(WXYZ) — The immersive overnight hike at Glenlore Trails has something for everyone. Co-founder Scott Schoeneberger says the fun kicks in when the sun goes down.
It is Michigan’s largest illuminated night walk.
“We are the longest, but we are the most interactive and the most immersive. We are an accumulation of years of experience and years of pure passion from a team that has done this commercially and is now doing this in a more B style. to C institution,” Scott said.
A team of about 30 people helps set up this family-friendly trail during the holidays, and Scott says the concept came about during the pandemic.
“Our main activity, Bluewater, is half in the event space and half in permanent installation. In 2020, the events world was closed. And so we had to figure out how to keep all of our employees working and busy, and they were healthy again, and so we came up with the idea of this night walk,” Scott said.
With an overwhelming response, the half-mile route was expanded to its current 1-mile route. It welcomes almost 100,000 customers per season. It’s something Scott never expected.
“So after 2020, it just didn’t make sense to close it. A lot of families would say this is our new family tradition. We love this place so much,” Scott said.
“But you have also come across something else, namely helping people with sensory problems?” asked WXYZ’s Faraz Javed.
“My wife and I oversee this program. One of the biggest reasons we continue to do it is because of the community. There is also a large portion of the community that has sensory needs. The feedback we hear is that these children may none There are a lot of places to go or experiences like that, but now they’re finding them here,” said Scott.
Julia Dapkus has been coming here since it was founded. Thanks to her twelve-year-old daughter Isabel, this has become a family tradition.
“Isabel has special needs, and it’s a really nice place to come without preconceived expectations. She can be herself. We can walk. We can interact. They can touch each other. Kids can just be kids without worries,” says Julia .
Julia said that Isabel had speech problems as a toddler. That’s why Julia and her husband came up with a system that allowed Isabel to communicate via pre-programmed buttons on an app. This eventually gave rise to their non-profit organization called Communication Is Key AAC (https://www.communicationiskey.org/), which allows children with sensory problems to express themselves using communication boards.
“We’ve donated over 200 communication boards in the state of Michigan alone. We’ve also probably distributed over $200,000 in resources over the last three years,” Julia said.
Additionally, after experiencing this sensory-friendly space, Julia hopes to collaborate with Glenlore Trails to build on something that father-of-two Scott faced.
“All the interactive pieces we build are deliberately very simple. We also ensure that the path is well maintained, which helps it to be wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly. Being able to create something that is accessible to families who are so in need is just pretty incredible,” Scott said.
The enchanted experience ends on November 3, but don’t worry, on November 15 it’s the Aurora Experience that kicks off the entire holiday season. For more information, visit www.glenloretrails.com