HOLLAND, Mich. — A portion of Holland State Park's main parking lot has reopened after being closed for more than two weeks due to ongoing "illegal activity," allowing families to resume their holiday traditions at the popular Lake Michigan destination.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources shut down the main parking lot in early December following reports of reckless driving, off-roading, vandalism and property damage. While the larger main parking lot remains blocked off, all front row and channel parking is now available to visitors.
"Yay, it's a Christmas miracle," said Kayla-Lea Paradowski. "It's such a beautiful area that brings a lot of joy to people like us."
Paradowski, visiting her childhood home of Holland from Florida, was able to continue her family's Christmas Eve tradition thanks to the partial reopening. With her mother, Deb Paradowski, she brought her partner, Jose Rosario, and his mother, Elizabeth Rosario, to see Lake Michigan for the first time.
"We have a pajama tradition on Christmas Eve. And then seven years ago today, we showed [Jose] this for the first time. And now that his mother's in town, we figured we should show her this as well, kind of complete the full circle moment, and let her see Lake Michigan for the first time. So, first time seeing some snow and then the ice in the water." Paradowski explained.
The reopening has allowed other families to make special memories during the holiday season. Kristen Renes, who now lives in Muskegon but grew up near the park, brought her family for a nostalgic Christmas Eve visit.
"This is a really special place for my family and I. We've spent some years, many years, here, whether it was my childhood, my husband's childhood, and even my kids for a few years," Renes said. "Being able to come down Ottawa Beach road and do a little nostalgia trip down memory lane and have the kids swing in the swings and just see the sunset with Big Red behind us. I don't know that it gets any better." Renes said.
Park hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The DNR encourages visitors to report any instances of illegal activity to local law enforcement to ensure families can continue enjoying their traditions at the park.
"I love to keep the tradition alive. It's a nice full circle moment for us to show [Jose] and now [Elizabeth], and it's just a really beautiful moment with family." Paradowski said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
