Tulips and Dutch Dancers. Sand dunes and street performers. These are the things dreams of Holland tend to be made of. And while it’s hard to beat a spring bursting with blooms, or a Pure Michigan summer, there’s something to be said for experiencing this Lake Michigan beachtown at a time less traveled. 

Consider autumn. With daily average highs of 75˚F, September melds the best of summer’s sweetness with the flair of fall. At this golden time of year, those in Holland slow down and savor the last of the sailboat races and Windmill Island’s glorious blossoms, then climb ladders to pick Honeycrisp apples. 

In October, join locals as you weave a bicycle through canopies of fiery maples to Tanglewood Winery. Then wind country roads to arrive at Virtue Cider’s rustic tasting room. Nearby, savor a warm cinnamon donut at Crane’s Orchard as you ponder a strategy for navigating their 20-acre corn maze. Best of all, climb 150 feet to the top of Mt. Pisgah for a spectacular panorama of lakeshore color, or take your leaf-peeping back on the road, following blazing backroads through miles of breathtaking Great Lakes shoreline. 

To experience the best of autumn in only two days, come for Fall Fest. Plant a few of the bulbs that blossom into millions of tulips each springtime, watch professional carvers turn 1,000-pound pumpkins into giant jack-o-lanterns, and take a hayride around an authentic Dutch windmill. As a bonus, the bi-weekly Holland Farmers Market will be brimming with the full autumn harvest. 

Just when you think you’ve found the best time to visit Holland, a new season begins to unfold. Cornstalks decorating downtown lampposts give way to fragrant pine boughs, and strings of lights set branches of Bradford pear trees aglow. Vendors open their wooden stalls at the outdoor holiday Kerstmarkt, and downtown merchants bring joy to seasonal giving with carolers and roasting chestnuts at the Holiday Open House. 

Then the real winter fun begins. Santa comes to town atop a sparkling fire truck in a dazzling Parade of Lights, and Sinterklaas hosts Magic at the Mill, with its towering twinkle-lit windmill surrounded by fields of musically synced LED “tulips.” In the new year, Holland on Ice returns in February, with the nation’s top ice carvers transforming 10,000 pounds of ice into incredible works of art.

Read Also: Coldwater Country…Southern Michigan Fun for Every Season

Whether your visit includes a sandcastle competition or hiking through golden forests with leaves crunching beneath your feet, snowshoeing across dune tops or wandering downtown’s snow-free heated sidewalks to a local brewpub, Holland will welcome you with warm hospitality and small-town charm. Discover more secrets of each season at holland.org.