The Allegan center is approximately 18 miles northeast of Bangor Amtrak Station and 18 miles northwest of Logos Christian College.
The best times to visit Allegan are between late May and mid-September, when average high temperatures range from the low 70s to the low 80s, peaking in mid-July. This is also the prime tourist season, meaning you'll find the highest hotel rates. If you book well ahead of time, you may be able to shave a little off the price, especially if you travel in the beginning or end of the warm season.
Temperatures drop pretty quickly as fall arrives, with highs falling to around 40 by Dec. 1. Early to late spring has similarly cool temperatures. You'll enjoy lower room rates in spring and fall, especially during the cooler months. Winters in Allegan are cold, with highs ranging from 30 to 40 degrees and lows dropping to around 20 at times. If you'll be traveling during this time, you save big on accommodations.
Members of the military, government employees, AAA members, and senior citizens can take advantage of discounts at the already reasonably priced Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Kalamazoo. Rooms are equipped with flat-screen televisions, iPod docking stations, coffee/tea makers, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel, located about 5 miles from Portage Creek Bicentennial Park, provides a 24-hour fitness center, a 24-hour business center, free newspapers in the lobby, and a complimentary continental breakfast.
Delta Hotels by Marriott Kalamazoo Conference Center offers senior and AAA discounts on its rooms, which are equipped with pillowtop beds with premium bedding, sofa beds, refrigerators, LCD televisions, and free Wi-Fi. The hotel provides an indoor pool, a spa tub, a 24-hour fitness center, a game room, a 24-hour business center, and free newspapers in the lobby. Outdoors, you'll find a terrace and a picnic area with barbecue grills. You can dine or have a drink at Lift Restaurant or get room service within limited hours. A free shuttle will take you to nearby attractions.
Fairfield by Marriott Kalamazoo West provides spacious, well-decorated rooms with flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. You can get refreshed in the indoor pool, grab a bite from the on-site deli, and get some work done in the business center. The hotel serves a free continental breakfast daily and provides free newspapers in the lobby.
Comfort Inn Plainwell is about 10 miles from Allegan and a 15-minute drive from the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Rooms are equipped with flat-screen televisions, coffee/tea makers, and free Wi-Fi. You can relax in the spa tub and work out in the fitness center. Free breakfast is served daily. The hotel also offers a business center.
Allegal is graced with many examples of historic structures. This is due in large part to Benjamin Dudley Pritchard, a Union Army officer who earned the largest share of the bounty for the capture of Confederate States President Jefferson Davis in May 1865. Pritchard and his troops captured Davis after the fall of the Confederacy effectively ended the American Civil War. Pritchard and his troops, who also received shares, settled in Allegan, where Pritchard gave financial gifts to the city. Allegan has many homes from the 19th century and early 20th century, including the General Benjamin Pritchard House in the Pritchard's Outlook Historic District.
In 1886, a wrought-iron truss bridge, called the Second Street Bridge, was built over the Kalamazoo River to replace a dilapidated wooden bridge. Over the years, the new bridge's deck deteriorated, and some wanted to rebuild. Painfully reminded of the 1953 demolition of the Allegan County Courthouse, a magnificent Richardsonian Romanescque-style structure, local activists fought against replacement. The Second Street Bridge was rehabilitated in 1983 and became a city highlight that's featured in the Allegan logo. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and a Michigan State Historic Site.
The Regent Theatre has also survived despite going through hard times. It opened in 1919 in a former horse livery from the late 1880s. It put vaudeville acts on stage as well as showing movies. The theater closed in the early 1980s and faced demolition in 1990, but a nonprofit called the Old Regent Theatre purchased the building and restored it in 1996. Unfortunately, a roof collapse in 1997 caused major damage. After extensive reconstruction, the Old Regent reopened in 1999. It runs current films and classic matinees, as well as children's matinees on weekend afternoons. Restoration of the Art Deco marquee was completed in 2007.
Most of the structures in the Downtown Allegan Historic District are part of the district's historic character. Some predate a fire that devastated the area in 1884. Allegan also has several residential historic districts that house dozens of homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Visit the Old Town, Mill, and Griswold Civic Center districts and others to see stunning reminders of history, such as the Sarah Lowe Stedman House and the William C. Messenger House.
You have so many reasons to visit Allegan. Along with exploring the historic buildings, you can check out the Allegan Mountain Bike & Hiking Trail, go kayaking on the Kalamazoo River, play disc golf at Jaycee Park, enjoy the downtown shops and restaurants, and visit the Old Jail Museum. Plan your itinerary now, and book your trip to historic Allegan, Michigan.