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Discover fun and festive things to do in Hickory Corners during Christmas. This small town along Gull Lake in southwestern Michigan is a place I wanted to travel to for the past couple years. It is home to the WK Kellogg Manor House, the former summer residence of the cereal magnate WK Kellogg. And North America’s largest auto museum, the Gilmore Car Museum, is also located in Hickory Corners. While researching Christmas attractions in Michigan, I discovered both the manor and museum hold Christmas events. What better way to spend a day then by visiting both attractions during a Christmas themed day trip in Michigan.
~ History of Hickory Corners ~
First settled in the 1830s, Hickory Corners received its name from a large hickory tree that stood downtown. Among its downtown area, many of the original buildings from the 1800’s still stand, which is a rare site.
Hickory Corners is partially located on Gull Lake, which is where the WK Kellogg Manor House is located. And if you watch the CBS show The Neighborhood, the character Gemma is from Hickory Corners.
~ Things to Do in Hickory Corners During Christmas Map ~
~ Things to Do in Hickory Corners During Christmas Summary ~
When: Saturday afternoon through evening in between Thanksgiving and Christmas
Why: We love history, touring historic homes, attending holiday markets and of course finding and exploring all of Michigan’s hidden gems. The WK Kellogg Manor is definitely one of those hidden gems. Plus, our toddler loves cars! So pairing a visit to the Manor during the day, and then a trip to the museum during the evening makes a perfect day trip to Hickory Corners.
Time Traveled (one way): 1 hour from Grand Rapids, 2 hours from Detroit, 30 minutes from Kalamazoo, 1 hour from Lansing, 3 hours from Traverse City, nearly 3 hours from Chicago, almost 4 hours from Indianapolis
Time Spent at Destination: 4 hours
Budget: $$ – $5 for 2 adults to enter the WK Kellogg Manor, $30 for early dinner at NEDs, $35 for 2 adults to enter the Gilmore Car Museum, money for gifts/souvenirs, gas
~ Places to Stay in Hickory Corners ~
Consider staying longer! Hickory Corners is a 30 minute drive from Kalamazoo. Combining visits to both makes a perfect getaway! Here are some recommended hotels and places to stay in Hickory Corners:
- Higher end hotels – Stay in downtown Kalamazoo at either the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center or Hilton Garden Inn Kalamazoo Downtown. Both hotels are located within walking distance to the Kalamazoo Mall and Bronson Park.
- Mid tier hotels – If you prefer to stay closer to Hickory Corners, there is a Comfort Inn in Plainwell – just a short drive away.
- Budget friendly hotels – There are several safe, affordable hotels in around Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. Consider staying at Baymont by Wyndham Kalamazoo East or Baymont by Wyndham Battle Creek/I-94.
~ Things to Do in Hickory Corners During Christmas Details ~
WK Kellogg Manor House & Gardens
History Of
Stop number one was to Eagle Heights, the former summer house of WK Kellogg, the founder of Kellogg’s. It is named Eagle Heights because it sits on the highest point overlooking Gull Lake. Built 1925-26, in the Tudor Rival style of architecture, the property includes a carriage house, greenhouse, caretaker cottage, boathouse, and authentic Dutch windmill. The manor sits on 32 acres, and cost $747,000 when built.
After its completion, Kellogg deeded the house to the city of Battle Creek. In return, the City gave him a life long lease to live there. Then, in 1942, the deed and lease transferred to the US Government to use as a training center for the Coast Guard. In 1952, the property transferred to Michigan State University to use as a research and educational center. It’s been owned by MSU ever since. Then in 1998, the Kellogg Foundation donated $3.5 million to help restore the manor to its original condition. In order to recreate the interior design, historians used original receipts saved by WK Kellogg from Marshall Fields, his favorite store.
Tudor revival style, which was popular from the 1890’s to 1940s. The greenhouse was originally used to grow roses, other flowers, and citrus fruits. Rare species of trees and shrubs used in landscaping. There are five champion trees on the grounds, which are the largest tree of a species and all are original.
Holiday Events
Christmas is one of the best times to visit the manor. If you’re like me and work Monday to Friday, it’s also one of the only opportunities to tour the inside of the manor. From mid November through mid December, the Kellogg Manor opens up on the weekends for a Holiday Market and interior self guided tours. The cost is $5 per person age five and up. And don’t forget your mask!
