Battle Creek Travel Guide

A combination restaurant, bar, comedy club and karoke joint. Lots and lots of fun, had a great time singing with the rest of the guests to many songs.

Dress Code: Casual

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The first Sunday in July is normally the date for the annual Battle Creek Balloon Fest. For two days hot air balloons will be launched and will compete in "rabbit" races and relay races.
The day before the Balloon Fest is the day for the Air Show with vintage planes and the Blue Angels.
There are going to be carnival rides, food vendors and souvenier stands when you get tired of watching the planes and balloons.

See the website below for exact times and dates for all the events.
Parking is provided on site (see the attached map or the webpage).

to get there:
2700 Territorial Road West
Take US94/ route 96 to connect to route 37.
Take route 37 (Helmer Road) south to the south east corner of the Kellog Airport and connect to Territorial Road. go west on Territorial Road and see the signs

We visited Battle Creek twice: once in the 80's and once in the 90's and both times it seemed like a pleasant enough town. We had no problems, but we also were only there during the day and only in the tourist areas.

I was surprised to see from the crime stats that Battle Creek is twice as high as a crime risk as the average American city. They average 70 rapes per year and 4000 thefts of various degree. Either the city has changed over the last decade or we just never saw the bad parts of the city.

Battle Creek, MI harbors quite a few sex offenders; 250 or more in 2006. That is only about one half of one percent of the population but I was surprised that the number was even that high. to see more information about these people, see the website below.

That just goes to show you that you should use common precautions when you go visiting, no matter how nice the place seems. Lock car doors; use the latch-chain thing on the motel door when you are there; put valuables out of sight like in the motel safebox. Keep an eye on the kids and don't go alone to unfamiliar places or too late at night.

Be smart - be safe.

Fort Custer Recreational Areas has some nice hiking trails that are just fine for birding. In the spring, early summer and fall, there are a variety of warblers that inhabit the area. The only problem is that the park is a popular hunting, fishing and camping area, so finding a time and place that is not too noisy to scare the birds is often tricky. Early morning is usually good.
The variety of environment (fields, lakes, shrub, woods) provides for a diversity of birds in the area. Hawks are prevelant as are the warblers. Blue birds, Red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, robins are also common.

And there is plenty of other wildlife in the area. Deer, beaver, butterflies can all be enjoyed even if the birding is not good for you on any given day.

to get there:
5163 Fort Custer Drive
I-94 to exit 92, North on Martin Luther King Highway, 4 miles to M-96. West 5 miles to park entrance.

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The announcement of an affliation with the New York Yankees was the big news in the Midwest League this offseason. Generally regarded as one of the least successful franchises in the Midwest League, I imagine this will boost the popularity of the Battle Creek team, even though the Yankees actually have a pretty weak farm system.
   I haven't heard many nice things said about the park but I really enjoyed my visit to C.O. Brown Stadium. Constructed in 1991 the stadium has an old look, although the evocotive grime present at the Wrigleys, Fenways and Bosse Fields of the baseball world is not present, and the food, seats and beer were reasonably priced.
   All those polls could be a nuisance but the seats in this area are general admission so the only way you'd end up behind one is if you chose to sit behind one. The stadium virtually never reaches a capacity where being stuck behind one would happen. The $8 field box seats are comfortable, roomy and closer to the action than the dugouts. Keep your eye on the ball if you sit here, anything heading this way is going to be a screamer.
   C.O. Brown Stadium is located in a baseball complex, complete with some really nice looking Little League fields, giving the experience that 'we're going to the game' feel. The fans that do show up are very loyal to the team and players (notice the homemade signs in the foreground) and the team responds: they're almost always at the top of the Midwest League in wins.

Favorite thing: The international balloon festival during the July 4th holiday. Hundreds on beautiful balloons.

Fondest memory: I miss the smell of cereal being made. Battle Creek is called Cereal City and is the home of Kelloggs and Post. You can smell chocolate or strawberry cereal everyewhere in the city on a clear summer morning.