CATA Be A Tourist public bus routes. Round trip fares are only 50 cents per person.