HOLLAND TWP. — Change is the name of the game at Nelis’ Dutch Village this year.
In addition to opening its first-ever downtown retail shop — Dutch Village Downtown — the historic amusement park off James Street in Holland Township is undergoing a multi-year transformation, beginning with a new parking lot.
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“Obviously, there’s been a lot of chatter about what’s going on,” said owner Joe Nelis. “There’s the new Popeyes and the urgent care center. But just to the south of the urgent care, we’ve taken on quite a large project.”
The village removed several buildings that remained from the days of the Queen’s Inn, a restaurant that was ultimately demolished in 2018.
“We’d planned to keep some of those buildings,” Nelis said. “They were used for storage and our main bathrooms, but there were some setback issues and we just couldn’t save them without cutting into our new parking spots. But we’re getting a nice, new parking lot, and that’ll be great for customers.”
The parking lot will serve another purpose — collecting rainwater to feed the park’s canal system, used for sprinklers that water the grass and flowers.
“Everybody from Ottawa County Water Resources has been pretty excited about it,” Nelis said. “We’ve put a fair amount of time and energy into engineering. We’re stopping a lot of rainwater from going into the stormwater system.”
The park will also add EV chargers, landscaping and trees. But the parking lot isn’t the only area seeing change. For years, shoppers at Holland Town Center were able to cross a bridge and access stores in the Dutch Village. Those days are over.
“The wall underneath that end of the bridge had degraded,” Nelis said. “We’re finding the water level of the pond is elevated quite a bit and that’s causing erosion and shore problems. So, the number one reason was safety. But we’re also able to limit our access point to our current main entrance.”
That means no wristbands for visitors — it also means shoppers will be directed to Dutch Village Downtown for admission-free chocolate, wooden shoes, cheeses and more.
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Begin
ning this fall, the park’s main entrance will also receive an upgrade. New buildings will hold bathrooms, a ticketing entrance and central operations — plus a new fencing system along the north edge of the village.
It’s all part of a five-year plan with new buildings and attractions.
“We have a lot of different ideas,” Nelis said.
At least one new attraction is coming this year, though it won’t debut until after Tulip Time. In celebration of 100 years of business in Holland — combined between the Dutch Village and the original Nelis Tulip Farm, purchased in 1922 — the park is creating a new ride. The working title? Tractor Time.
“You can take a tractor back in time to Nelis Tulip Farm,” Nelis said. “We’re working on a 350-foot track with a little tractor barn. We’ll have 10 miniature electric tractors. And as the kids go around, there’ll be signposts and waypoints highlighting certain significant years.”
Nelis’ Dutch Village opens for the season Saturday, April 23, with its Community Food Drive. Proceeds will go to Community Action House, and all participants will receive free admission, to be used anytime during the season. Donations can also be used for a discount on season passes.
Learn more at facebook.com/NelisDutchVillage.
— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: What’s new at Nelis’ Dutch Village this season?