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HOLLAND, MICHIGAN, USA – If you’re longing to experience a bit of the Netherlands, without the expense and time commitment of an overseas flight, you can get a taste in the town of Holland, Michigan.
Holland, which served as a haven for Dutch immigrants in the mid-1800’s, still retains a strong Dutch influence that visitors can enjoy at several key locations.
For the maximum Dutch experience, visit Holland during May’s internationally famous annual Tulip Time Festival. Over 500,000 visitors flock here each year to enjoy the colorful flowers, eat authentic Dutch food, watch Dutch dancing, and otherwise celebrate all things Dutch. Even if you can’t be there for the festival itself, you can still marvel at acres upon acres of rolling fields covered in the brilliant rainbow hued tulips in May. There’s even a special variety created specifically for the festival.
Holland offers a variety of Dutch experiences the rest of the year too. A great place to start is Windmill Island Gardens. This park, owned and operated by the city of Holland, features 36 acres of meticulously manicured gardens, dikes, canals and picnic areas. Over 50,000 tulips blossom here each year, setting the scene for the park’s recreated Dutch village. You can watch a film about Dutch windmills at the Posthouse museum, an exact replica of a 14th century wayside inn. Kids and adults alike will delight at riding the 1911 Dutch carousel and listening to the joyous cacophony of an authentic 1928 Carl Frei street organ (pictured left), a gift from the city of Amsterdam. But the undeniable star of this attraction is “De Zwaan," the only authentic working Dutch windmill in the United States (pictured top of this post). As tall as a 12-story building, De Zwann (meaning the Swan) towers over the grounds, beckoning visitors to the gardens from near and far and serving as the focal point of countless treasured vacation photos.
Much more than just set decoration, this 17th century windmill, brought to the United States in 1964, actually still works! The city of Holland had to promise the Dutch government that the mill would actually remain functional, as well as be accessible to the public for touring, in order to secure its possession. At the helm of these operations is Alisa Crawford (pictured right), the only Dutch certified miller in the US.
Operating a 240 year old Dutch windmill might seem like on odd professional choice for a pretty, petite Midwest Mom, but for historian Crawford, who started apprenticing at a mill when she was 17, it presented a rare opportunity to connect with history in a hands-on way. She learned enough Dutch to study in the Netherlands and pass the vigorous exams need to become a certified Dutch Miller. At first her fellow students – all Dutch and all men, didn’t know what to make of the American woman, but when they saw how dedicated and serious she was, she earned their respect.
Today Alisa oversees all of De Zwaan’s operations and maintenance. Her duties include the daredevil task of climbing the mill’s tall exterior blades in order to attach canvas sails that help maximize the wind’s efficiency. She then grinds grain into whole wheat or “graham” flour that visitors can purchase at the park’s gift shop.
Costumed docents lead tour groups through the mill, explaining its workings and history. Our guide, June Prins, told of a visiting World War II veteran who immediately recognized De Zwann when he saw the windwill. He claimed the mill had saved his life, along with another soldier, when they had used it as a hiding place from German troops. In those days the stairs that allow guests easy access didn’t exist, the two had to climb the mill’s inner skeleton frame in order to reach safe refuge in the upper rafters.
In summer months, costumed dancers and folk music fill the Windmill Island gardens. Year round the beautifully landscaped grounds provide colorful backdrops for visiting tourists and special private parties and events.
Tulips, Wooden Shoes and Delftware
Another stop on the Holland, Michigan Dutch tour is the Veldheer Tulip Garden and the adjacent De Klomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory.
Holland's only tulip farm perennial garden began as a hobby in 1950 when Vern Veldheer planted 100 red tulips and 300 white tulips. Today Veldheer's plants over five million tulips! Visitors can enjoy a colorful stroll through the gardens and marvel at all the varieties brought in from around the world. For best tulip viewing, go between mid April to mid May.
Next door you can watch authentic Dutch wooden shoes being carved from chunks of poplar wood. Dutch machinery, specially designed to carve out the wooden shoes, do the work with the skilled help of a Dutch trained wooden shoe carver. It takes 5-10 minutes to carve the shoes -- the two lathes simultaneously turning in opposite directions to make a matched left and right pair, and another half hour or so to finish them. Sanding and any customization are done by hand. The factory makes wooden shoes from a small doll sized to an adult 14, everyone in the family can go home with a pair. The shoes can be customized with almost anything you can imagine, for that personalized stylish touch.
Gardeners might especially want to pick up a pair of the practical footwear that can hold their own against mud, moisture, falling heavy objects, and other gardening challenges.
Sharing the building with the wooden shoes factory you’ll find North America’s only delftware production facility, offering over 300 different hand painted Dutch pottery items. Visitors can follow the process of making these fine pottery items; from pouring liquid clay into molds, to firing at 2,000ºF, then interacting with artists as they hand paint Dutch designs before glazing each item. As you might expect, the Dutch souvenir shopping is at its best here.
