By Deborah Reed
WKTV Managing Editor
deborah@wktv.org
West Michigan’s “Hip Grandma with a Camera,” Veronica Bareman, urges communities to explore their own backyards with her book, 100 Things to do in Holland, Michigan Before You Die.
Released in September 2023, 100 Things is an ode to the town Bareman fell in love with 20 years ago when she moved to Holland, Michigan.
A native of the Wyoming-Kentwood area, Bareman had only been to Holland once during her childhood – while on a school field trip to see the De Klomp Wooden Shoe & Delftware Factory.
“That was my sole experience with Holland,” says Bareman. Many years later, Bareman met her husband, got married and moved to Holland. “In the short time after moving to Holland, I just fell in love.”
The artsy, close-knit community calls to Bareman. Being a college town, Holland also offers a variety of events throughout the year.
“We have a lot of really cool events and tons of parks,” says Bareman. “It’s just a beautiful town, and right on the lakeshore.”
How Hip Grandma with a Camera was born
Bareman’s love of photography founded Veronicajune Photography. Over the years, she became known as “the girl with the camera.”
“Whenever I would show up I would have the camera, so people would laugh about that,” says Bareman.
Five years ago, Bareman began blogging about photography – and welcomed her first grandchild into the world.
“People started laughing and saying, ‘Oh, you’re the grandma with a camera,’” says Bareman. “Then I had a friend who took one look at me and said, ‘You can’t be the grandma with the camera. You’ve got pink hair, you’ve got to be hipper than that. You’re a Hip Grandma with a Camera.’”
Between the pink hair and Bareman’s energy level, Hip Grandma with a Camera stuck.
A life shift: becoming a travel blogger
The photography blog led to traveling as Bareman’s five children grew up and moved out of the house.
“Life has a way of just kind of morphing here and there,” Bareman says. “All of a sudden, I find myself in this travel space where I’m traveling.”
And wherever Bareman travels, her camera goes as well.
Invited into communities across the country, Bareman visits destinations and then posts on social media about what the communities have to offer.
At every travel destination, Bareman chats with hotel employees and waitstaff at local establishments. They always ask why she is in their town, and Bareman replies that she travels to see what that town has to offer.
The travel blogger says the responses are overwhelmingly similar: We don’t have anything to see or do around here.
“No matter where I go, this is what people say,” says Bareman. “We’re all so busy thinking about where we should go next, and what plane we should get on.
“If you just look around, most communities have a ton of things to see and do.”
Bareman believes she was given a unique perspective on her own community because she moved to Holland as an adult. Instead of taking the town’s offerings for granted, she embraced each new opportunity to explore what was right in front of her.
“We just kind of take it for granted that ‘Someday we’ll go see that, but we’re planning something else right now,’” says Bareman. “It’s definitely a phenomenon. It happens everywhere, not just here in West Michigan. It happens all over the country.”
An ironic revelation
Then, almost two years ago, Bareman realized the irony attached to her travel blog.
“I’m writing about everything and I come home to the best town…why haven’t I written extensively about Holland?” Bareman asked herself.
Bareman found the response from her previous travel destinations was the same response she found in Holland.
“People don’t know what’s within twenty minutes of their own back door,” Bareman says.
That revelation led the travel blogger to contact publishing company Reedy Press.
“They have a series of 100 Things books,” says Bareman. “I pitched the Holland, Michigan idea to them, and they were on board.”
100 Things to do in Holland, Michigan Before You Die has been well-received by people, Bareman says. Many local readers have told Bareman they had no idea certain attractions existed in their own backyard.
What came before and what’s next
Bareman’s 100 Things is actually her second publication.
Twelve authors throughout the Midwest came together and compiled an informative book on Midwest state parks.
Titled Midwest State Park Adventures, the book covers all state parks in the Midwest states, with Bareman penning the Michigan chapter.
“Michigan has 108 state parks,” says Bareman. “I did a deep dive into those to figure out who has camping, trails and kayaking, then specifically wrote from firsthand experience.”
Bareman is looking at participating in another author compilation that will cover Midwest museums. She is also in conversation with Reedy Press about writing a bigger, more Michigan-centric book.
Never stop exploring
“Life goes on past 50, and it can be the most exciting time of your life,” says Bareman. “I’m in my 50s now, and life has taken off in my 50s in a bigger way than through all of the years prior.”
Bareman is loving her Hip Grandma Life and continues to carry her camera everywhere she goes. Her days consist of traveling, writing, photography, and speaking engagements.
And, most importantly, being a grandma to her two grandchildren while looking forward to welcoming more into the Hip Grandma fold.
Bareman encourages those around her to never stop exploring, no matter their age.
“Don’t forget to explore your own backyard,” says Bareman. “We have the gift of a lifetime of experience and look through a whole different lens than we would have when we were 25 and trying to figure life out.
“Now we’ve kind of got the gift of having it figured out. We never stopped learning, and we never have it completely figured out, but certainly those years of experience are a huge gift when you’re at this point in life.”
Inspiration to get you started
Adventures of the pink-haired, high-energy Hip Grandma with a Camera can be found on her website, Hip Grandma Life.
You can also find Veronica Bareman on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
