Camping in East Michigan: Arthur Latham Park and Campground
Camp Michigan: I’m talking with Lana today. She’s going to talk to us about Arthur Latham Park and Campground in Michigan. Lana, why don’t you get us started with giving us a little bit of background on Arthur Latham Park and Campground?
Lana: Arthur Latham Park and Campground was donated. 69 acres was donated by Ike Latham, who lives a couple doors down from me, and he donated to all three Government entities to use. And he inherited it from his parents and they wanted him to build a subdivision there, and he chose to make a better choice and fix it so that everybody in the three Government entities could enjoy it.
Camp Michigan: Okay.
Lana: And then other parcels were bought at later times, which we have a total of 86 acres. 86 plus acres.
Camp Michigan: All right, so a pretty good size space. What types of camping do you offer there?
Lana: Actually we only have rustic camping and we only four campsites. We do not provide any electricity for the campsites. We do have spaces for RVs to pull in, but they obviously have to run off of a generator.
Camp Michigan: Okay. All right. And what are the most popular activities for guests there?
Lana: Well, we have three pavilions that we rent out all through the summer. And we have two ball fields. We have 16 horseshoe pits. We have nine soccer fields. We have a nature trail. We have an exercise trail. We have a hand water pump. And we have a live stream that crosses through the Park and we have a playscape along with other pieces of playground equipment.
Camp Michigan: Okay. And what are some of your favorite attractions in and around that area, Lana?
Lana: Millington is a quant, little community. And they have a couple of restaurants, a grocery store, a couple of bars. They have a subway, gas stations. They have a Fairway store. They have museums. They have a community center, which has activities all throughout the summer and winter. They have several churches. And like I said, it’s a quant, little town.
Camp Michigan: Sure.
Lana: Several antique shops.
Camp Michigan: Sure. I love going antiquing. Lana, if you had a spare afternoon, how would you spend your time in the surrounding area?
Lana: Actually, I love antiquing myself and I love going to the museums and going through the antique stores and all the little shops along Main Street. There are a few little shops that are interesting to go into.
Camp Michigan: Sure. So it sounds like it would be a very nice Park and Campground to stay at if someone wanted sort of a kind of more relaxing weekend. How close is it to the city there if you wanted to walk around and check out the different shops?
Lana: It’s one and a quarter mile east of M-15. M-15 is the main highway, and it actually starts down on I-75 and they’re working towards it to go all the way up to the bay. We have a rail trail as well for people to bike and exercise on. Walk. Horseback ride.
Camp Michigan: Okay. And are the campsites first come, first served or can they be reserved?
Lana: No, they’re on a first come, first served basis. And we have a box and envelope, and we have a caretaker. The Park actually is open year round, but we only have a caretaker during the months of – they actually start May 1st and they go through Labor Day. But if we have nice weather, lots of times were open through the month of October. So, any time during May. Actually the sign says we’re open Memorial Day to Labor Day for camping, but the caretaker begins May 1st. So, if someone would want to camp May 1st, the caretaker is there. There is a registration form in the box. You fill it out, put your money in there, and then it’s collected and taken care of. And like I said, it’s on a first come, first served basis.
Camp Michigan: All right, sounds good. Well, Lana, thank you so much for taking some time out of your morning to tell us a little bit more about the surrounding area there and to give us some details about Arthur Latham Park and Campground in Michigan.
Lana: You’re very welcome and thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring Arthur Latham Park to the forefront, to the community, and hopefully everyone will be able to use us.
