I recently made a trip back to my hometown of Muskegon Michigan for my niece's wedding. I have been back many times to visit family, but I never really spent time exploring the city I left behind. During this trip I had some extra time, so I thought I'd spend my mornings revisiting some of the places I frequented as a kid and my afternoons enjoying the family cottage.

A little background. To me, Muskegon has always tried to be something it wasn't. It seemed to have an identity challenge. I always saw it as a blue-collar-hard-working-foundry-town that wanted to be a hip beach town when I was growing up. I never really felt at home in Muskegon. It was just the place I grew up. Don't get me wrong, Muskegon has beautiful beaches to enjoy in the summer and a butt load of winter activities to enjoy during the colder months. It just wasn't a place for me.

I have been hearing about all the recent changes taking place in Muskegon to make it more attractive to visitors and the likes, but I wanted to see it for myself.

During my time in Muskegon I was pleasantly surprised at the change taking place. It was like everything they ever wanted to create in Muskegon over the past 50 years was finally coming to fruition. A farmers market, breweries, a distillery, little shops and apartments now make up the city core that was once abandoned.

Is it the town it always wanted to be? I don't think so, but it's well on its way.

To those involved with changing the face of Muskegon, I salute you. I enjoyed my time in your city and found it to be a very pleasant place to visit.

A Trip To My Hometown