Blake Walsh

15 Best Things to Do in Shelby Township, MI

  • Published 2023/05/12

Shelby Township is an area in Metro Detroit, Michigan, with small businesses and restaurants catering to everyone.

Officially, the Charter Township of Shelby is in Macomb County.

It is also a lavish Detroit northern suburb, approximately 15 miles on the city’s north part.

The hamlet was in the French’s possession but was acquired by the English in 1763 and became a township on April 12, 1827, with the Michigan Territory Legislature Act.

Mastodon bones were unearthed on P.K. Leech’s (Auburn & Ryan) farm in the mid-1800s.

You’ll be amazed at how this urban area preserved its history through education and how it was used for enjoyment and economic advantage.

Discover the best things to do in Shelby Township, Michigan.

Stop by River Bends Park

Scenic view of the River Bends Park

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Spanning over 850 acres of land, River Bends Park is copious of animal and plant life, including historical significance.

The six-mile-long Clinton River divides the park into two sections.

In 2000, a constructed bridge joined the two park sections: 22 Mile Picnic Park and Woodall Community Park.

Your kids will love to play in the all-inclusive playground with a rubberized surface, allowing for easier accessibility to wheelchairs and walkers.

Picnic area at River Bends Park

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Try your luck on the 27-hole disc golf course, which is open and free during regular park hours.

However, you need to bring your own discs.

River Bends Park also offers an excellent fishing spot and a partly gravel and partially paved trail, almost 2.5 miles long.

A couple cycling at River Bends Park

Fsendek / Shutterstock.com

Explore Stony Creek Metropark

Stoney Creek Metropark is located on Main Park Drive.

Stoney Creek Metropark is a 4,435-acre park with hilly terrain beautified by the stunning 500-acre Stony Creek Lake surrounding it.

The Stony Creek Metropark Nature Center is in the park, helping residents and visitors learn about natural history and local wildlife.

Clinton River Watershed and its history are told through interpretive exhibits emphasizing landforms forged by the last Glacial Age.

See the First Peoples and settlers who made the site their home, live native animals, and taxidermied local wildlife taxidermy.

See Southeast Michigan reptiles, fish, arthropods, and amphibians, or explore trails and watch predatory birds such as eagles, osprey, and owls.

Different exciting activities await you and your family at Stoney Creek Metropark.

Explore the Ridgewood Campground, slither through Quadzilla Slide, complete Shelden Trails, go mountain biking, and more.

Visit the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site

The Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site might interest you if you love visiting historical sites.

Located along Van Dyke Avenue, this historic place was developed into roughly 17 acres in 2017.

It became a diverse facility and has hosted various significant events, from weddings to corporate events and even a farm market.

The nonprofit Packard Motor Car Foundation helps uphold the legacy of the Packard Motor Car Company.

It restores and preserves the Packard Proving Grounds as it educates future generations on America’s automotive history.

Based on the car manufacturer’s property, the site is one of only three car museums in the country.

Albert Kahn designed the 1928 buildings in the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Spot Birds at Holland Ponds

Spend a day watching various bird species at Holland Ponds along Ryan Road.

It has 200 acres of natural flora and fauna and is recognized for its heron rookery and fantastic walking trails.

See what’s left from the deserted Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal project, dating to 1838, illustrating some of Shelby Township’s history.

The place is noted for its flourishing wildlife and plant communities and is a great and tranquil spot to go birdwatching.

You can also find beaver lodges there.

Holland Ponds also features a small pavilion at the back of the park and portable restrooms at the entrance.

Bounce around the Sky Zone Trampoline Park

Kids always love to jump and down, and so do adults, so why not make the Sky Zone Trampoline Park your next destination?

Located on Sabrina Drive, this park has many attractions and activities.

Ride the Zipline and rocket through the park, or defy gravity at the Freestyle Jump as you flip and jump on the park’s biggest trampoline.

Challenge your friends or loved ones to a different kind of game at the Air Court, which has a springy, air-filled multi-court, or try the Drop Slide for that thrilling free fall.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park is a great place to celebrate your kid’s or teen’s birthday party to create fun and unforgettable memories.

Explore the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center

Appreciating the natural world is one great way to relieve stress and discover how pleasant nature is.

The Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center imparts nature-related experiences and activities to nurture visitors to establish and evoke awareness and gratitude.

Located on River Bends Drive, this captivating nature center is home to over 70 bird species and regularly hosts family nature programs and nature walks.

There are a lot of open spaces for your kids to run around, picnic tables and shelter, restrooms, and paved parking.

Shadbush Nature Center offers free admission with an all-year-round viewing for the entire family.

Spend a Day at Whispering Woods Kiwanis Park

Finding a place to relax or enjoy recreational activities shouldn’t be difficult.

Try spending a day at the Whispering Woods Kiwanis Park on 21 Mile Road with your friends or loved ones and experience different recreational opportunities.

Play on one of the nine soccer fields, sand volleyball courts, or an irrigated baseball diamond.

Your kids can spend their energy playing in an environmentally-friendly playscape constructed from recycled plastics, which is also handicapped-accessible.

Whispering Woods Kiwanis Park offers a comfort station, an 11-piece tot lot, picnic tables and shelters, a walking trail, and more.

Enjoy Family Day at Chief Gene Shepherd Park

Summer is fast approaching, and what a great way to beat the heat is to splash in the water.

