HOLLAND, Mich. -- Windmill Island Gardens says the public is being invited to take a nine-day trip across the Atlantic Ocean in October to the Netherlands.
The "Holland to Holland" tour will go to destinations in the Dutch nation that are relevant to West Michigan's Dutch connections.
"So, we're going to go back and visit some of the areas where Albertus van Raalte - who was the founder of Holland (city) - was from and where he lived," said Matt Helmus, general manager of Windmill Island Gardens. "We're going to visit the town of Vinkel in the southern part of the Netherlands. That's where we got our (Holland’s de Zwaan) windmill from back in 1965. We'll see where we get tulip bulbs from in the Netherlands. We'll visit some of the more modern locations."
Windmill Island Gardens General Manager Matt Helmus will serve as one of the guides for the tour. It's being coordinated by Windmill Island Gardens, the Holland Visitors Bureau, and Holland Tasting Tours in conjunction with Witte Travel.
An informational meeting will be held at Windmill Island Gardens on April 14th at 6 p.m. You can register for the meeting at WindMillIsland.com.
Additional details from the Windmill Island Gardens news release:
The tour is being coordinated by the Holland Visitors Bureau, Windmill Island Gardens, and Holland Tasting Tours in conjunction with Witte Travel. Matt Helmus, manager of Windmill Island Gardens, sees value in the trip for both travelers and the community. “Keeping Dutch-American heritage relevant includes knowledge of and connection with the Netherlands. We think those on the trip will come home with a deeper appreciation of Dutch culture in Europe and Michigan,” says Helmus. He will serve as one of the trip’s guides along with experienced tour guide and owner of Holland Tasting Tours Linda Kaiser.
One tour day will center on locations relevant to Holland’s founder Albertus van Raalte. Other highlights include visiting the newly built windmill in Vinkel (the former home of Holland’s de Zwaan windmill), discovering how thousands of bulbs are procured each year for the tulip festival, and touring a Delftware business with locations in the Netherlands and downtown Holland. While there will be some overlap with standard tours of the Netherlands, the new tour will focus on less-visited areas from which many immigrants originated such as Groningen, Drenthe and Zeeland. More information, including a full itinerary, as well as registration details can be found at hollandtoholland.com.
For those interested in learning more, there will be an informational meeting at Windmill Island Gardens on Tuesday, April 14 at 6pm. Potential travelers are asked to register for the meeting at windmillisland.com.
###