Westland is an “All American City” and what it offers to its citizens certainly proves it. If you are looking to experience an all American summer, Westland has what it takes. All ages and interests are provided for and the fun is either reasonably priced or free, family-friendly, and almost right around the corner here.
Having its first season is the H20 Zone Spray Ground which is located at Tatan Park. This water park is 6,500 square feet in size and contains 14 above ground and 15 in-ground water features. An 18 foot helicopter sprays water from its rotors along with a 15 foot long sea serpent that mists water from its nose and shoots water from its mouth, while a large dump bucket spills water. There are palm trees, water cannons and crocodiles adding to the fun and it’s located right next to the Westland City Hall.
Another water feature is the Bailey outdoor pool which offers swimming lessons for all ages, plus water aerobics. Besides enjoying the pool, you can even try out your climbing skills on the 7 foot climbing wall. The pool is available for private rentals so it’s perfect for birthday parties or family reunions. You can book your party at one of two party pavilions, the Tiki Hut or the Pirates Cave. The pool also offers a special therapeutic swim session, at which, a lift is available for those who need assistance getting into or out of the pool, and there are Middle School Teen Nights offered where the pool staff creates a theme along with open gym time and pool games.
If your tweens and teens want to stay dry and are looking for more action and thrills, then it’s the Concrete Jungle SK8 Park for you. This park’s highlights are a single and double bowl, ramps, stairs, rails and a volcano that will test your skating skills. Open skating sessions are offered daily 7 days a week and there is Friday Night Skate Under the Lights. This park is also available for birthday parties, plus helmets and other protective gear may be rented.
The next park for consideration is for the younger crowd and it’s the Play Planet which is one of the five largest continuous play structures in North America. It’s also the largest community-built structure known to exist, and it too is located at Tattan Park. There are 20,000 square feet of slides, swings, climbers, bridges, observation decks, towers and independent play structures offering creative and adventurous playtime.
The largest Park in our area is Edward Hines Park and it has great paved trails for running, tennis courts, picnic areas, biking trails and baseball diamonds. The scenery is beautiful, and the park is well maintained. Roller bladders, hikers, and nature lovers of all kinds, share these lovely environs, for spending quality time in nature’s back yard.
Then, for the whole family, there is Westland’s Municipal Golf Course. This 9 hole golf course is one of the nicest in the area and is challenging for golfers of every level and the rates are very reasonable. You can even schedule tee times online.
If you love putt putt golf, mini-golf, go-carting or need to practice your baseball skills, a family owned business near the center of town on Ford Road, offers all of these activities.
The Westland summer festival, offers all kinds of activities for everyone of every age. Held on the grounds of City Hall at the beginning of July, the festival attracts thousands of people every year, because of the great food, carnival rides, live music, games, pie eating contests, and at the conclusion, an incredibly beautiful fireworks show “WOWs” the crowd.
The Friendship Center, for seniors, is always having planned activities, offering all kinds of affordable trips, classes such as art, jazzercise, line dancing, ceramics and computer technology. They have a fully equipped gym, pool table, Bridge and Euchre card clubs, as well as a bowling and golf league. Outdoors, a lovely pond awaits and an opportunity to join the Walking Club. A summer picnic takes place in July, and every Tuesday is Hot Dog Day, a season long. In August, a Senior Olympics takes place between 16 different communities. An entry fee of $5 gets you a T Shirt, breakfast and a chance to win a gold, silver or bronze metal in the sport of your choice. The Center is a great place for people to gather, form lasting friendships, and truly be part of this vital and active community.
Add to all this, the many children’s programs, teen and adult programs and book clubs, computer classes, internet access, and free movies at the Westland William Faust Library, along with free concerts at the Library Pavilion.
Westland really has something for all ages and interests to have a wonderful summer. In fact, Westland is now celebrating 40 years of laughter and fun.
Almost seven years ago, I made the decision to purchase a membership at Holliday Park. Having had a long and detail-oriented career of budget juggling and number crunching, I’m a no-nonsense, bottom line type person, who expects to get my money’s worth for each dollar I spend.
One of the first things I did after settling in to my unit, was to find just the right spot for my BIG map of the World. I bought colorful push pins, and signed up with the Holliday Park Travel Club, for a trip to South America. On that trip I met and mingled with people from all over the country, as well as around the world. Other HP Travel Club Members were very congenial, and I soon discovered that they, like me, had a fascination for other cultures, cuisines, and experiencing the history of places, and wonders which I had only read about in books or seen on the History, and Travel Channel.
Life was taking on a new dimension, and there was now a whole new reason to crawl out of bed….the Amazon, Galapagos Archipelago, Buenos Aires, Chile, Rio,Cape Horn, Brazil… does it get much better than this?
The following year, a traveler I’d met casually on the South America trip,was picking up new sign -up forms and information for an HP Caribbean Cruise, at the same time that I did. We decided to go on-line together to register for side trips. Over a glass of wine, on a Sunday afternoon, we planned our shore excursions on my living room floor, laughed and discovered that we had many similar interests.
