I recently had an interesting weekend. We were fairly active and on the go – nothing new or interesting with that – but almost every activity I participated in was new to me. And I loved it! I love trying new activities, visiting new places, meeting new people, trying new food and drinks. It’s nice to look past your usual boundaries in life to see what else exists in the world around us.

There are so many cool, fun places in metro Detroit that I haven’t been to. I’m well aware of the vast amount of activities that awaits me. That’s why I love exploring, whether in my hometown, state, region, nation or further. So here are the fun, new things I tried during this weekend filled with adventures.

Bloomer Park hike: Crazy to think this was my first hike at this Rochester Hills park because it’s fairly close to my house and many friends frequent it. It was a beautiful cool morning for our hike. The park trails are shared by bikers and hikers, and several sections are fairly narrow, but we thankfully, and surprisingly, encountered no one. The park borders the Clinton River so you can access the Clinton River Trail. We found one big map at the beginning of the trail (near the cricket field) and there aren’t great trail markers, but you really can’t get lost in the park (maybe turned around). In addition to these trails, Bloomer also offers park shelters, playgrounds, horseshoe pits, volleyball fields, velodrome (bicycle racking track) and a cricket field. We will definitely go back.

Penny Black: After our hike at Bloomer Park, we drove a short distance to downtown Rochester to check out this brew pub that has a good selection of beer and food. Justin said the smoked pulled pork was great. Outdoor seating is available in warmer months and the ambiance is relaxed.

Schramm’s Mead: Located in downtown Ferndale, this mead maker is known across the country for his great tasting meads. In case you didn’t know (I didn’t), meads are produced by fermenting honey with water and usually then with various fruits, grains, hops and/or spices. The defining characteristic is that the majority of the mead’s fermentable sugar comes from honey. I’m admittedly not typically a fan of meads but Justin thought I might like the fruit-based meads….and he was right! Shramm’s has some delicious fruit meads – I really enjoyed The Statement, made with Michigan cherries. Justin had Black Agnes, made with black currants. Schramm’s grows their own cherries, apples, berries and currants, which I kind of loved the Michigan made theme.

B. Nektar Meadery: Also based in Ferndale (not in downtown), this popular mead distillery recently moved into a larger facility to meet the demands of their growth. We tried their new releases and checked out the new digs. While these weren’t as tasty to me as Shramm’s, B. Nektar has a big following of mead lovers. They also release beer and cider.

Rust Belt Market: This eclectic artist and vintage market has a wide variety of items, including home goods, clothing, natural soaps, teas, gifts and more. Located in Ferndale, the market isn’t large so you can easily go through in an hour to possibly find a unique item for your home or the perfect gift. I plan to go back once we get into our new house to look for fun decorating options.

It’s always fun to explore and find new locations, especially so close to home. I plan to visit all of these places again in the future and look forward to finding new. Have you visited a new place lately? Is it worth sharing?