The entire second floor of the manor, which is where the bedrooms are located, transforms into a regional makers and artisan market.
After you finish shopping, stop by the dining room for some spiced tea or hot chocolate. There, docents are available to answer any questions and share information on Kellogg’s life and philanthropy.
The Holiday Market takes place on Saturday’s before Christmas from 12-5pm.
Tips & Notable Sights of Interest
Year round the estate is open for tours Monday to Thursday. And if you visit to tour the grounds, pick up a map of the grounds from the brochure rack outside the office doors. The self guided grounds tour takes up to 40 minute sand is less than a mile long. On the tour, make sure you check out the five champion trees, which are the largest tree of a species. And you also need to cross the bridge to Windmill Island to see the authentic Dutch windmill.
To attend the Holiday Market and tour the inside of the manor, make sure to carry cash. It is $5 per person to enter. There is a coat closet and bathrooms available. When inside the manor, you can take photos of everything but the tapestry’s.
Neds on Gull Lake
For delicious pizza, burgers, and grinders, you gotta eat at NEDS. The food is delicious and provides a lot of great options – not just with number of menu items but also size. For example, I could never finish an 8 inch grinder, but the 4 inch option was the perfect amount. NEDS is also super convenient to eat at. It is located halfway between the Kellogg Manor House and Gilmore Car Museum. And if you’re gearing up and excited for igloo season, well… they are back! And NEDS has a couple igloo’s located on their patio.
Gilmore Car Museum
Winter Wonderland
Another great thing to do in Hickory Corners during Christmas is attend Winter Wonderland at the Gilmore Car Museum. This attraction runs November 24 to January 9.
Inside the museum, there are a number of unique Christmas themed attractions to visit. Mixed between the classic cars is a festival of trees, which showcases beautifully decorated Christmas trees. There’s also a Christmas through the decades exhibit and cars inside a big bubble-like snow globe machine. Santa’s present for photo’s. And you can even check out his hot rod workshop, which is located in the museum’s 1930’s Shell Station. Another exciting must visit site, is the inflatable maze leading to a large screen with life sized virtual reindeer. Throughout the museum, there are multiple photo opportunities such as with a replica 1960’s Christmas tree sales lot, frames and seasonal backdrops.
Before leaving, don’t miss the 1.5 mile outdoor drive through light show with 25 different displays, which is included with your ticket. Tickets cost $17.50 for adults, 5-17 are $9.50, and those that are 4 and under are free. Winter Wonderland is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5-9pm with Friday and Saturday open until 10pm.
It is stroller and wheelchair friendly. In fact, there is a lot of space making it easy to socially distance from others.
Tips for Visiting
After our experience visiting Winter Wonderland, I’ve noted a number of great tips to help you make the most of your visit:
- Buy tickets online to save $2.50 rather than purchasing them at the door.
- Arrive right when Winter Wonderland opens as it likely won’t be as busy. Online, the event notes it’s likely to be busy, however, because the museum is large, we never felt like we were waiting to see something or standing too close to another family.
- Eat dinner before arriving. This will keep you ahead of the crowd. When we went, we noticed many parties headed straight to the diner or café first.
- Keep an eye out for the little details. There are some cool, experiential details – like a pedal to push to ‘rev’ a Corvette’s engine, photo opps, and pop culture icon’s – like Fonzie’s motorcycle from Happy Day’s.
- The entire museum is family friendly, for families with kids of all ages. We also observed a lot of couples – both young and old – visiting for a date night.
- In total, it took about an hour and a half to get through the entire museum.
- Tour the museum before you do the drive through lights show. The light show takes about 15 minutes to drive through. Once you’re finished, the path leads you directly to the exit of the museum. And from there, we hopped on the road and headed back home.
- Please note, this drive through light show is by no means, the equivalent of some of the stand alone Christmas light shows, but it is a great additional feature.
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~ Additional Christmas Attractions in Michigan ~
If you’re looking for additional Christmas things to do in Michigan, check out my list of Christmas events that run all season long. And check out this Christmas themed day trip to Rochester.
Have you toured any historic homes or museum’s during the holidays before?
from Michigan with Love,
Jackie
