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Michigan Road Signs Spell ‘Grand Rapids’ Wrong

Everyone makes mistakes, even those in charge of Michigan’s road signs. Think about how many thousands of road signs are around this state, and it makes sense that one or…

Blank road sign on highway

Blank road sign on highway.

Everyone makes mistakes, even those in charge of Michigan's road signs. Think about how many thousands of road signs are around this state, and it makes sense that one or two might get misspelled or have some other kind of issue at some point.

As it turns out, MDOT is owning up to overseeing a project which resulted in misspelling a few Michigan cities on some recent signage. They're chocking it up to human error, which totally makes sense, since humans, well, make errors.

The misspelled signs actually spelled "Grand Rapids" as "Grand Radips." Yes, you read that right. They also spell "Coopersville" incorrectly. "We all make mistakes," MDOT's Southwest region spokesperson Nick Schirripa told WZZM in Grand Rapids. "There's no science here, somebody just made a mistake, and it didn't get caught until it was on a post."

Schirripa tells WZZM that the signs were implemented last week. "There were three signs total," Schirripa said. "Two of the Coopersville signs were missing the 's' and of course the lovely 'Grand Radips' sign." According to Schirripa, the project was delivered by a contractor and overseen by a consultant, "so there weren't MDOT eyes on any of this project." Hence, it wasn't really MDOT's mistake, but MDOT is making sure it's corrected.

If you're looking to catch the signs and get in a good laugh, it's too late, as the signs have already been handled. Schirripa also says that when contractors or fabricators make the mistake, they have to take up the cost to fix it, so taxpayers won't have to pay for double signage.

Spring and summer are on the way, and that means it's vacation time. You don't need to travel far to experience an amazing vacation experience. In fact, chances are there's a great getaway just a road trip away. Here in Michigan, we have plenty of exciting beach towns and vacation-ready destinations.

Plenty of people from neighboring states and beyond actually come to Michigan to vacation in the spring and summer. I have a friend in Florida who rents a place up north for a week every summer. That said, why not take advantage of the beautiful land we have in Michigan and plan your spring getaway or summer vacation right here in the Mitten? One of my favorite things to do each summer and road trip to a new Michigan destination and take in that town's unique culture.

Read on for a list I've put together of some of Michigan's finest vacation destinations. I included 30 on this list, but of course, there are many more. The No. 1 spot, in my opinion, is Mackinac Island. If you're a Michigander and have never been to Mackinac Island, then you have some catching up to do. I remember going there as a child with my parents and grandparents and finding Petoskey stones- or at least purchasing them at a local gift shop.

If you're interested in a top 10 list, U.S. World and News Report recently put together a list of the 10 best places to visit in Michigan, which you can find here. As a Michigan native, I approve of their list, but there are far more than just 10 cities in Michigan that area prime vacation destinations.

Mackinac Island

Holland

Traverse City

Saugatuck

Grand Rapids

Lansing

Iron Mountain

Manistee

Petoskey

Ludington

Frankenmuth

Saginaw/Bay City

Kalamazoo

Muskegon

Sleeping Bear Dunes

Pictured Rocks

Boyne City

http://www.cityofboynecity.com/

Ann Arbor

Leelanau

Marquette

Sault Ste. Marie

St. Ignace

Mount Pleasant

http://www.mt-pleasant.org/

Tecumseh

Escanaba

Flint

Crystal Falls

Grand Haven

Glen Arbor

Prescott

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.