There’s nothing quite as arresting as nature decked out in its bright, autumn colors and fall 2022 is set to be more colorful than ever. Here at The English Inn, we’re surrounded by beautiful countryside, a front row seat to the annual Michigan fall foliage show!
Summer is a wonderful time and it’s always sad to see it go but at least we have multi-hued autumn to soften the blow. That’s especially true for Michigan’s fall 2022. We’re expecting a warm September and early October, which should result in brighter, more vibrant colors come mid to late October, when the colors peak.
Our Eaton Rapids bed and breakfast, The English Inn, is located on a 15-acre estate overlooking the Grand River. Our groomed gardens and nature trails are always lovely but this is especially true in fall when the leaves change. Enjoy a traipse along the grounds or take it all in with a drink from the comforts of our English Pub.
Our location in Eaton Rapids surrounds us with a scenic countryside of woodlands, rivers, and farms. In fact, we’re part of one of Michigan’s most popular fall foliage drives. A 150 mile loop tour that runs through Grand Ledge, Hastings, Battle Creek, and Eaton Rapids.
Take a Michigan Fall Foliage Drive
Michigan is full of stunning scenery that only gets better with the onset of autumn’s color change. Our local fall color tour starts off at in nearby Lansing, MI.
Here, we recommend a visit to Fenner Nature Center and Woldumar Nature Center. Both offer miles of walking trails through wooded and landscaped areas full of native plants and wildlife.
Next, head northwest to Grand Ledge, MI to visit Fitzgerald Park. The park’s riverside trail along a 300-million-year-old natural rock overhang is always fascinating but under autumn’s sway? Gorgeous!
Next on our itinerary is Hastings, MI southwest of Grand Ledge on the Thornapple River. You know those stunning stock images of lakes lined with thick ribbons of autumn color? Well, a large number of them are taken at Thornapple Lake in Hastings’ Charlton Park. The park is seasonal but visitors are free to enjoy the views all year long.
Head south towards Gull Lake and Turners Corner for a stop by the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. Here you’ll find trumpeter swans, Canadian geese, and ducks, and more at the 180-acre Sanctuary. The country roads north of the Sanctuary offer up even more color.
Next it’s southeast to Battle Creek, MI, home of the Kellogg’s cereal company and site of the Sojourner Truth Monument. Here you can take in the Leila Arboretum and explore some of the Linear Park pathway’s 17-plus miles. The city’s self-guided Heritage Mile Walking Tour is also worth considering.
Home Again, Jiggety-Jig
Turning back towards Eaton Rapids and your room at The English Inn, we still have a number of potential attractions to consider.
Leaving Battle Creek and heading northeast, we pass by the Bernard W. Baker Great Sandhill Crane Sanctuary, one of the first of its kind. Walk the 2 mile Meadow and Marshland Trail to watch for some 200 species of birds and other wildlife.
Still have some energy? Instead of continuing northeast, consider a jog down to Marshall, MI to see some of the unusual architecture in its National Historic Landmark District. Nearby Albion, MI is home to the Whitehouse Nature Center at Albion College with 25 forested acres with walking trails, ponds, and arboretum, and more.
Now it’s home, heading north through Springport’s rolling countryside, to Eaton Rapids. Your room and The English Inn Restaurant and Pub await you with food, drink, and accommodations to soothe the road from your brow as you look back on the day’s wonders. Perfect.