“Pokemon Go” Arrives in Michigan

Heading to Michigan this summer and a fan of Pokemon Go? The lions, tigers and bears of Detroit Zoo welcomed a new resident this week in the form of Pikachu. Players of Pokemon Go have been delighted to pick up a Pikachu at the zoo, as well as there being a total of 47 Pokestops and four gyms to help gamers out while visiting the animals in Motor City.

Pokemon Go is the monster-hunting, augmented reality game that has people from all across the world getting up off their sofas and hunting for Pokemon in the real world. Using Pokestops (real world landmarks) and gyms (local places of interest) along the way, players advance in the game by evolving their Pokemon. The game uses a mobile phone’s GPS and clock to detect where a player is in the game and makes Pokémon "appear" around players (on the phone screen), so they can catch them. As they move around, different and more types of Pokémon will appear depending on location and the time. It’s so popular that it’s now competing with Twitter in terms of daily active users, with 15.3 million tweets worldwide about the game in its first week.

Here are the top spots in Michigan to catch ’em all!

Ann Arbor boasts more than 10 gyms in the downtown area alone, which include the State Theatre and on the University of Michigan campus. Pokemon running wild in Ann Arbor include: Rattata, Drowzee and Weedle, but rarer Pokemon can be found if you dig a little deeper.

Belle Isle, Detroit is the place to be to catch a whole load of water Pokemon, with the likes of Poliwag, Magikarp and Horsea all being seen in and around the state park. And on your way why not pop into the Poke Gym at the Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit along the Detroit River.

Lansing, Michigan’s state capital, is home to some of the rarer Pokemon, especially in Marshall Park, where Gastly, Psyduck and Krabby have all been spotted. And for Pokestops, Michigan State Arboretum is a must, there are plenty of Pokemon to be found here too.

Grand Rapids will require a full phone charge! Start out in the Meijer Gardens where there are Pokestops a plenty and a Pokemon or two hidden between the plants and sculptures, as well as three gyms. Then follow it up with a trip to Rosa Parks Circle, to catch a Dratini or Eevee.

So for your summer holiday, be sure to pack Pokemon Go and a phone charger, Michigan is full of Pokemon waiting to be caught.

To find out more about Michigan visit: Michigan.org