Tours Around Michigan’s Owner & Operator: Candice Smith
Storyteller, History Lover & Tourism Expert
Candice is a tourism and communications professional with more than 30-years experience in media, public relations, and branding. She LOVES storytelling. Candice began sharing stories as a television news producer in Michigan and Indiana, and as a reporter for NPR station WGVU. That work continued in international communications and corporate communications, where she managed corporate issue statements worldwide and traveled with foreign government officials and influencers. She also consulted in branding and public and media relations for small businesses and organizations.
Tourism is a passion that married her love of storytelling with her high level of customer experience. This work quickly resulted in her receiving Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Of The Year for Kent County and a WAVE Award for Best Attraction. She began her own tourism business in early 2018, where she receives 5-star reviews from customers. Tours Around Michigan gives public tours on Grand Rapids history, special topics, and private tours in a variety of topics customized to customer needs.
Candice is a mother to four amazing daughters, who roll their eyes at being constantly bombarded with “fun facts,” but then use them to impress others. She serves on the board of an international non-profit and has run a local support group for eight years. She also loves getting involved with charity and professional organizations in the area through Tours Around Michigan.
The Business
Named one of the “Top 50 Things To Do”, by Revue Magazine, Tours Around Michigan shares the hidden gems and reveals secrets of Michigan. We work hard to help you create unforgettable memories through our 5-star tours, including experiences customized for your group. We love to share unknown stories and places that even locals haven’t heard much about. We are constantly researching and finding new stories to keep our guests entertained, and our research never stops!
Experience the area’s history, art, historic homes, tastings of beer, wine, distillery & cocktails, food, ghosts, and cultures in unique ways all over Michigan.
We are proud to be Accessible Travel Press Online 1st U.S. Tour Company endorsed. We always try to do better for our guests who rock life on wheels, use interpreters (including sign language), love a guide dog, or see life through neurodivergence or a mental (dis)ability.
We are also LGBTQ+ and pet friendly… we really just want to be friends with everyone.
Let us know if you’d like to Work With Us as a guide or business partner!
Tours Around Michigan’s Owner & Operator: Candice Smith
Storyteller, History Lover & Tourism Expert
Candice is a tourism and communications professional with more than 30-years experience in media, public relations, and branding. She LOVES storytelling. Candice began sharing stories as a television news producer in Michigan and Indiana, and as a reporter for NPR station WGVU. That work continued in international communications and corporate communications, where she managed corporate issue statements worldwide and traveled with foreign government officials and influencers. She also consulted in branding and public and media relations for small businesses and organizations.
Tourism is a passion that married her love of storytelling with her high level of customer experience. This work quickly resulted in her receiving Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Of The Year for Kent County and a WAVE Award for Best Attraction. She began her own tourism business in early 2018, where she receives 5-star reviews from customers. Tours Around Michigan gives public tours on Grand Rapids history, special topics, and private tours in a variety of topics customized to customer needs.
Candice is a mother to four amazing daughters, who roll their eyes at being constantly bombarded with “fun facts,” but then use them to impress others. She serves on the board of an international non-profit and has run a local support group for eight years. She also loves getting involved with charity and professional organizations in the area through Tours Around Michigan.
The Business
Tours Around Michigan shares the hidden gems and reveals secrets of Michigan. We work hard to help you create unforgettable memories through our 5-star tours, including experiences customized for your group. We love to share unknown stories and places that even locals haven’t heard much about. We are constantly researching and finding new stories to keep our guests entertained (and really, we are kind of research geeks anyway).
Experience the area’s history, art, tastings, foods, ghosts, and cultures in unique ways. We also customize immersion trips from one day to fifteen days including beer, wine, distillery, history, and food tours all over Michigan.
We are LGBTQA friendly, interpreter friendly, pet friendly… we really just want to be friends with everyone.