In order to get to port, we had to fly to Fort Lauderdale, and then take a bus to the ship. We’d packed lightly, but smartly, we thought. Then, just as the bus was about to leave, my travel buddy remembered that she should have brought a hat to protect her hair and skin from the sun. I, too, thought of sun protection. Without a word, we ran across the street to the local K-Mart, with about five minutes to shop.
Her head is big (according to her), and mine is small……….so we ransacked the hats and tried on everything from wide-brimmed to visors… and in haste, not wishing to be left behind, we both grabbed the same, made in China, PAPER hats. She got the tan with white. I got the white with tan. As we ran to the bus, our fellow travelers called out in grumpy tones, all kinds of interesting salutations…about being left at the dock, etc…
The trip was fantastic!!! When we were at sea, I lived at the Black Jack tables, while she did arts & crafts, went swimming, enjoyed the view from the deck, went to the spa and played a wild game of Bingo with other HP friends and others. On the last day of Bingo I finally joined in and won the entire Jack Pot of $200..…..much to the good-hearted grumbling of the daily players
When the ship docked at St. Thomas, the rain came down, and the wind began to howl. This did not stop us!! While other HP members watched from the dry safety of the ship, my travel partner and I ran out into the weather, dressed in capes that we’d purchased from the dollar store in Martinique. Did we enjoy our outing? YOU BETCHA!!!
That trip is a beautiful memory now, and since then we’ve gone to the Greek Islands, and to closer destinations, casino trips, bus trips, and you name it. Often, we find ourselves down at the HP Olympic size swimming pool…PAPER HATS in place (trying not to get them wet, of course); and we still receive admiring inquiries as to where we got them.
More importantly, you might ask, “Have I gotten my money’s worth at Holliday Park?” I reply emphatically, YES I HAVE, and much more!!! What I have learned for myself, over time, is that living at Holliday Park offers economical living, travel opportunities, and camaraderie, along with something unexpected ……..I’ve found True Friendship, and it is priceless.
Saint Thomas Aquinas said “ friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.”
Our location in Westland, is a tremendous asset to Holliday Park members because we are so close to the metro areas major highways, the airport , down town events, and many vital and thriving communities which offer unique shopping opportunities . There is so much to do, for all ages, and one particularly popular destination is Edward Hines Park.
Edward Hines, the man for whom this park is named, along with Henry Ford, and others, was a member of the Wayne County Roads Commission when it was formed in 1906. History records that he was one of the first to plan the construction of durable cement roads, developed an efficient system of roadways, and began the practice of continuing beautification for all roads.
Mr. Hines was an avid bicyclist, and had a vision for turning the Rouge and Huron River Valley into a parkland-like recreational area where people could enjoy every kind of outdoor activity, as well as nature.
Today, the aptly named Hines Parks 19th Century beauty continues, as it winds for 17 miles of wooded acres and rolling hills along the tributaries of the Rouge River, from Dearborn Heights through Westland and on to the lovely little towns of Plymouth, Northville and Northville Township. The Park encompasses an area of about 20 miles or 2,225 acres of natural scenic beauty.
Along with the numerous bike trails, there are baseball diamonds, picnic areas, hiking trails, designated fishing docks, play-scapes for kids, cross country skiing, ice skating ponds, sledding and tobogganing at Cass Benton Park, tennis courts, nature trails, and wide open spaces to fly kites, play soccer or just do nothing but enjoy the fresh air, and greenery. At the holiday season, a light show adorns the greenery of the park, and is put in place for residents to drive through a wonderland of visual splendor, thanks to many dedicated volunteers.
There are historic Mills to visit along the parkway. Some of these Mills were used by Henry Ford to build car parts in the early manufacturing days of Detroit’s history. Nankin Mills, built in 1842, still stands, today, and retains it’s original hard wood, tong-in-grove flooring and wooden beams with pegs from “back in the day” when it was changed from a grist mill into a car parts maker. The Mill is now open for tourism and offers information about those early days, and the culture of our community.
Westland also has 18 parks, a concrete skating park, Mike Mondano Ice Arena, 2 large golf courses, a water park, soccer fields, 4 walley ball courts and the 30,000 square foot Bailey Recreation Center. At the Bailey Center you can sign up to take trips to many destinations, or learn karate, gymnastics, or take water aerobics or swimming lessons, just to list a few activities.
The William P. Holliday Forest and Wildlife Preserve, surrounds us here at the co-op. This 500 acre preserve is lush with every type of vegetation you can imagine. It has hiking trails and picnic areas which are maintained by many volunteers, and it is very accessible for all ages.
When you consider Holliday Park Town Houses Cooperative as your new home, it’s important to note that all of these varied activities are close to the co-op. The nature center is within walking distance and the other amenities are just a few miles away.
Every age group can find free or low cost activities, practically in our backyard. If you add to this list, classes at the two community colleges and the Continuing Education Centers in Livonia and Westland, you get an abundance of class offerings on subjects for every individual’s interest, hobby, or need.
This is truly a fulfilling lifestyle at a cost-effective price for your Holliday Park membership AND your amenities!
Simply put, when you decide on a neighborhood to live in, you are choosing a place which is “more than a house with a door, walls and window panes” as Rolfe Humphries wrote in his poem Coming Home; you are choosing a location in which to thrive!
