Discover Genesee: River Trails, Nature and Museums

Genesee combines expansive nature with unusual experiences among river landscapes, museums and regional markets. The Genesee County Parks system covers 11,000 acres with forests, rivers, lakes, hiking trails, beaches and campgrounds. This allows you to shape your stay in many different ways: You can make nature and outdoor activities the focus, explore museums, or combine an outing with regional products and historical impressions.

Experience Nature and Choose Your Trails

Those who enjoy exploring on foot will find more than 7 miles of hiking trails at For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum. The 116-acre arboretum includes more than 1,800 woody plants from 157 species. The For-Mar Garden Exploration Space also clearly demonstrates the connections between plants, insects and people. This means the site offers not only room for a walk, but also concrete points of connection for anyone interested in landscapes and observing nature.

The Flint River offers another perspective on the landscape. The Flint River Water Trail extends for 73 miles and has 24 access points. The 17-mile Flint River Trail is part of the Michigan Iron Belle Trail system and runs through downtown Flint north to Richfield County Park. Along the riverbanks, you may spot bald eagles, ospreys, mink, beavers, deer, cormorants and herons, among other wildlife. When choosing your vacation rental, it is therefore worth considering first whether you are more interested in walking paths, river landscapes or a varied mix of nature and city experiences.

Museums, Railroads and Discoveries

Genesee also offers several specific destinations for culture and learning. Longway Planetarium uses 4K projection and immersive shows. Flint Children's Museum features more than 40 immersive and colorful exhibits. In the Discovery Zone, you can explore exhibits on kinetic physics, light displays and collaborative building activities. Those traveling with children can make this museum visit a focus in its own right without limiting their stay exclusively to outdoor activities.

Huckleberry Railroad offers a 40-minute historic ride along Mott Lake and over a section of the historic Pere Marquette route. Crossroads Village was dedicated on July 4, 1976. Together with the museums, this creates a destination where technological, historical and scenic impressions stand side by side. Which vacation rental or vacation home is right for you therefore also depends on whether you are primarily looking for days in nature, museum visits or historic experiences.

Regional Markets and Garden Ideas

The Demonstration Garden at Applewood includes herbs and vegetables and is designed to provide visitors with ideas and inspiration. In addition, year-round indoor markets such as Flint Farmers’ Market and Davison Farmers Market offer products from local agriculture, goods from producers, fast-food restaurants, freshly baked items, and meat and seafood. These places give your trip a culinary and regional dimension.

Getting There and Getting Around Locally

Flint Bishop International Airport is about half a mile from the I-75/US23 and I-69 interchange and has on-site car rental services. MTA Flint’s fixed-route services operate along major transportation corridors and serve areas with large companies, shopping centers, hospitals, colleges and other facilities in the region. MTA Your Ride offers eligible passengers curb-to-curb transportation throughout Genesee County. This information can help you determine, before searching for a vacation rental, which form of transportation best suits your planned days.

More Places to Consider

If you would like to supplement your travel planning with additional location pages, here are the direct destinations Flint, Grand Blanc, Burton, Clio, Mount Morris and Fenton. For comparison with additional destinations, Marquette County and Oakland are also available.

For the broader travel overview: Michigan.