The Holland Museum
For a more serious look at Dutch art, furniture and artifacts, head to the Holland Museum housed in the area’s former post office. Exhibits focus on the story of the early Dutch settlement and its development into a thriving and diverse city. Special cultural attractions from the "old country" include Dutch paintings and decorative arts, and exhibits from the Netherlands Pavilion of the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Other permanent exhibits explore aspects of local history including Lake Michigan maritime, shipwrecks and resorts; agriculture and manufacturing; service to the community; the religious foundation of the "Holland Kolonie"; and an illustrated timeline of area history including its increasing ethnic diversity. The 2nd floor features four new galleries displaying a growing collection of 17th to 19th century Dutch paintings and decorative arts.
Dutch Eats
When you get hungry, head to the De Boer Bakkerji and Dutch Brothers Restaurant, Holland’s only authentic Dutch restaurant and bakery.
Jakob De Boer came to the United States in 1956 at the age of four. A fourth generation Dutch baker, Jakob learned the business from his father, the same way he has taught his sons Samuel and Mitch, who work side by side with him every day.
For Samuel, the appeal of his job comes from taking very basic ingredients and transforming them into something spectacular. The public undoubtedly agrees, with locals crowding the shop each day to purchase the family’s world class home made breads, pastries and cookies.
The restaurant attached to the DeBoer Bakkerji is a casual, family friendly place that serves up hearty sandwiches, homemade soups and salads, and filling entrees. In addition to standard coffee shop type fare you can get some Dutch favorites like Pigs in a Blanket and De Boer’s famous Pea Soup. The portions are huge and the prices reasonable, and everyone in your party is sure to find something on the menu they will enjoy. Save room for dessert or take some to go, but either way don’t miss out on De Boer’s out-of-this-world baked goods.
Check out the Related Travel article links below for details of our favorite things to do see and eat in and around Holland, Grand Haven, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Windmill Island Gardens is located at 1 Lincoln Ave. in Holland, Michigan 49423; phone 616-355-1030 or click to www.CityOfHolland.com.
The Veldheer Tulip Garden, and De Klomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory are located at 12755 Quincy St. in Holland, Michigan, 49424. Phone 616-399-1900 or click to www.Veldheer.com.
The Holland Museum can be found at 31 W. 10th St. in Holland, Michigan 49423; Phone 616-392-9084 or click to www.HollandMuseum.org.
The DeBoer Bakkerji and Dutch Brothers Restaurant is located at 360 Douglas Ave. in Holland, Michigan 49424. Phone 616-396-2253.
For more information about visiting Holland, Michigan, visit the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.Holland.org or phone 616-394-0000.
For information about visiting Michigan in general, check out the official Travel Michigan website at www.Michigan.org or phone 800-373-2489.
For more information about Holland, Michigan’s Annual Tulip Festival, visit the Tulip Time website at www.tuliptime.com.
Articles Cooking School USA Midwest
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Holland, which served as a haven for Dutch immigrants in the mid-1800’s, still retains a strong Dutch influence that visitors can enjoy at several key locations.
For the maximum Dutch experience, visit Holland during May’s internationally famous annual Tulip Time Festival. Over 500,000 visitors flock here each year to enjoy the colorful flowers, eat authentic Dutch food, watch Dutch dancing, and otherwise celebrate all things Dutch. Even if you can’t be there for the festival itself, you can still marvel at acres upon acres of rolling fields covered in the brilliant rainbow hued tulips in May. There’s even a special variety created specifically for the festival.
Holland offers a variety of Dutch experiences the rest of the year too. A great place to start is Windmill Island Gardens. This park, owned and operated by the city of Holland, features 36 acres of meticulously manicured gardens, dikes, canals and picnic areas. Over 50,000 tulips blossom here each year, setting the scene for the park’s recreated Dutch village. You can watch a film about Dutch windmills at the Posthouse museum, an exact replica of a 14th century wayside inn. Kids and adults alike will delight at riding the 1911 Dutch carousel and listening to the joyous cacophony of an authentic 1928 Carl Frei street organ (pictured left), a gift from the city of Amsterdam. But the undeniable star of this attraction is “De Zwaan," the only authentic working Dutch windmill in the United States (pictured top of this post). As tall as a 12-story building, De Zwann (meaning the Swan) towers over the grounds, beckoning visitors to the gardens from near and far and serving as the focal point of countless treasured vacation photos.
Much more than just set decoration, this 17th century windmill, brought to the United States in 1964, actually still works! The city of Holland had to promise the Dutch government that the mill would actually remain functional, as well as be accessible to the public for touring, in order to secure its possession. At the helm of these operations is Alisa Crawford (pictured right), the only Dutch certified miller in the US.
Operating a 240 year old Dutch windmill might seem like on odd professional choice for a pretty, petite Midwest Mom, but for historian Crawford, who started apprenticing at a mill when she was 17, it presented a rare opportunity to connect with history in a hands-on way. She learned enough Dutch to study in the Netherlands and pass the vigorous exams need to become a certified Dutch Miller. At first her fellow students – all Dutch and all men, didn’t know what to make of the American woman, but when they saw how dedicated and serious she was, she earned their respect.
Today Alisa oversees all of De Zwaan’s operations and maintenance. Her duties include the daredevil task of climbing the mill’s tall exterior blades in order to attach canvas sails that help maximize the wind’s efficiency. She then grinds grain into whole wheat or “graham” flour that visitors can purchase at the park’s gift shop.
