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Windmill Island You
can experience a little bit of Old World Europe in southwest Michigan
with a visit to Windmill Island! Here you can tour a magnificent 240
year old working Dutch windmill, enjoy the beauty of over 150,000 tulips
in bloom in the spring, tour an exact replica of a 14th
century wayside inn, browse through a large selection of souvenirs, and
even buy yourself a pair of wooden shoes!
Your
first stop on a visit to Windmill Island should be the Posthouse, an
exact architectural reconstruction of a 14th century Dutch
wayside inn. The original stood near Ruinen, in the province of Drenthe.
Wayside inns such as this provided weary travelers with food and shelter
for centuries. Meals and lodging were available in the main part of the
building, while the back part was a stable for horses. A display in the
Posthouse’s great room shows life in an old time wayside inn. At
Windmill Island’s Posthouse, visitors can see a reproduction of an
inn’s Great Room, and watch a 12 minute presentation about windmills,
the Netherlands, and the park’s own windmill, De Zwaan. The
centerpiece of Windmill Island is the beautiful old windmill, named De
Zwaan, which dates back to the 1760s. The 125 foot tall authentic
Dutch windmill reflects the Dutch heritage of many of the earliest
settlers in Holland, Michigan. Brought from the Netherlands in 1964,
this is the only original Dutch windmill exported to America. It is
still a working windmill producing stone ground flour, which is for sale
at Windmill Island.
Windmill
Island’s De Zwaan (meaning
graceful bird) has a colorful history. The windmill was used as a
lookout during World War II, and a set of old windmill blades on display
outside show bullet holes from being strafed by a German fighter plane. In
1964, the City of Holland purchased the windmill from a retired miller
in the town of Vinkel, in the province of Noord Brabant in the
Netherlands. The windmill was shipped from the Netherlands to the port
of Muskegon, Michigan on the ship Prins
Willem van Oranje and was brought by truck from Muskegon to its
present location on Windmill Island. Reconstruction of the mill began in
1964, and the park opened in April of 1965. The
carousel’s upper rotating panels are decorated with windmills and
vignettes of Dutch life. The lower base panels give a panoramic view of
a Dutch landscape that moves from a fishing harbor out to sea, and
includes dikes, a small village, and tulip fields. Over 1,000 hours of
labor went into the restoration, which was done by local artist Lisa
Freeman. The carousel was well loved by the young and old alike at its
former home of East Groningen, and now folks in the United States can
appreciate it just as much. While only children can ride the carousel,
adults seem to love to just watch the animals go around and tap their
toes to its music, which is played from a paper roll. My
favorite exhibit at Windmill Island was Little Netherlands. Housed in a
building whose exterior is an authentic reproduction of a typical
dwelling on the colorful Island of Markden in the Zuiderzee, the display
features hundreds of miniature figures, buildings, and operating models
depicting life in old Holland. Years of research and handwork went into
the creation of this amazing Lilliputian world. During
the spring and summer, Windmill Islands' gardens are alive with color,
and boys and girls dressed in folk costumes and wooden shoes perform the
old-time klompen dance to entertain visitors. When
you think you’ve seen it all and you’re all done, you’re wrong.
Your visit to Windmill Island is not complete until you browse through
the gift shop, where you will find souvenirs including beautiful
authentic Delftware porcelain, delicious fudge, and even colorfully
decorated wooden shoes. And on a hot day, the ice cream is especially
good! Windmill
Island is located at 1 Lincoln Avenue in Holland, just a few blocks off
U.S. Highway 31, and is open daily from April to early October.
Admission is $7.50 for adults, and $4.50 for youth ages 5 to 15. While
the parking lot at Windmill Island can accommodate tour buses and RVs,
if it was busy it might be hard to maneuver about, and the streets
between U.S. 31 and Windmill Island are busy and narrow. We left our bus
elsewhere and drove in with our dinghy. For
more information on Windmill Island, call (888-535-5792) toll free, or
e-mail windmill@cityofholland.com
The
museum includes the National Firefighters Hall of Heroes, which honors
American firefighters who have received a national award for heroism, and
recognizes American firefighters who have died in the line of duty. Click Here To Subscribe To The Gypsy Journal!
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Windmill
Island is a beautiful 36 acre oasis within the city of Holland,
Michigan, comprised of manicured gardens, costumed guides, and other
attractions to delight visitors of all ages.
Visitors
can take a guided tour of the old windmill to learn about its history
and operation. Our tour guide was a delightful young lady dressed in
authentic Dutch girl costume. One note here, the tour includes walking
up a series of wooden stairways, so those with physical challenges may
not be able to go to the top of the windmill. 
