(WXYZ) – The immersive evening walk at Glenlore Trails has something for everyone. Co-founder Scott Schoeneberger says fun comes when the sun goes down.

It is the largest lit nighttime promenade in Michigan.

“We’re the oldest, but we’re the most interactive and the most immersive. Ours is an accumulation of years of experience and years of just passion from a team that has done this commercially and is doing it now way rather B. at setting C,” Scott said.

A team of around 30 people is helping to develop this family trail for the holiday season, and Scott says the concept was born during the pandemic.

“Our core business, Bluewater, is half focused on event space and half on permanent facilities. In 2020, the events world came to a standstill. So we had to figure out how to keep all of our employees working and keep them busy, and keep them sane, and that’s how we came up with the idea for this night walk,” Scott said.

With overwhelming response, the half-mile trail expanded to the current mile-long trail. It welcomes nearly 100,000 customers per season. This is something Scott didn’t expect.

“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 also stumbled upon something else, which is helping people with sensory difficulties? asked WXYZ’s Faraz Javed.

“My wife and I oversee this program. One of the main reasons we continue to do this is the community. There is also a large segment of the community that has sensory needs. The feedback we hear is that these children They might not have a lot of places to go or that kind of experience, but now they’re finding it here,” Scott said.

Julia Dapkus has been coming here since its inception. It is thanks to her daughter Isabel, 12, that it has become a family tradition.

“Isabel has special needs, and it’s really a fun place to come without preconceived expectations. She can be herself. We can walk. We can be interactive. They can touch. Kids can just be kids without any worry,” Julia said.

Julia said Isabel had speech problems when she was little. That’s why Julia and her husband designed a system that allows Isabel to communicate using pre-programmed buttons on an app. This eventually gave birth to their non-profit organization called Communication Is Key AAC (https://www.communicationiskey.org/) , which helps children with sensory difficulties express themselves using communication boards.

“In the state of Michigan alone, we have donated over 200 communication boards. We have also donated over $200,000 in resources over the past three years,” Julia said.

Additionally, after discovering this sensory space, Julia hopes to partner with Glenlore Trails to further build something that Scott, a father of two, stumbled upon.

“All the interactive elements we build are intentionally very simple. We also make sure the trail is well maintained, which helps to be wheelchair and stroller accessible. Being able to create something that is accessible to families who need it like that, it’s just amazing,” Scott said.

The Enchanted Experience ends on November 3, but don’t worry, on November 15, the Aurora Experience begins throughout the holiday season. To find out more, visit www.glenloretrails.com