Where in Michigan can you travel to see both a glimpse of Paris and a medieval looking castle? Mecosta County! Now, to be honest, I initially was annoyed with family for booking a weekend of golf at the Canadian Lakes over my birthday weekend. However, I took this as an opportunity to do a little research and plan a fun day trip to explore the best of Mecosta County.

During this day trip, we visited several historic sites that blew my mind! This year, I’ve challenged myself to plan day trips to places where we can learn more about Black history in Michigan. Well, shocked we were when we found out that Mecosta County was an extremely diverse community when settled in the 1860’s! Interracial marriages and integrated schools were accepted over 100 years before they were in the rest of the US!