50 Things To Do In Southeast Michigan On Holiday Break

The last thing any parent wants to hear while on holiday break is “I’m bored!”

I’ve been brainstorming ways to keep my own kids occupied {because “Idle hands are the devil’s handiwork” for my crew}…so I’ve come up with some ideas and places to go to stay busy. If you’d prefer to just lounge after the chaos of the holidays, that’s OK too. Parents need to do whatever will work best to promote their sanity 😉

I’ll be sure to add ideas as I spot them too!

100% FREE FUN

• Do some indoor snow painting
• Enjoy some creative play with a simple bed sheet
• Schedule a visit to the Morley Candy Factory in Clinton Township for a free tour.
• Hunt for fairy doors in Northville or in Ann Arbor
• Visit the Detroit Historical Museum in Detroit
• Take a free tour of the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit
• Visit the Detroit Institute of Arts {FREE for Macomb, Oakland or Wayne county residents}
• Visit 35 of the best Detroit street art pieces
• Burn some energy at the indoor structures and soccer field inside 2|42 in Brighton
• Check your library’s website for holiday break events
• Enjoy free admission to the Michigan Science Center in Detroit on Dec. 26
• Visit the MSU Bug House in East Lansing for FREE on Dec. 30

LEARNING

• View dinosaur bones at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills
• Visit the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit
• Check out the new water exhibit, FLOW, at Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing
• Get your STEM on at Robot Garage in Birmingham, Grosse Pointe or Rochester Hills
• Go to LEGOLand and/or SEA LIFE Aquarium – both in Auburn Hills
• Learn about our nation’s history at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn
• Plan a day in Detroit at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center
• Visit the Michigan Science Center in Detroit
• Check out trucks and learn about safety at the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti
• Little ones can learn through play at the Flint Children’s Museum
• Have fun at the Clifford exhibit at Sloan Museum in Flint {closes Dec. 30!}

ADVENTURES

• Check out a new release at the movie theater
• Drive to Hell…Michigan just for fun {fingers crossed it’s frozen over – lol!}
• Visit The Scrap Box in Ann Arbor and create a fun craft out of recycled goods
• Win a prize playing games at C.J. Barrymore’s Sports & Entertainment in Clinton Township
• Have fun running around Chuck E. Cheese’s in Ann Arbor, Canton, Novi, Dearborn, Troy, Southgate, Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, Lansing and Flint
• Visit a community theatre for a kid-friendly production
• Go for a trail ride on horseback at Brighton Rec Stable
• Plan a game night at 3&Up Board Game Lounge in Plymouth
• Play and climb at The Chelsea Treehouse or Jungle Java {multiple locations}
• Zipline through the trees at Adventure Park in West Bloomfield
• Check out the Cosmic Christmas show at Longway Planetarium in Flint
• Paint pottery together at The Ceramic Studio Etc. in Howell
• Enroll the kids in Camp Frosty at the Howell Nature Center 
• Take a day trip to the Imagination Station in Toledo

GET OUT AND MOVE

• Check this list of outdoor fun
• Learn ninja skills at Iron Grip Ninja & Obstacle Training in Howell
• Burn energy at District5 Extreme Air Sports in Lansing or Sky Zone Trampoline Park
• Enjoy tons of inflatables at Jumpin’ Jax in Lansing
• Bounce at Pump It Up! in Auburn Hills, Canton, Shelby Township, Taylor and Wixom
• Climb the walls at Planet Rock in Ann Arbor and Madison Heights
• Take a hike at one of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks
• Go glow-in-the-dark mini-golfing at the Putting Edge in Novi
• Visit a local nature center and learn about animals in winter
• Go bowling
• Head ice skating at an indoor arena
• Visit a community pool for open swim time
• Let kids climb until their heart’s content at Castaway Play Cafe in Howell

For more ideas, visit this list of FREE fun for winter or this list highliting ways to save on admission at area attractions. Or, if you’d like to travel around the state a bit, check out this list of getaways in Michigan.

What do you have planned to keep the kids busy over break? Ideas welcome 😉