Costumed docents lead tour groups through the mill, explaining its workings and history. Our guide, June Prins, told of a visiting World War II veteran who immediately recognized De Zwann when he saw the windwill. He claimed the mill had saved his life, along with another soldier, when they had used it as a hiding place from German troops. In those days the stairs that allow guests easy access didn’t exist, the two had to climb the mill’s inner skeleton frame in order to reach safe refuge in the upper rafters.
In summer months, costumed dancers and folk music fill the Windmill Island gardens. Year round the beautifully landscaped grounds provide colorful backdrops for visiting tourists and special private parties and events.
Tulips, Wooden Shoes and Delftware Another stop on the Holland, Michigan Dutch tour is the Veldheer Tulip Garden and the adjacent De Klomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory.
Holland's only tulip farm perennial garden began as a hobby in 1950 when Vern Veldheer planted 100 red tulips and 300 white tulips. Today Veldheer's plants over five million tulips! Visitors can enjoy a colorful stroll through the gardens and marvel at all the varieties brought in from around the world. For best tulip viewing, go between mid April to mid May.
Next door you can watch authentic Dutch wooden shoes being carved from chunks of poplar wood. Dutch machinery, specially designed to carve out the wooden shoes, do the work with the skilled help of a Dutch trained wooden shoe carver. It takes 5-10 minutes to carve the shoes -- the two lathes simultaneously turning in opposite directions to make a matched left and right pair, and another half hour or so to finish them. Sanding and any customization are done by hand. The factory makes wooden shoes from a small doll sized to an adult 14, everyone in the family can go home with a pair. The shoes can be customized with almost anything you can imagine, for that personalized stylish touch.
Gardeners might especially want to pick up a pair of the practical footwear that can hold their own against mud, moisture, falling heavy objects, and other gardening challenges.
Sharing the building with the wooden shoes factory you’ll find North America’s only delftware production facility, offering over 300 different hand painted Dutch pottery items. Visitors can follow the process of making these fine pottery items; from pouring liquid clay into molds, to firing at 2,000ºF, then interacting with artists as they hand paint Dutch designs before glazing each item. As you might expect, the Dutch souvenir shopping is at its best here.
The Holland Museum
For a more serious look at Dutch art, furniture and artifacts, head to the Holland Museum housed in the area’s former post office. Exhibits focus on the story of the early Dutch settlement and its development into a thriving and diverse city. Special cultural attractions from the "old country" include Dutch paintings and decorative arts, and exhibits from the Netherlands Pavilion of the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Other permanent exhibits explore aspects of local history including Lake Michigan maritime, shipwrecks and resorts; agriculture and manufacturing; service to the community; the religious foundation of the "Holland Kolonie"; and an illustrated timeline of area history including its increasing ethnic diversity. The 2nd floor features four new galleries displaying a growing collection of 17th to 19th century Dutch paintings and decorative arts.
Dutch Eats When you get hungry, head to the De Boer Bakkerji and Dutch Brothers Restaurant, Holland’s only authentic Dutch restaurant and bakery.
Jakob De Boer came to the United States in 1956 at the age of four. A fourth generation Dutch baker, Jakob learned the business from his father, the same way he has taught his sons Samuel and Mitch, who work side by side with him every day.
For Samuel, the appeal of his job comes from taking very basic ingredients and transforming them into something spectacular. The public undoubtedly agrees, with locals crowding the shop each day to purchase the family’s world class home made breads, pastries and cookies.
The restaurant attached to the DeBoer Bakkerji is a casual, family friendly place that serves up hearty sandwiches, homemade soups and salads, and filling entrees. In addition to standard coffee shop type fare you can get some Dutch favorites like Pigs in a Blanket and De Boer’s famous Pea Soup. The portions are huge and the prices reasonable, and everyone in your party is sure to find something on the menu they will enjoy. Save room for dessert or take some to go, but either way don’t miss out on De Boer’s out-of-this-world baked goods.
Check out the Related Travel article links below for details of our favorite things to do see and eat in and around Holland, Grand Haven, and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Practicalities
Windmill Island Gardens is located at 1 Lincoln Ave. in Holland, Michigan 49423; phone 616-355-1030 or click to www.CityOfHolland.com.
The Veldheer Tulip Garden, and De Klomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory are located at 12755 Quincy St. in Holland, Michigan, 49424. Phone 616-399-1900 or click to www.Veldheer.com.
The Holland Museum can be found at 31 W. 10th St. in Holland, Michigan 49423; Phone 616-392-9084 or click to www.HollandMuseum.org.
The DeBoer Bakkerji and Dutch Brothers Restaurant is located at 360 Douglas Ave. in Holland, Michigan 49424. Phone 616-396-2253.
For more information about visiting Holland, Michigan, visit the Holland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website at www.Holland.org or phone 616-394-0000.
For information about visiting Michigan in general, check out the official Travel Michigan website at www.Michigan.org or phone 800-373-2489.
For more information about Holland, Michigan’s Annual Tulip Festival, visit the Tulip Time website at www.tuliptime.com.
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