Chief Gene Shepherd Park allows children of all ages to splash as much as they want in the firefighter-themed splash pad skirting the park.

This park was constructed in 2013 and was named to honor the late Fire Chief Eugene Shepherd, who lost his life in the line of duty.

It features two tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, horseshoes, a soccer field, and a bocce ball.

Located on 23 Mile Road, Chief Gene Shepherd Park offers visitors electricity, restrooms, pet waste bags, and many others.

Explore Indoor Amusement at Maxx Play

Bring your entire family to Maxx Play and experience different beautiful activities for the whole gang, whatever the reason and season.

Enjoy inflatable playscapes, paintball, roller/inline skating and hockey, laser tag, and indoor sports such as volleyball and soccer.

Everyone will love Jazzercise, taking martial arts classes, learning to skate, and joining Tiny Tots programs.

This is an excellent place for corporate team buildings where you can integrate business and pleasure.

Headquartered on Van Dyke Avenue, Maxx Play is also a memorable venue for birthday celebrations and other parties, offering full catering, provisions, and amenities for any events you may have.

Check Out Mae Stecker Park

Named after a former Shelby Township clerk, Mae Stecker Park opened to the public in 1974.

Through the generosity of the Shelby Township Fraternal Order of Police, the park’s playscape was constructed in 1997.

It continues to provide children with fun and excitement.

Challenge your friends or loved ones to play at the tennis or sand volleyball court or skate or play hockey in an illuminated, portable ice rink that opens every winter.

There are also lighted softball diamonds, modern-surfaced basketball courts, a 1.5-mile hiking trail, picnic tables for a friendly get-together meal, a handicap swing, restrooms, and much more.

Located on 24 Mile Road, Mae Stecker Park also allows dogs in the area and offers pet waste bags.

Other Things to Do Nearby

If you’re seeking more adventure and excitement, that’s no problem because you can achieve them elsewhere.

Make the most of your visit and see other cities near Shelby Township.

Drop by Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm

If you love visiting historical places, visit Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm.

It is a warehouse for artifacts and archives in the greater Rochester area, a boon for researchers.

Located on Van Hoosen Road in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this museum accommodates the 1888 Red House and 1840 Van Hoosen Farmhouse.

See the 1927 Dairy Barn, transformed into an all-year-round exhibit gallery.

Since 1823, the Taylor and Van Hoosen families have lived in the 16-acre museum complex.

The Museum also features seven historic buildings and 16 acres of gardens and land surrounded by Stoney Creek and the newly restored 1927 Calf Barn that can seat up to 150 guests for receptions.

You can reach Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm after a ten-minute drive from Shelby Township.

Experience the Unique Reptarium

If you’re a fan of reptiles, then don’t forget to go to the Reparium on Van Dyke Avenue in Utica, Michigan, four minutes from Shelby Township.

See snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, tortoises, and more.

It’s the perfect destination to overcome your fears about these animals or if you want to learn more about them.

Besides reptiles, you’ll meet the two-toed sloth, Drogo, and the six-banded armadillo, Brillo.

Experience the Aquarium House, where a 750-gallon freshwater fish tank divides the kitchen and living room area!

You can spend your kid’s birthday at the Reparium with up to 20 guests.

They can also bring the party to your home and celebrate with some of the center’s reptiles.

Commune with Nature at Sterling Heights Nature Center

You’ll appreciate more of nature once you visit Sterling Heights Nature Center on Utica Road in Sterling Heights, Michigan, nine minutes from Shelby Township.

The center welcomes every visitor and provides a close-up look at still-life exhibits.

The Nature Center also shelters living amphibians and reptiles.

Check out the 900-gallon aquarium with fish found in local lakes and rivers.

Enjoy nature while walking along rivers and the adjacent park with your dog or loved ones.

Sterling Heights Nature Center also offers low-cost programs for visitors of all ages and can be the next venue for your kid’s birthday party.

Explore the SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium

Dive into a tropical sea where predators and prey swim overhead in 125 gallons of water at the World of SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium.

Meet Florence the nurse shark, the largest creature in the tank, and other sea species, including rays, green sea turtles, and other sharks.

Also, check out the 15-foot deep underwater tunnel, so massive that SCUBA divers must clean it every week.

Visit exhibits like Shoaling Ring, Interactive Touchpool, Stingray Bay, Shipwreck, and more.

SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium is the state’s biggest aquarium, with over 250 species and 2,000 creatures.

The aquarium is in Auburn Hills, Michigan, 24 minutes from Shelby Township.

Hang Out at McKinley Barrier Free Park

People with disabilities will enjoy hanging out at McKinley Barrier Free Park because it passes ADA Standards for Accessible Design.

You can access the park once you get out of the car in the parking lot, accommodating up to 54 vehicles and a bus drop.

There’s a comfort station, including family-style restrooms, and an adult-sized changing table for individuals requiring special needs.

This fantastic park provides a playscape that encourages inclusive play for outdoor recreation for underserved individuals.

Named after former mayor Otis McKinley, McKinley Barrier-Free Park is in Fraser, Michigan, 22 minutes from Shelby Township.

Final Thoughts

Hiking, biking, fishing, boating, and birdwatching are some of the most sought-after activities in Shelby.

What are you waiting for?

Start packing your things and check out the best things to do in Shelby Township, Michigan.

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